SI's MMQB: Green Bay Packers are best NFC team in 2014

[kidhawk]

The opening sentence says it all:

If the Pack can earn home-field advantage in the playoffs—meaning they won’t have to play in Seattle—then they’re bound for the Super Bowl

Man those Patriots are the best team in the AFC! If only they can avoid playing at Denver, they'll be in the Super Bowl for sure!

I see what you did there and thought it was funny, but I actually heard that, almost word for word as a prediction recently. I believe they said that if New England can beat Denver in their head to head match up this regular season it would give them a leg up in the home field advantage and if they get that, then they will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.

 

[RichNhansom]

The opening sentence says it all:

If the Pack can earn home-field advantage in the playoffs—meaning they won’t have to play in Seattle—then they’re bound for the Super Bowl

Man those Patriots are the best team in the AFC! If only they can avoid playing at Denver, they'll be in the Super Bowl for sure!

I see what you did there and thought it was funny, but I actually heard that, almost word for word as a prediction recently. I believe they said that if New England can beat Denver in their head to head match up this regular season it would give them a leg up in the home field advantage and if they get that, then they will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.

Tim Kawamiki (SP) (Niners beat writer) just predicted the Niners will win the super bowl as long as they don't have to play in Seattle and that they will get their because some other team will take us out of the playoffs. Yes another "they can't repeat" prediction included.

Still thought it was funny a Niner beat writer has to hope someone takes us out so his team has a chance.

 

[BlueBlood]

This article came out a week late. As injuries mount in the NFC West the Seahawks schedule is getting easier and easier. When we defeat Green Bay they will be, for all intents and purposes, be eliminated from HFA. I expect Philly or New Orleans to be in Seattle for the NFC showdown.

Green Bay is decent, they have Rodgers and other weapons. They are going to try and pound the ball to establish the run game with Lacey to put teams off balance. On defense their strong suit is also their pass rush which will flush Wilson out of the pocket and their secondary is aweful.

It would take an epic breakdown for Seattle to lose this game.

 

[Hawks46]

The author of the article is capitalizing on what many feel and that it's impossible these days to repeat as Super Bowl Champs. San Fran is in a mess and most likely will flounder so why not jump on Green Bay's band wagon? Other than the Eagles there really isn't any NFC team out there that looks like a contender. But the author's reasoning is flawed due to popular misunderstanding LS and PC. There are the so called experts that have learned nothing about the way JS and PC have built and resupplied the Hawks. They just can't wrap their heads around the concept of this team.

I agree with everything you said except the Eagles are the 2nd best NFC team and there isn't another contender.

New Orleans is the 2nd best team in the NFC. Their offense got better with Cooks and defense is greatly improved with young improving pass rushers and the addition of Byrd. Two very good safeties will let Ryan do what he likes on defense which is stop the run and get a ton of pressure on the QB.

I will say, in reading your post though, it got me thinking. We might have the best chance to repeat in a long time.

A month ago, the NFC West was a brutal division and it was looking very tough. Whoever got out of it was going to be beat up. Now, SF is looking like they're in trouble before the season even starts (yes I know, games haven't been played yet), the Rams lost their starting QB, and the Cards have lost pretty much everyone up the middle of thier defense who was elite.

I'm not sold on GB's defense or their OL. Carolina has taken a step back. They have question marks about their secondary still and they have a lack of skill position players on offense, and their running QB is already beat up.

NO is the next best team, and they could make a lot of noise. I'd rather play them here than there in the NFCCG that's for sure.

 

[Sarlacc83]

Green Bay might not even be the best team in their division this year.

 

[kearly]

Honestly, the dumbest part of the article was when he proclaims the Packers as the NFL's deepest team. That's not exactly a distinction I would bestow on a franchise that looked like maybe the worst team in the NFL after Rodgers went down last year.

I see what you did there and thought it was funny, but I actually heard that, almost word for word as a prediction recently. I believe they said that if New England can beat Denver in their head to head match up this regular season it would give them a leg up in the home field advantage and if they get that, then they will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.

And that's totally true. In fact, if the Packers beat Seattle on Thursday, their SB odds will skyrocket and Seattle's will take a big hit.

But that's not really my point. My point is that any time someone anoints a team as the best but only if they dodge a team in the playoffs, it totally invalidates their claim. It'd be like me saying the Trailblazers are the team to beat in the Western Conference, so long as they don't have to face the Thunder or Spurs in the postseason.

Anytime you say a team could be the best if they avoid a certain team, it's the team they want to avoid that is actually the best. I think the Patriots and Broncos are in a comparable situation, which is why I switched the team names to highlight how absurd the writer's thought process is.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Green Bay might not even be the best team in their division this year.

The more I think about it the more I see Minnesota being very dangerous.

 

[kearly]

Green Bay might not even be the best team in their division this year.

The more I think about it the more I see Minnesota being very dangerous.

And the Bears are going to have just as good of an offense with just as bad of a defense. Detroit is probably going to have a top 10 offense to pair with their bottom 10 defense too. Minnesota same story. Green Bay's defense ranked 31st in DVOA last year.

The NFC North this year has plenty of potential for craziness. I don't know if I've ever seen a more offensively lopsided division in my life. If you cloned the Dallas Cowboys team four times and put them all in their own division, it wouldn't be a whole lot different than the NFC North in 2014.

 

[NJSeahawk]

:stirthepot: All the better when we demolish GB Thursday.... :thirishdrinkers: :snack:

 

[chris98251]

Packers are coming here with a hit on their D line, a Peppers anointed as a savior banking on Matthews to do most the damage in pass rush.

On offense Rodgers and their receivers, Cobb is a Percy Clone, we have seen that type of explosion and it won't be a surprise as most teams have to adjust to it. Lacey is a big back, but I kinda of think we have some experience in that arena as well, our concerns seem to be the shifty quick backs not so much power backs, he may get a hole here and there but doubt he dictates the game to us.

They also are using a rookie Center, snaps and nerves and shotgun will be pretty interesting to watch at least the first half. Then you have line calls as well.

 

[Sports Hernia]

...and people wonder why I think Peter King is a moron. Did his kid get fired by the Hawks or is he just being his usual contrarian douche self? Outside of Prisco, never seen a guy that thrives on being wrong all of the time. Oh well, if he insists on being the fool (which starts Thursday) who am I to stop him? Keep fueling the Hawks fire there Petey!

I'll be the first to rip King when it's warranted, but he didn't write this article. Kind of embarrassing to rip him like that when they even have pictures of the author up top.

It's been a while since I've seen that homeristic of a piece written. It's funny how many IF's there are in that article. "If so and so stays healthy, which he's had a problem with" and "IF Julius Peppers reverts back to pre Chicago form" uh yea. Go ahead and hang your hopes for the season on a 34 year old DE switching to a new position for the first time while simultaneously finding the fountain of youth.

GB's defense was 25th ranked last year. Yea, they had some injuries, but I don't see the depth there. The biggest issue they're going to have is that the team that we played 2 years ago stoned our run game, while this year's team loosk to be weak against the run. Neither of their starting CB's are going to cover Harvin very well. They have questions at Safety. Amazingly enough, if you factor Harvin in, their WR corps doesn't really look any better than ours does across the first 4 guys.

If I was a Hawks player, I wouldn't even bother to be disrespected by this piece.

Well my bad, I saw peteys name on the top of the website. I still think the guy is a massive tool. Sounds like something he'd write too!

 

[RolandDeschain]

They also are using a rookie Center, snaps and nerves and shotgun will be pretty interesting to watch at least the first half. Then you have line calls as well.

Watch the first play of the game be a safety over Erin's head.

 

[dopeboy206]

Well, they are about to lose the head to head tie breaker so good luck with that. Not sure why they are considered deeper than us...Most position groups Id take us over them except at WR and maybe LB.

They also have a better O-Line than us.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

They also are using a rookie Center, snaps and nerves and shotgun will be pretty interesting to watch at least the first half. Then you have line calls as well.

Watch the first play of the game be a safety over Erin's head.

Oh, that might be orgas...<-->… :th2thumbs:

 

[NFSeahawks]

So as long as the best team in the NFC can avoid playing a better NFC team in the playoffs they'll make it to the Superbowl.

That's essentially what that tagline says

But seriously, I LOL'd at this response.