4th And 26 Believe it: The Packers are good

I really can’t figure the Pack out. Was it only three weeks ago I was considering making a Mike McCarthy voodoo doll, dressing it up like Hellraiser’s Pinhead, and bidding adieu to the season? Now I’m looking at the final five games thinking the Packers should finish at the very worst 3-2, with 4-1 being a real possibility. I guess ’tis the season for miracles and other happy shit. Maybe it’s just best to invoke the sideline wisdom of Saint Vince and not worry about it too much, because I don’t know what the hell is going on either. All I know is this: The Packers are good now.

After the first eight games, it didn’t seem possible to say that with any conviction. Although playing like they have, they’re certainly good enough to make the playoffs, and barring more catastrophic injuries, maybe even good enough to do some damage when they get there. Serious Super Bowl contenders? Nah. But save for a scenario where the Vikings’ team plane goes down, what more can you ask for in December?

Even if no one on the team would say it publicly, the way the schedule fell, the Packers absolutely had to win the last three to have a chance to do anything. They did, and now they’re positioned to make a run. Who cares if the Lions game was little more than a powder-puff scrimmage? Good teams do what they have to, no matter who the opponent, including those with overrated one-arm quarterbacks who get three-hour shoulder massages from Troy Aikman.

I’d be lying if I thought the Pack had it in ’em. Then strange things started happening. Mark Tauscher’s presence has somehow transformed the decomposing O-line into a competent unit. Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley turned out to be vital cogs in making the Packers offense hum. McCarthy has chosen to switch up his gameplans to match his talent. Right now, Charles Woodson is every bit as dominant as Reggie White once was. And maybe oddest of all, on Thanksgiving, I witnessed a real live person laugh at one of Joe Buck’s jokes and FOX’s dancing robots. (Okay, it was my mom, but still.)

Is there any team on the rest of the schedule that the Packers couldn’t beat if they play like they have? The Seahawks at Lambeau? Please. The Bears? By the time that one’s over, Jay Cutler could be up to 30 INTs. The games at Pittsburgh and Arizona certainly look to be the toughest. Just remember Ben Roethlisberger is one more bell-ringing away from turning into Quasimodo, and barring a collapse, the Cards should have the NFC West locked up by the time Week 17 rolls around. Add in the Pack’s one-game lead in the wild-card race, and I don’t think it’s presumptuous to say things are lining up nicely.

Still, let’s save those presents for later. With three of the last four on the road, a loss against the Ravens would be only slightly less damaging than if we’d stumbled against the Cowboys, 49ers, or Lions. So there’s reason to worry. At first glance, the Ravens look the same as they always do: Ray Lewis stomping and raging like Elin Nordegren, the gut-punch D, and a grind-it-out offense. But closer inspection reveals their rep has been gilded more by the commentariat’s infatuation with the ghosts of Ravens teams past than anything they’ve accomplished this year.

If the Packers have been mildly schizophrenic, the 6-5 Ravens are Sybil incarnate. Their five losses have come by an average of 4.6 points, which might suggest some bad luck. Then again, four of their six wins came against the Chiefs and Browns (twice), and last week, in OT against a Steelers team starting a third-string quarterback—not really nut-clench victories. There’s Lewis, a dude who was once indicted for murder. He’s scary—and basically the inverse of Michael Oher, a guy whose life’s story is chronicled in a movie so saccharine Oprah might even give pause before gobbling it up. Second-year running back Ray Rice looks every bit a stud, though ’08’s golden boy, Joe Flacco, is having a truly unimpressive campaign. The defense is solid per usual, but it’s still ranked nine slots below the Pack’s No. 1 unit. And Baltimore’s offense went six consecutive games without scoring a first-half TD. Could it be because their leading receiver only has 152 more yards than Rice? Jarrett Bush might even make a play against this aerial attack.

Add it all up, and these birds look like the 49ers in purple shirts. At this point in the season, teams are what they are. The Ravens are one game over .500 for a reason, just as our three-gamer isn’t a mirage. The Pack’s finally playing up to its potential, and with noticeable fire. Far from perfect, sure, but why be greedy? We’d have all taken this team at the beginning of the year. So grab some nog and brandy, trust your eyes, and quit your bitching. It’s Dec. 4, and the reindeer are already pawing on the roof.

Prediction: Unless the special teams hand the Ravens points, I don’t know how they’re going to score enough to win. They have one decent receiver. Derrick Mason, meet Chaz Woodson. He’s better than you. Rice is a stud, but so is Dom Capers. He’s proven he can neutralize great backs. Good luck, Flacco—and just make sure to save some room in the pocket for Clay Matthews. Packers 28, Ravens 13