It All Comes Down To Character

The 2016 NFL regular season ends Sunday January 1, 2017 with a battle between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, two of the oldest NFL franchises, with the NFC North Division title on the line and possibly a playoff berth also on the line on Sunday Night Football.

The scenario is this. If the Packers win or tie the Packers win the North and hosts the New York Giants next week on Wildcard Weekend. If the Packers lose at Ford Field the Packers end up with a 9-7 record and would need help of the Giants to make the playoffs.

The Giants play the Washington Redskins on the road at 3:25 p.m. and that game has major implications. If the Giants win both the Packers and the Lions make the playoffs with only the seed yet to be determined.

I would hope Head Coach Mike McCarthy sequesters the team with a media blackout, so they think they have something to play for, but, of course, that wouldn't be possible. I would hope the Packers would want the division title even if the Redskins lose.

Last year the Packers had the same scenario. The Packers had won four straight North titles and all they had to do was to beat the Minnesota Vikings led by rookie Teddy "Little Hands" Bridgewater at Lambeau Field, but they laid an egg losing 20-13. They then beat the Redskins on Wildcard Weekend before losing to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime, 26-20.

The Lions have a lot to play for. If Detroit wins the Lions win their first division title in 23 years. Now that is incentive. The Packers beat the Lions in Week 3 at Lambeau Field, 34-27. The Packers led 31-3 with 1:10 remaining in the first half. The Lions scored just before the half and outscored the Packers 17-3 in the second half, including 10 points in the 4th quarter. Aaron Rodgers threw 4 TD passes with no interceptions and Matthew Stafford threw 3 TDs with 1 interception.

So what this game comes down to is character. Aaron Rodgers said the Packers would run the table and so far they have won five games in a row after losing four in a row. I would say this team has shown some character during the run, but this game really will show what the Ted Thompson/Mike McCarthy/Edgar Bennett/Dom Capers Packers are made of.

If they lose and miss the playoffs I would hope big changes are in the offing. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have gotten stale. This is Thompson's 12th year at the helm and McCarthy's 11th behind the bench. During the Thompson Era the Packers have won 5 division titles, made the playoff 8 times - the last seven in a row, made the conference title game twice and won the Super Bowl once with two of the greatest quarterbacks in the storied history of the Packers at the helm.

Thompson wasted the last three years of the Brett Favre Era and since the Super Bowl have wasted the prime years of the Aaron Rodgers Era. The Packers roster is populated by undrafted free agents in key backup roles and in one case (cornerback Ladarius Gunter in place of Sam Shields) starting.

None of the draft picks, including the No. 1s and 2s have not made the Pro Bowl since the Super Bowl. This team is not built to win Super Bowls. It is built to be Just Good Enough to make the playoffs.

If the Packers win there is a chance they could repeat 2010 and sweep to the Super Bowl, but unlike the 2010 team the Packers defense is not solid and, especially in the second half of games. The trouble with that is that tonight the Lions are best in the 4th quarter when the Packers are at their worst. This is not a good matchup for success.

Dom Capers always and I mean always goes into a "prevent defense" after halftime. I just found out that the "prevent" is no longer called that, but it is now called "soft coverage". The problem with using that designation is that Dom Capers always plays "soft coverage", but it really gets "soft" in the second half.

I was scolded early this week when I asked someone what exactly does the "prevent" prevent since the opposing team always scores. I was told in no uncertain terms that the reason for the "prevent" was not to stop the other team from scoring, but to make them take more time in doing so.

I would hope stopping the other team from scoring would be the goal in the second half, but I guess I am a dinosaur and that doesn't happen anymore. Well, I would say this it doesn't happen in Green Bay, but it does happen with other teams who win Super Bowls. That is the difference between a Super Bowl team and a Just Good Enough team.

With Capers "Soft Coverage" defense on the field the Packers are forced to score at least 35 points a game and that is tough to do. Rodgers has have a great second half of the season with Jordy Nelson back to his old self and the emergence of Davante Adams adding to his greatness.

The addition of Ty Montgomery in the backfield has helped and the return of Jared Cook from injury at tight end has also helped the resurgence of the Packers offense. The season and the game tonight is on Rodgers and the offense shoulders.

The only bright spot on the defense is the return of Clay Matthews to some semblance of his previous dominant self. If Matthews, Julius Peppers, Nick Perry and Datone Jones (4 No. 1 draft picks) can put some pressure on Matthew Stafford the Packers improve their chances threefold. The secondary has 2 more No. 1 draft picks (free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and cornerback Damarious Randall), but Randall has recently been benched for Micah Hyde, who is really not a outside corner, but a better safety/slot corner, but he got hurt.

So it comes back to character. Do the Packers want this game enough to go on the road and win? I don't know. And that pretty much sums it up.

The Packers are a 3.5 point favorite. Now for the predictions. ESPN: Packers 27-24; FOX Sports the Big Board: Packers 53.9% of winning (23.5-22.5); Sports Illustrated: Packers 27-24; Bleacher Report: Packers 28-24; Elliott Harrison at NFL.com: Packers 27-24; and CBS Sports: 7-1 for the Packers winning.

Like I said before I hate it when almost everyone picks the Packers. I am worried for one more week.