The Green Bay Packers won their fourth Super Bowl after going through a rather difficult regular season that saw them make the playoffs on the last day of the season with a 10-3 win against the Bears.
Some of the difficult games they had on that 2010 schedule were the Eagles in Week 1, the Bears in Weeks 3 and 17, the Vikings in Week 7 and 11, the Jets in Week 8, the Falcons in Week 12 and the Patriots in Week 15.
The Packers were 5-3 against those teams, and played well in some of those games. For example, they shut out the Jets on the road 9-0 without scoring a touchdown, and demolished the Vikings on the road in their second meeting after barely winning the first time around.
In some of those other games, the Packers played well for stretches, but couldn't close the deal. Against the Falcons, Rodgers threw an amazing strike to Jordy Nelson with over a minute left to go to tie the game. However, a penalty on the kickoff return gave the Falcons great field position, and they went on to win it with a field goal.
The first Bears game was awful for the Packers, who committed 18 penalties. They still had the lead going into the fourth quarter, but they couldn't hold on and they ended up losing on a Robbie Gould field goal with three seconds left.
This season, the Packers will face the challenge of repeating as Super Bowl champions. Here's a look at this year's schedule and the important games the Packers will have to win to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
5. The New Orleans Saints in Week 1
The Packers first game of the 2011 season will be on Thursday night, September 8, against the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints. The Saints will be looking to rebound after getting knocked out by the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round last year.
This will be a great matchup to start off the NFL season. Aaron Rodgers vs. Drew Brees.
Both quarterbacks have had 4,000 yard seasons, with Brees throwing for 4,620 yards in 2010 and Rodgers having done it in 2008 and 2009. He almost hit the mark in 2010, as well.
The running game matchup will be interesting, as well. The Packers will have Ryan Grant back, which will help bolster their running game, along with James Starks. Starks was the leading rusher in the post-season with 315 yards.
For the Saints, they will have Reggie Bush back at full strength, along with rookie Mark Ingram from Alabama. Ingram will be a player the Packers' defense will have to watch out for, as he is quick and explosive. He rushed for 875 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2010.
On defense, there will be some good matchups as well. Tracy Porter for the Saints is a capable cornerback, who had the interception in Super Bowl XLIV that sealed the win for his team. If he gets back his 2009 form, he will be a player to watch.
Tramon Williams is also a capable corner who can make big plays when called upon. Evidence of this were the first two playoff games, when Williams had crucial interceptions. One ended the Eagles game and the other broke the game against the Falcons wide open and led to a huge Packers victory. Sam Shields and Nick Collins are also capable of making big plays when needed.
The Packers will definitely want to get a win in this first game of the season, because a win in the first game gets the season off to a good start, and keeps the players feeling confident.
4. The Chicago Bears in Week 3
Payback.
That will be the word on the Bears' minds when the Packers come to Chicago. They will want to win for their fans, especially considering their playoff run ended at the hands of the Packers at Soldier Field.
There is a question over whether Jay Cutler or Caleb Hanie will be the starting quarterback next season due to Hanie almost leading the Bears back against the Packers in the NFC title game. However, I think Cutler will still be the starter come the start of the season due to his experience.
The Packers will definitely be ready to take on the Bears again. Their defense is what helped them win the conference championship, with big plays such as BJ Raji's interception of Caleb Hanie to put the Pack up 21-7 in the fourth quarter.
Also, there were the interceptions by Sam Shields, with the last one clinching a trip to the Super Bowl for the Packers.
The Packers will have a lot of confidence in knowing they were able to win on the road in Chicago in the playoffs. They hopefully will have learned that 18 penalties will not help win a game, as they learned in Week 3 of the 2010 season.
With Ryan Grant back on the field, the Packers will finally have a running game that can break open a close game, which often happens when these two teams play. Plus, its a rivalry game, and the Packers will be very determined to keep the bragging rights on their side.
In terms of the division, wins against the Saints, Panthers and Bears will put the Packers at 3-0 to start the year, and they'll be leading the division.
Also, the second game between these two could be important if the division race is close, as it could prove to be a deciding game in who gets the division title.
3. The San Diego Chargers in Week 9
The Packers will have their hands full in this one at Qualcomm Stadium.
Philip Rivers will be looking to get his team back to the playoffs, and this is a crucial game for his team in order to do that.
Rivers had a great season individually, throwing for 4,710 yards and 30 touchdowns. According to writer Andy Benoit of the New York Times, Rivers is great in the pocket and is at his best when he has defenders coming at him.
This means that the Packers' defense will need to be ready, especially Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Nick Collins and the linebacking corps of Clay Matthews, AJ Hawk, Nick Barnett and others. Any of those guys better get to Rivers quick, because he can release the ball quickly.
They will also have to contend with a solid running game. Running backs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews combined to rush for 1,413 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
Receivers Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd are dangerous, too, as they combined to catch 97 receptions for almost 1500 yards and 16 touchdowns last year.
If Rodgers can have a good game offensively, this should be an entertaining and high-scoring matchup. It could all come down to one big play to decide the winner of this game.
He has the receivers to make those plays. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones have stepped up at some point and made plays that turned the tide of a game.
It also has a huge bearing on the playoffs for each team, as a win for either team will keep them in the driving seat for their respective division titles.
2. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11
Tampa Bay was close to making the playoffs last year at 10-6. Unfortunately for them, both the New York Giants and the Packers won their games on the final day, so they were left at home. This was despite a great victory on the road against the Saints.
Led by Josh Freeman, the young Bucs have an exciting offense. Freeman, in his second season as an NFL quarterback, surprised many by passing for 3,451 yards and 25 touchdowns. Another interesting stat is that 14 of those touchdowns were scored while coming from behind, which shows that he is capable of leading his team when they are behind.
He got a lot of help from his supporting cast in running backs LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams, who combined to rush for 1,444 yards and 16 touchdowns.
His receiving corps contributed to the offense as well. Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow combined for 131 receptions, 1,694 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Packers will have a lot to deal with in this young Bucs team. Clay Matthews and company will need to get pressure on the young quarterback to make him force bad throws and interceptions.
Also, Aaron Rodgers will have to be ready to answer whatever Freeman does on his drives, which he is more than capable of doing.
With a win in this game, the Packers will take another step towards clinching a playoff berth.
1. The New York Giants in Week 13
The Giants know what happened last year when these two met.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns as the Packers went on to rout the Giants 45-17 in a must-win game to keep the Packers' playoff hopes alive.
For the Giants, it was another loss that would ultimately prove costly as they were eliminated on the last day of the season when the Packers beat the Bears.
This season, the Giants will be looking to get back to the playoffs after not going the last two seasons.
Eli Manning will want to help his team get the win, especially since this time, the game will be at the new Meadowlands Stadium.
Manning threw for just over 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, but he also threw 25 interceptions. In the game versus the Packers last year, he threw four picks.
If the Packers can get sufficient pressure on Eli, they will make his day a nightmare and the Packers will find a way to rout the Giants.
Also, in terms of the division, the Packers can take another big step towards claiming a division title, something they haven't done since 2007.
This season looks to be a good one for the Packers. Can they repeat? If they win these five important games, they will be well on their way to doing just that.
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