Packers' motivation: Undefeated season
The Packers have made no secret about their desire to become the first team in NFL history to finish a regular season unbeaten and then win the Super Bowl for the second straight time.
But now that they're 11-0 and inching closer to achieving the first part of that dream, they're becoming just a tad more reluctant about shouting it from the rooftops. Or through the media.
"It's motivating to go out every week and compete better than you did the previous week," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the reigning Super Bowl MVP who is putting together one of the most prolific seasons in NFL history. "We've been able to play the way we wanted to play consistently the first 11 games. We'll see what happens when we get down this road a little bit."
Rodgers said the unbeaten season isn't something the Packers talk about incessantly, although it's tough to ignoret that they're in the best position to go 16-0 since the 2007 Patriots became the only team in NFL history to achieve that perfect regular season record. The Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII to ruin their dreams of matching the 1972 Dolphins, who played a 14-game regular season, as the NFL's only unbeaten team.
"We've put ourselves in a good position to be able to talk about those things by taking care of business the first 11 games," he said. "Hopefully we'll be talking about this at the end of the season."
First things first. The Packers are at the Giants on Sunday in a game they see as an opportunity not only to extend their unbeaten season, but to clinch the NFC North divisional title. A win over the Giants, coupled with a loss or tie by Detroit, and Green Bay clinches the division.
"The most important mindset that we have as a football team is staying in touch with reality," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The reality is that we have to go to New York to beat the Giants. That's a challenge. A tough place to play, they're physical, they're coming off a loss Monday night, and there's a sense of urgency."
No question about that. The Giants, 6-5 and a game behind the Cowboys in the NFC East, badly need a win to regain the confidence lost during a three-game losing streak. And they're coming off a 49-24 loss to the Saints that featured their worst defensive performance of the season. Next up is the unbeaten Packers, who boast the most prolific offense in football.
Rodgers is having a transcendent season with 3,475 yards, 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions for a league-best 127.7 rating. He is completing an astounding 71.8 percent of his passes.
But the only number he's concerned about now is the one jn the win column. Eleven down, five to go. At the Giants. Home to Oakland. At Kansas City. Home to Chicago and then Detroit to finish off the season.
So, if the Packers do find themselves in position to finish unbeaten, will they actually go for it? Or if they lock up the division and then homefield advantage in the conference playoffs, would they choose to rest some players, as the Colts did late in the 2009 season to pass up a chance at an unbeaten year?
"I'll trust the leadership of our coaching staff, but I still believe that there aren't any meaningless games at any point in the season," Rodgers said, a clear indication he'd like to go for it. And what about McCarthy?
"To me, those are questions for three weeks or so down the line," he said. "There are so many factors that go into making those types of decisions. We're really focused on getting to win No. 12 and wrapping up the division."
