Packers' 'D' thinks it's better than stats say

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- All season long, they've endured the snickers and whispers and derisive comments.

At best, the Green Bay defense has been treated as something to roll your eyes at, the slow kid from the rich family who gets into an Ivy League school. At worst, it has been seen as a gigantic problem, the one wart that could keep a great quarterback and a great offense from establishing itself as a great team and repeating as Super Bowl champion.

The Packers are trying to become the first team to win a Super Bowl with the league's worst-ranked defense. Their bid to repeat begins Sunday when they host the Giants, whose offense seems to be clicking on all cylinders, in an NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field.

The Packers believe their defense is vastly underrated -- that statistics don't tell the whole story -- and that all that should matter is they are 15-1.

"The Steelers had the number one defense in the league, and they are home in the second round," Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji said. "I think that shows that stats don't mean too much."

The statistics, however, are fairly dramatic. The Packers gave up an average of 412 yards a game. No team that has allowed more than 360 a game ever reached a Super Bowl, let alone won it. At times, the Packers' pass defense has been an object of derision by fans, media and opponents after allowing a league-high 299.9 yards a game.

Earlier this week, a few Giants couldn't help but boast that they felt pretty confident they can make some big plays against Green Bay's secondary.

"I think the deep balls are there," said tight end Travis Beckum, who caught a 67-yard TD in a 38-35 loss to the Packers on Dec. 4. "You look at their numbers and they're not very good at all. Whatever they're weak at, we're going to try to exploit it."

Added wide receiver Mario Manningham: "I see a lot of people getting open when they are playing them. That's the type of scheme their defense is. I don't want to say they gamble, but they play different coverages and leave different spots open."

Some of that actually might be by design. The Packers place an incredible emphasis on takeaways. Coordinator Dom Capers even runs special drills in which players practice stripping the ball. As a result, the Packers tied the 49ers with a league-high 38 takeaways and were first in interceptions with 31.

It's not only the secondary that gets a bad rap. One reason receivers have been able to get open is that quarterbacks have had plenty of time to throw. A year after ranking second with 47 sacks, the Packers dropped to 27th with 29.

Only Clay Matthews has been able to apply consistent pressure this season. The left outside linebacker had a team-high six sacks and earned Pro Bowl honors for the third straight season.

The Packers believe they must find a way to put more pressure on Eli Manning than they have on other quarterbacks this season.

"It's no secret we have to get better in the pass rush," outside linebacker Frank Zombo said. "It's been a disappointment this season. You want to put fear in a quarterback's mind, and I don't think we've done that. We need more [sacks]. We definitely need more."

Matthews likes the fact that the spotlight is on the defense this weekend, and he believes this may be the game in which the unit really proves itself.

"It's frustrating when you have a quarterback and an offense playing as well as Aaron and those guys, and for the most part, the defense is giving up too many points, too many yards, too many big plays," he said. "We relish another shot to prove ourselves on defense. Now it's just about getting after it."

Raji believes all that matters is that the Packers are going for their second straight Super Bowl championship.

"You can talk all you want about history," he said, referencing that no team with such a low-ranked defense ever won a ring. "We're trying to make history by repeating. I think that's the statistic that really matters."