How Different Are The 2011 Patriots From The Packers?

How Different Are The 2011 Patriots From The Packers?
By: Russ Goldman

Are the Patriots that far behind the behind the best team in the NFL, which are the Packers? ...

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1. Aaron Rodgers is playing QB better than any other QB in the league right now.

2. Packers have a better receiving core

3. Packers have more playmakers on defense. (Matthews, Woodson, Williams)

The Packers are 8-0 and the Pats are 5-3.

SyN65 said:

1. Aaron Rodgers is playing QB better than any other QB in the league right now.

2. Packers have a better receiving core

3. Packers have more playmakers on defense. (Matthews, Woodson, Williams)

Click to expand...

I'm with you on the first two, but Carter has more sacks than Matthews, Arrington has the same number of picks as Woodson, and the Pats have the Wilfork Continent.

the packers did give up 38points to phillip rivers though....yet no one wants to question their defense.

they are winning games because

1.rodgers is playing out of his mind and putting ALOT of points on the board
2. their schedule has been pretty easy.


but, we looked unstoppable like that last year too...then we saw what happened with the Jets in the playoffs...im interested to see what happens if they face a team with a pretty good defense

theyre essentially a mirror image of the Patriots...its just that their offense/Rodgers has been better thus far

The Packers also have some semblence of a kick return game.

This different:

PATS 5 & 3

PACKERS 8 & 0.

You can put up all the defensive and offensive stats you want, compare coaching staffs and approaches and all the stuff but it is your record that says what you are, not who you are, which is what the stats tell you. They are better on the face of it and we are as good as the YETS until we beat them. If we don't we aren't as good. I hope that's cleared up.

WhoaDirty said:

I'm with you on the first two, but Carter has more sacks than Matthews, Arrington has the same number of picks as Woodson, and the Pats have the Wilfork Continent.

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Don't quote me on this but I think Matthews has the most QB pressures in the league.

I'd take Woodson over Arrington any day.

Plus Packers got BJ Raji whose no slouch either.

The single biggest difference is the play of the respective quarterbacks. Both defenses have been, on the whole, very bad. Both offenses have been, on the whole, very good.

Offense:
NE:
- pts: #4 (27.8/g)
- yds: #2 (437.3/g)
- SRS*: 4.8
- giveaways: 14

GB:
- pts: #1 (34.4/g)
- yds: #4 (416.4/g)
- SRS: 11.9
- giveaways: 8

Defense:
NE:
- pts: #20 (23.0/g)
- yds: #32 (416.3/g)
- SRS: 0.0
- takeaways: 14

GB:
- pts: #17 (22.4/g)
- yds: #30 (399.6/g)
- SRS: 1.2
- takeaways: 19

*SRS is the simple rating system devised by profootball-reference.com

So the turnover aspect of the equation is really the difference maker. GB is +11, while NE is even. If each turnover is "worth" roughly 4 points (from another thread), then that's a 44-point difference between NE and GB. And 44 points through 8 games = 5.5 points a game. That's plenty enough to make up the difference of 3 games.

What's so bad about the Pats having 32nd rank defense?

The Green Bay Packers have the 30th overall defense and are talking about going 19-0. From all media accounts, their name is being engraved on the Lombardi trophy for their upcoming Superbowl victory.

I think all the talk about the Patriot's demise are a little premature.


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