The scariest thing about the Green Bay Packers is that they will only get better as the season goes on.
For most, it’s hard to think that’s possible. After all, the Packers are 9-3 and are the best team in the NFL.
Argue, if you want.
Or simply ask the Los Angeles Rams.
You know, the team many NFL experts picked to easily get to the Super Bowl with the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Not.
In fact, the Rams were the betting favorite for Sunday’s game in Green Bay against a banged-up and bruised Packers’ team.
Instead, the Packers did what they’ve been doing basically all season — winning no matter what cards they are dealt.
The Pack’s 36-28 victory confirmed what many already knew. This team is no joke and different from a year ago, when they went 13-3 and lost in the NFC Championship Game.
This team has been really good for three years now with only a combined nine losses in the regular season.
But this season, this team feels different. Bigger and better, if you will.
Nothing seems to make this team come undone. Not the loss of star players to injuries. Not the loss of their star quarterback to COVID-19. Not going on the road to beat some of the best teams in the league.
Through it all, the Pack has gotten it done.
Best of all, the Packers have cleared the toughest part of their schedule with flying colors.
They have only two road games left this season and one against winless Detroit. There’s just one tough game on the schedule remaining, a date in Baltimore against the Ravens on Dec. 18.
Some might say, pump the brakes.
We get it. The Arizona Cardinals have nine wins as well, but only two losses. They had a bye on Sunday. Sure, they have a better winning percentage over Green Bay.
Nonetheless, the Packers are better than them.
When the Packers and Cardinals met in the desert earlier this season, Green Bay not only won, but proved what kind of squad it has.
The Packers were missing their three top receivers and their defensive coordinator. No sweat. The Packers won, 24-21. Coming in, the Cards were undefeated at 7-0. When the dust cleared, both squads were 7-1. It was a statement game.
The same could be said about Sunday’s win.
The Packers were missing two of their best defensive players: cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder) and outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith (back). Many people forget the Packers are also without All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who is still recovering from last season’s ACL tear.
The Rams (7-4) were coming off a bye. Few couldn’t imagine that a loaded team like the Rams would lose three games in a row. And with the Pack hobbled, it spelled a big road win. That’s why Green Bay was a rare home underdog in Vegas.
What people haven’t figured out is that the Packers can beat you in so many ways.
They can beat you with defense. The Packers are now 9-0 when the defense gets an interception. Rasul Douglas intercepted Stafford for a pick-six to blow open the game on Sunday. He also made a game-saving pick in the end zone against Cards’ Kyler Murray to seal the game in Arizona.
The Packers can run the ball. It’s not just the Aaron Rodgers Show. The Packers have two talented backs — Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon — and they can grind out yards and eat up clock with the best of them.
And of course, there’s Rodgers. Definitely, he’s not putting up the gaudy numbers from a year ago when he won the NFL MVP. But it doesn’t mean that he still isn’t the most valuable in the league.
After that stinker against the New Orleans Saints to start the season, Rodgers has been a monster under center. He has 21 TDs and just four picks this season.
On Sunday, Rodgers had three touchdowns (one rushing) and threw for 307 yards with no interceptions.
The week before in a loss in Minny, Rodgers had four TD passes and nearly 400 yards.
For sure, Rodgers is a difference-maker. The Packers aren’t only about him. That makes this Packers team different. And it makes them scary.