Considering both the Packers and Cardinals are tied with the league lead in team sacks – 26 each – the sack masters, Clay Matthews included – could have an active day. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

The staff here at Lombardiave.com take a stab at predicting the outcome of today’s Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals game.

While all the writers got away with a win last week in predicting the Packers vs. Jaguars, most of us were way off in predicting the final score – as was most of America.

So, without further adieu, take a peek at how we think things will go today:

Ray Rivard: Last week, most of us went into the Jaguars game thinking “the Packers are back home, they’re going against one of the worst teams on the planet, so this should be over midway through the first quarter.” Boy, were we wrong. We have to remember every National Football League team is made up of professionals whose only goal is to win. That will be the case when the Arizona Cardinals hit historic Lambeau Field today. This could be their Super Bowl. I feel Rodgers is going to struggle early on again today, especially if Jordy Nelson isn’t on the field. However, the Packers defense comes to play today and I feel will get at least three sacks on John Skelton. The Packers will somehow find a semblance of a running game and Rodgers heats up in the second half. Cobb has a big game, the special teams will make one more play than the Cardinals, and two players – James Starks and Jarrett Boykin – make significant contributions.

Packers hit the six-win mark and play better heading into the bye; Packers 28 Cardinals 13

Sept 9, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) drops a pass while guarded by San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson (38) at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

Jason Hirschhorn: The Packers looked less than elite in their week 8 win over the Jaguars, and the whole fanbase lost its collective mind. Let’s slow our roll here. The Packers took the lead with 3:02 left in the first quarter and never lost it. They won by two scores. This wasn’t a terrible performance, especially considering the circumstances (Jordy Nelson’s injury, first game without Charles Woodson, etc.).

The only real bad news entering week 9 is that Jordy Nelson still has not returned to practice. He’ll be a game-time decision, and there’s at least a 50% chance he misses another game. Nelson’s absence was the biggest reason I predicted a 24-13 win for Green Bay last week, but I’m not as concerned this time around. Randall Cobb and James Jones will be entering their second week of getting all the first team reps, and Cobb looks more and more like a player who can handle being the opposing defense’s number one priority.

The Packers will enter their bye week 6-3. Packers 28 – Cardinals 17

Dan Turczynski: The Cardinals are a dangerous team that the Packers must not overlook going in to the bye week next week. They have some players who can make Sunday a long day for the Packers’ defense, none more important than Larry Fitzgerald.

On the other hand the Cardinals can’t block anybody on offense and they just so happen to be playing against the Packers, who are number 1 in the NFL in sacks on defense. I think Clay Matthews has a big day, and the defense picks up another mediocre performance by the offense.

Pack win 24-13 to move to 6-3. 

Tim Thomas: After last week’s closer-than-expected win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Packers will be ready to come out and make a statement as they take on a decent Arizona Cardinals team.

The middle of the Packers offensive line will have the challenge of shutting down the Cardinals’ star defensive lineman, Calais Campbell. Aaron Rodgers may also still be without not only Greg Jennings but Jordy Nelson as Nelson is a game-time decision which will mean that Randall Cobb and James Jones will need to step up. Meanwhile, the Packers defense will need to make sure they shut down Larry Fitzgerald as Tramon Williams will most likely be the man assigned to cover him with support from the safeties.

Aug 16, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive back Casey Hayward. Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Sam Shields is still out as Casey Hayward will once again be called on  to help shut down a solid Arizona receiving corps. Cardinals QB John Skelton has struggled and the Packers can definitely force some turnovers while Clay Matthews, BJ Raji, and company can force Skelton to rush some throws and make more mistakes.

The Packers will come out with a sense of urgency to avoid an upset which will help them beat the Cardinals.

Prediction: Packers 31, Cardinals 17

Jerry Bulone: This is not a good spot for the Packers. They come into this game pretty beat up and ready for the bye week, while the Cardinals are angry from getting embarrassed by a division rival and need the victory.

That being said, I just cannot picture John Skelton walking into Lambeau and beating Aaron Rodgers.

Packers 24, Cardinals 20

Oct 29, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton. Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Thomas Marquardt: This will be a challenge for the Packers offensive line considering Arizona is tied with the Packers for the lead in sacks. If Jordy Nelson doesn’t play. the offense will have to be creative. The good news is that  John ‘Red’ Skelton and Kevin Kolb have been sacked a combined 39 times thus far this season (10 more than any other team in the league), so I’ll expect a lot of pressure on whomever is behind center for the Cards.

I say Starks gives the running game a spark and Rodgers will move enough to make some plays on the go, while Clay Matthews et al. have a big day.

Packers 27 Cards 13  

 

Jonathan Schweitzer: The Packers thrive on continuity.  They like stable conditions, rhythm.  Many of the offenses’ hiccups this season can be traced to a lack of continuity.  Adjusting to a running back such as Cedric Benson took a good three games.  Of course they’ve now reverted back to the pre-Benson running philosophy.  Adjusting to life without Greg Jennings took some getting used to as well.  And now the Packers, who have gone one game without Jennings and counterpart Jordy Nelson, should be better off/more comfortable having had some time to adjust to an attack with James Jones and Randall Cobb as the featured receivers.  I think the offense gets back on track and if the defense can keep LaRod Stephens Howling from busting loose for big gains, the Packers have a good shot at a win.

Packers 30 Cardinals 17

 

Yes, the Vikings are 1-1, but we all know that won’t last long as they get into the meat of their schedule. The 49ers are 2-0 and showing they have what it takes to make a push for a Super Bowl title.

That’s just one of the 16 games this week and one that’s probably pretty easy to pick the winner. However, like every week in the NFL there are surprises. The Niners versus the Vikings won’t be one of them.

So, without any further delay, here are all the games and my projected winners and losers. Ok, we’ll start with that SF vs. Minnesota game while we’re on the topic.

• San Francisco 27 Vikings 10: Christian Ponder is the league’s most accurate passer, but he won’t be after today. The Niners’ defense will be the difference in this one. While Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson will be an interesting matchup against the Niners’ defense, in the end San Francisco contains the elusive one and get after Ponder. The Niners also get at least one turnover that they turn into a score in this route.

• Tennessee 23 Detroit 21: The Lions sit at 1-1, but come into Tennessee looking more like the Paper Lions. I see this as one of the upsets of the week. Chris Johnson has a breakout game and Detroit shows why their lack of a run game and their inconsistency will be their downfall this season.

• Buffalo 28 Cleveland 14: The Buffalo defense will have its day with Cleveland rookie QB Brandon Weeden, but will also have to stop Trent Richardson. On the other side of the ball, Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller (yes, he’s the league’s leading rusher) will have his way with the Cleveland defense.

• Pittsburgh 24 Oakland 16: The Pittsburgh defense showed last week why they will carry this team to many wins this season by shutting down the New York Jets. They will do the same today against the so-far-pathetic Oakland Raiders.

• Indianapolis 17 Jacksonville 12: Yes, the Colts move to 2-1 as they get by the hapless Jaguars. In this sleeper, Maurice Jones-Drew will be all that Jacksonville will offer in offense for the Jags, while Indy rookie QB Andrew Luck does just enough to give his team an ugly win.

• Cincinnati 26 Washington 20: This is an intriguing game not because of Robert Griffin III, but because of the loss of  two of the Redskins’ top defensive players, Adam Carriker and Brian Orakpo. Cincinnati will look to exploit their losses and will probably be successful in that effort. Griffin will have his second straight week of inconsistency.

• St. Louis 20 Chicago 17: St. Louis has shown some moxie in the early going and have had some decent games from QB Sam Bradford. Chicago is still reeling from its bad showing in Green Bay last week and lack of leadership from Jay Cutler. The trend in the Windy City continues as the St. Louis defense picks up where the Packers left off and Bradford brings his A game in a close game.

• New York Jets 31 Miami 23: The Jets come back to life after their drubbing at the hands of the Steelers last week, but only because they are playing a not-so-good Dolphins team. In this game that doesn’t bring much excitement for anyone outside the New York and Miami area codes, the Jets will put together some offense today, while Miami’s Reggie Bush will have a tough time running against the New York defense.

• New Orleans 33 Kansas City 20: I can’t imagine that a Drew Brees-led Saints team is going to go 0-3, especially when they are playing at home. Kansas City isn’t built for a shoot-out and the Saints won’t be denied points in the Super Dome. I see Brees throwing for huge yardage today and Matt Cassell struggling for the most part.

• Tampa Bay 23 Dallas 21: This will be a knock down, drag out type of game at Dallas, but I feel Tampa Bay’s off-season improvements have been a bit more than those made by Dallas. The Cowboys’ beating at Seattle last week showed some ugly warts and even thought the Bucs gave up miles of yardage to Eli Manning and the Giants in the second half of their loss last week, I feel the Josh Freeman-led Bucs will get out of Texas with a close win today.

• Atlanta 24 San Diego 20: Neither of these teams has been overly impressive while going 2-0. There are just too many questions surrounding their fast starts. While the Falcons showed they can take the ball away with their treatment of Peyton Manning last week, their offense has been sluggish. The Chargers get running back Ryan Mathews back this week, but is he really ready to play? I think Matt Ryan and the Falcons get a couple of turnovers in this one to make the difference.

• Houston 27 Denver 23: The Peyton Manning love-fest takes another dive today as he loses at home against the Arian Foster-led Texans who will get their first win over a competitive team. Manning’s turnovers last week raised a few eyebrows and it won’t get any easier for the veteran whose arm strength has come into question. On the other side, Foster takes over games with his legs. Today won’t be any different.

• Philadelphia 28 Arizona 26: This battle of the unbeatens will be closer than most are predicting, with the Eagles coming back once again, despite turnovers, to find a way to win. Arizona is for real, as are the Eagles. The difference in this one will be the Eagles’ ability to get after their former QB Kevin Kolb. The Cardinals make a game of it, but somehow the Michael Vick-led Eagles find a way to win.

• New England 23 Baltimore 17: Many are thinking this is the game of the week … and I get the feeling these two teams won’t disappoint. There will be hitting, there will be some trash talking, but when it comes down to the end, it will be Patriots’ QB Tom Brady who shows why he’s one of the best in the league. The older Baltimore defense isn’t showing the teeth it once did and Brady will find ways to exploit. For the Ravens, they will discover that Joe Flacco’s inconsistency in the passing game will hurt them once again. For the second straight week, they don’t utilize Ray Rice enough and the Patriots will use turnovers to their advantage.

Packers 31 Seahawks 17: This Monday Night matchup will have some intrigue, but when it comes down to the end, it will be a resurgent Packers offense with WR Greg Jennings back in the mix that will be the difference. The 12th Man in Seattle and the Seahawks defense will slow the Packers to start, but when Green Bay’s defense closes down Seattle’s running game and forces the pass with rookie Russell Wilson, the former Wisconsin star will make mistakes. The Packers will get enough of a running game to allow Aaron Rodgers to pick apart the Seattle defensive backfield. Though the Packers start slowly in this one, it will be over by the fourth quarter as Rodgers rolls in the second and third quarters. Heck, they may even call over to the Seahawks’ sideline to see if former backup QB Matt Flynn wants to go in for Rodgers …