This week’s game was a sad one for Packer fans. Watching the Saints light it up for 51 points was just disappointing from start to finish, especially after coming off such a great showing against the Packers’ archrivals, the Bears.

In the end, the outcome of the Saints game was driven by two key statistics,…

Three interceptions thrown by Aaron Rodgers against a Saints team that had only recorded seven interceptions to-date. The Saints defensive backfield has just not been much of a factor this year. In fact, despite the fantastic showing against the GreenBay Packers, the Saints still rank 24th in pass defense.

The other key factor was one the Packers new they’d have to deal with… Drew Brees. His 20 completions for 26 attempts was amazing against a Packer defensive backfield that is 2nd in the league in interceptions and 6th in pass defense.

Not only did Brees light it up for 323 yards of passing, he connected for four touchdowns. The Saints running game added some key yardage and three more touchdowns, but the Saints really didn’t rack up that much yardage. The Packers basically needed to stop Brees and the passing game, but couldn’t get that done.

It’s safe to say that this is one game the GreenBay Packer fans and players alike would just like to forget.

So, we’ll move on to talk about the Packers’ coming opponent, the Carolina Panthers.

Unfortunately, the bad news just gets worse. The Panthers come into this game with the 3rd best record in the league at 8-3. This Carolina team is a much more rounded and multi-dimensional team than the one-dimension Saints that gave GreenBay a trouncing on Monday night.

If there’s a weakness in the Carolina Panthers you might find it in their passing game. They rank 22nd in passing. However, much of that is due to their solid run offense. When you rank 8th in the league in rushing and average 192.1 yards per game, there’s little reason to pass the ball.

However, despite not throwing the ball that much Jake Delhomme has found a way to throw 9 interceptions. That’s just two interceptions shy of Drew Brees who’s Saints have lived on his arm all season. Combine that with Delhomme’s 80.5 passer rating and the Packers defensive backs could bounce back and pad their interception stats on Sunday.

Of course, to get a couple picks sixes or even get a few interceptions period, the GreenBay Packers will have to stop a solid and consistent run offense. The Panthers average 192.1 yards a game running the ball and average 4.4 yards per game. That isn’t good news for a GreenBay Packer team that’s allowing 4.8 yards per game. They will certainly need the Packer run defense that showed up to the Bears game to take the field again if they have any hope of pulling off a win.

Against the Panthers the Packers will need to find a way to keep the Carolina offense off the field, and they’re certainly capable of that. The score of the Saints game really made it feel like the Packers stunk it up in all phases of the game, but Ryan Grant averaged 3.7 yards a carry even though the Packers got so far behind they needed to go away from the run game and try passing for quicker scores. And in spite of the fact that Rodgers threw three interceptions, he still found Jennings for 101 yards and a touchdown.

So, once again Packer fans find themselves wondering which GreenBay Packer team will show up on Sunday.

Coming off a meager 1 point loss to the Vikings there are certainly any number of statistics that would have changed the outcome of the game.

Three really stand out though…

1) 2 safetys on Aaron Rodgers. If either of these safetys doesn’t happen, the Vikings don’t win the game. And neither of them should have happened.

2) 1 missed field goal. Granted it was from a long distance, but Mason Crosby usually hits those and when the game is on the line he has to hit those. That’s what he’s paid to do. Come on Mason, ring that bell. [Insert link to video]

3) Time of posession: Minnesota 36:05 and Green Bay 23:55. Hey offense. Give the defense some time to rest.

Aaron Rodgers was only able to find Greg Jennings three times against the Vikings. Bad offensive line play? Poor play calling? Aaron’s inability to read the defense fast enough? Regardless, Green Bay has to connect with Greg Jennings more often.

Despite the fact that Green Bay only had 184 total net yards to Minnesota’s 361 the Packers defense kept them in the game with 1 fumble recovery, two interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 2 sacks on Gus Frerotte.

But 36:05 is a long time to be on the field.

So, now the Packers are looking forward to playing the Bears.

There are many statistics where the Bears and Green Bay Packers match up closely. In these phases of the game this should be a pretty even matchup.

In yards per game, Chicago is ranked 16 with 323.6 yards per game. Green Bay is ranked 19 with 319.6. In passing yards Green Bay has the edge. Ranked 11 in the NFL they average 221.4 yards per game. Chicago isn’t far behind though. Ranked 14 they average 213.0. And in scoring the two teams are dead even. Both are ranked 6th with 26.3 points per game.

So, what statistics should the Packers be able to capitalize on as they try to draw even with the Bears?

For starters, Ryan Grant is going to have to make something happen this game and his offensive line is going to have to help him out some. Against the Vikings Grant only had 75 yards. That’s not going to be good enough against a Bears team that’s ranked 4th in run defense and is only allowing 74.9 yards a game.

On the other side of the ball, Chicago is almost dead last in receiving defense. That, coupled with the fact that Chicago is very mediocre (19th) in sacks should give Rodgers a chance to find his receivers and get them the ball more.

The problem is that the Green Bay Packer defensive team may end up on the field way too much as this Bears team is averaging over 100 yards a game (110.6).

This game may come down to another interception for a touchdown. And that’s not out of the question. The Green Bay Packer are number one in the league in that department.