Green Bay refocused and prepared for Carolina

Pack hoping to show loss to Chargers was fluke
By: 
Morgan Rode
Sports Editor

GREEN BAY — Heading out to California for a week nine game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers appeared to be in cruise control after starting the year 7-1.

Things didn’t go according to plan from pretty much the opening kickoff, and the Packers were handed a humbling loss.

Luckily, it didn’t cost Green Bay its first place spot in the NFC North, but it turned week 10’s battle with the Carolina Panthers into a big contest, with the bye week looming in week 11.

“The week’s a lot sweeter when you win, I can promise you that,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers on earning wins before bye weeks.

“But this is (an) important one for us to bounce back, I think that’s the main focus. Obviously, we know what’s coming after this week and we know what’s coming after that week (a road game at undefeated San Francisco) as well.”

Even after the team’s tough outing in California, coach Matt LaFleur believed his team would be able to bounce back because of the characters and leadership in the locker room.

To do so, it will have to get past a surprising Panthers team that is in the playoff hunt despite not having starting quarterback Cam Newton.

LaFleur’s take on the Panthers sounded similar to how he described the Chargers. “We got a really good opponent coming in here. I think they are No. 1 in the league in sacks and one of the top teams in turnovers (forced). They got the leading rusher (Christian McCaffrey) in the league. So there’s a lot to go over and we got to be well-prepared for this opponent.”

Even though Carolina holds a better record than what Los Angeles did, Green Bay is still expected to come out on top when the final whistle blows. But after last week’s showing, the team knows it can’t take anything for granted and must come out prepared and focused.

“Just forget about that week, but know the things that you did that week that left that sour taste in your mouth so you can go back and fix those things and come out and play a better game next week,” said running back Aaron Jones on moving on from a tough loss.

Getting Jones and the running game more involved is something he, Rodgers and LaFleur all talked about doing against Carolina.

Against the Chargers, the Packers’ offense only tallied 49 plays, running the ball just 11 times.

When the Packers have been at their best on offense, Jones and Jamaal Williams have been heavily involved. In an ideal game, Rodgers said he’d like Jones to touch the ball between 15-20 times, while Williams gets 10-15 looks.

LaFleur took a good portion of the blame for Sunday’s loss, saying he abandoned the gameplan too early.

The rookie head coach could take a page out of the Chargers’ gameplan in order to not only get his offense rolling, but help out the Packers’ defense.

A week ago, the Packers’ defense spent over 35 minutes of the contest on the field. While the Chargers amassed 442 total yards of offense, it wasn’t until the second half that the unit ran out of gas and started surrendering touchdowns.

Green Bay’s defense will face out of the most dynamic players in the league this Sunday in McCaffrey, who is among the favorites for NFL MVP.

“A great player. They use him (McCaffrey) for a little bit of everything,” said Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark. “I played him in college too so I know what he’s really capable of, he’s a great player.

“For as elusive as he is, I think people kind of forget how hard he runs too. He does a great job, he runs behind his pads. He has great vision.”

The Packers’ offense can help out the defense by giving the Panthers a taste of their own medicine — getting Jones and Williams involved early to help move the ball up and down the field while keeping McCaffrey on the sidelines.

One factor that the Packers believe favors them is the weather. Sunday’s forecast shows temperatures in the mid-30s and overcast skies, something Rodgers hopes for in the latter part of the regular season but will gladly take in the early part of November.

To get ready for the cold temperatures, the Packers practiced outside on Wednesday following an overnight and morning snowstorm. The team even had a snowball fight after practice ended.

It’s a major swing for the team after spending time in sunny and warm California last weekend, but it might be just what was needed in order to get locked back in as the season is about to intensify as the team chases a division title and tries to earn the best seed possible for the postseason.

sports@newmedia-wi.com