Green Bay Packers have hopes of 2nd seed if they can beat the Arizona Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals have clinched a playoff berth. There will be no resting players due to the importance of this game. With a win, the Arizona Cardinals would clinch the second seed and a first round bye. A Packers win would keep their hopes of a first round bye alive. Should this happen, they would need to defeat the Minnesota Vikings and hope the Seattle Seahawks can defeat the Cardinals, in week 17. 

The Packers and Cardinals both have veteran quarterbacks, but it has been the defensive units that have helped these teams win double digit games. Both teams rank in the top seven in points allowed. The Packers 18.9 points allowed per game ranks fifth, while the Cardinals rank seventh at 19.2. There are some glaring differences between the units. The cardinals are a stingy defense that thrives on capitalizing on opposing quarterback mistakes. They rank seventh in yards allowed and have 18 interceptions and have returned four of them for touchdowns. The Packers have allowed teams to move the ball, but they can apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. Although they give up yards, they have done a good job forcing teams to settle for field goals.

No wide receiver has filled the shoes of Jordy Nelson, and the Packers offense has struggled most of the season. The Packers have scored 24.8 points per game, compared to 31.8 for the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay will need to figure out how to extend drives if they want to leave the desert with a win. The Packers only convert 36% of their third down opportunities, whereas the Cardinals convert at a league leading 47%. Whichever team can extend drives and win the turnover battle should bome away with the victory. Listen in and call the show with your thoughts.