Packers 2017 Free Agency: They're Letting Everyone Go

After the initial flurry of free agency and the signing of TE Martellus Bennett, the Green Bay Packers spent the next week watching as their unrestricted free agents signed with other teams. Two players signed for reasonable one-year deals that maybe would have been good deals for the Packers. But they did have one signing of their own.

#Packers CB Davon House wants to get back to doing what he does best - getting physical at the line of scrimmage

📰: https://t.co/3DfZ4wpy7O pic.twitter.com/0x6IyRx4st

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) March 15, 2017

I was hoping GM Ted Thompson would go after one of the top free agent corners who could take over on the outside across from CB LaDarius Gunter, but instead he brought a familiar face back who was released after two seasons in Jacksonville. House is far from a comparable replacement for CB Sam Shields, but his one-year, $2.8 million deal comes with no risk. And House has played like a No. 1 corner, sometimes. They had to add someone to compete with Russell and Rollins, and they at least did it. While House basically takes Hyde's roster spots, they didn't play the same role when they were with the Packers (House typically outside, Hyde in the slot or safety) but the Packers might prefer Rollins in the slot anyway. They at least know what they're getting with House, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Green Bay. However, they still have to address this position early in the upcoming draft.

Now for two players I thought they'd re-sign:

GB OLBs in pressures/pass rush
Datone Jones 1 pressure per 4.7 rushes
Julius Peppers 1 in 8.5
Nick Perry 1 in 10.5
Clay Matthews 1 in 20.5

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) January 9, 2017

Based on the above, it looks like they just let their top pass rusher walk to the Vikings on a reasonable one-year "prove it" deal, similar to the one they gave to OLB Nick Perry last year. In Perry's case, he proved himself with a big 2016 season and received a multi-year deal as his reward, and their stats through their first four seasons are awful similar. Jones could easily have a breakout 2017 season with double digit sacks. PFF is a great resource but the Packers have their own charting and apparently didn't believe that Jones was twice as good as Perry last season. Jones has bounced around in his first four seasons, first at DE, then at OLB, and he even played over the center a lot last season on passing downs. Maybe he's not a good fit for Capers's scheme, but he's a good player and it's too bad they couldn't have worked something out to keep him.

Carroll did not contradict @BobMcGinn report on Lacy's weight. "This is a hard time for him because he’s working some rehab right now."

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) March 14, 2017

The Bob McGinn report being referred to is the one that said RB Eddie Lacy was weighing 267 lbs. when the Seahawks signed him. There are two problems here: 1) Lacy isn't a good player when he's overweight, and 2) he's still hurt. I had hoped the Packers would re-sign him as a low-cost candidate for next season but the Packers rarely (never?) sign injured players. He's not technically injured, he passed his physical, but still going through rehab on his injured foot so that he can't keep his weight down is a bad sign. I'm not at all surprised they didn't get him back.

It wouldn't be a shock to see the Packers sign another free agent between now and the draft on a low cost deal, but it's just as likely that they're finished. This was a worst offseason than usual with a couple more departures than I was expecting. But they might have upgraded the tight end position, which was the secret to their late season offensive success, and kept their best pass rusher. QB Aaron Rodgers will miss Lang, but I'd imagine he's happy with the addition of Bennett. This offseason has made them a little worse but it can also be viewed as a wash.

Packers Surprisingly Make A Trade For Chiefs RB Knile Davis

The depth behind RB Eddie Lacy was already non-existent after RB James Starks had surgery, and something needed to be done at running back. But I thought GM Ted Thompson would be wait until next offseason and the Green Bay Packers would make due with Lacy and WR Ty Montgomery, until Starks returns in a few weeks. Then it was announced that Lacy's ankle sprain is actually something more and he's seeking a second opinion. So the timeline to add depth was moved up to NOW and something had to be done and it was.

That new @packers RB?
His name is Knile Davis.

And he can do THIS. 😱 https://t.co/SoD51jjCNM

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2016

The good news is that burst of speed he showed after he got a wide open running lane. He's not a small back (5-10, 227 lbs.) but he has the speed to run away from guys. That extra gear is something the Packers haven't had from a running back in a while. The Chiefs aren't dealing away a problem either, they just have an embarrassment of riches at running back. They already had two quality backs ahead of Davis (Ware and West) and RB Jamaal Charles returned from injury last week. Davis made the roster this year because he's a special teams player (see above) but he was the 4th or 5th running back on the depth chart, which is too many backs for any NFL roster.

Dorsey: "Give me something for Knile Davis, you need a runner."
Thompson: "We can just wait until you cut him."
Dorsey: "Work with me here."

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) October 18, 2016

While the above aren't actual quotes, it looks true. The Chiefs were probably going to have to release Davis (5 RBs on a 53-man roster isn't workable) as soon as they needed a roster spot. But the Packers aren't the highest team on the waiver wire so they had to give up something to make sure they could get him. A conditional 7th round pick in 2018 is about the smallest draft pick an NFL team can surrender.

The Packers need a running back right NOW, and Davis has legitimate NFL skills. Unfortunately he's still not a very good player. His only significant playing last came in 2013 as a rookie, and according to Football Outsiders, while his teammate Jamaal Charles was the 3rd best RB in the NFL that season, in the same offense, Davis was one of the ten worst backs in the league. And the fumbles, oh the fumbles. He isn't a long-term solution but he's the best player they'll find right now.

The other bad news related to Davis's addition is that they moved CB Sam Shields to I.R. Shields is getting better and expects to play in a few weeks, but the move to I.R. confirmed it's going to still be a few more weeks. The cornerback position has been a dumpster fire this season and the only player who can really turn it around is Shields, but we'll have to wait longer to see him. Rob Demovsky might be correct and it's possible we'll never see Shields in a Packer uniform again. I'd be surprised if the Packers brought him back next season.

So Lacy and Shields are out, and the Packers traded for the best running back who was actually available at the moment. It's a desperation move, but at those two positions, that's the spot they're in. The good news is that Davis can help, especially if he can avoid fumbling the ball.

Packers (1-0) Beat The Jaguars in Jacksonville, 27-23

It wasn't the easiest win, as the Green Bay Packers fell behind in the first half, re-took the lead before halftime, and were able to match field goals with the Jaguars in the second half to hold onto the win. As I was watching it, I was thinking about how it would have been a huge let down to lose to an 11 loss team in what might be their easiest road game of 2016. But the Jaguars are better now and one game isn't going to make or break their season.

An early INT by Blake Bortles turned out to be his only turnover of the game, and some big pass plays to Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis, and Julius Thomas led their offense. Anyone who plays fantasy football knows the Jaguars have some legitimate offensive weapons. Also the Jaguars have spent a lot of money on their defense in free agency (mostly to Malik Jackson) and used a Top 5 draft pick on Jalen Ramsey (who's feeling a bit cocky at the moment). If they had put more pressure on QB Aaron Rodgers (zero sacks) then they might have had a shot at shutting down the Packers' offense. But they couldn't stop Eddie Lacy (4.4 ypc) and Rodgers finished with the 4th highest QBR in Week 1 (so far).

Aaron Rodgers is unstoppable.
It's that simple.#GBvsJAX https://t.co/KI1rGSLUvG

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 11, 2016

Packers offense: So above is one of the plays that'll be on the short list for plays of 2016. His offensive line played great, though they would have been even better with former LG Josh Sitton. Bob McGinn had a great article about how the front office blew it with Sitton, though his loss is still not going to be a season changing mistake. His replacement, LG Lane Taylor, probably had the lowest grade of their five lineman according to PFF by surrendering three QB hurries (I recall one play when ILB Paul Posluszny ran right past Taylor) but his run blocking appeared strong and he didn't allow a sack.

WR Jordy Nelson was back, and Rodgers again focused in on his top three receivers. This time it was Davante Adams joining Nelson and Cobb, and those three were targeted on 24 of his 33 attempts (73%). It was a big surprise that TE Jared Cook was only targeted twice, and he might have been a help early in the game when Rodgers struggled to get the ball to Nelson and Adams (3 straight punts in the first half). Rodgers barely played this preseason, Nelson didn't play at all, and everyone's timing looked bad as they shook off the rust in the first half. I was ready to give up on Adams after he missed two catchable passes on 3rd downs but he redeemed himself later.

Mike McCarthy started the game by calling a lot of running plays, but that faded as the game went on, and Lacy ended up with only 14 carries. I'd like to see a lot more from Lacy but he'll probably just remain a complementary weapon.

Packers defense: Speaking of players who barely played this preseason, the defense featured two of them, with only one of them being a success story in Week 1. The success was ILB Jake Ryan, who was held out for most of the preseason with a hamstring injury. Against Jacksonville, he was second on the team with 7 tackles and he was very active in the middle of the field, usually tackling T.J. Yeldon for a short gain. The entire defense did a great job against the run (Jags only had 1.8 ypc) and Ryan was a big part of it. The bad news was Morgan Burnett, who had an impressive stat line (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss), but committed two penalties (both led to 1st downs) and he looked a step slow in coverage. While Ryan was able to play in their final preseason game, Burnett's back injury (which kept him out for most of the preseason) might still be bothering him.

The front seven did a great job against the Jaguars offensive line. Bortles did a good job of getting the ball out as quickly as he could before the pass rush came, but the Packers still had 3 sacks and shut down the Jaguars' running game. Nick Perry was great against the run and he spent a lot of time in the Jaguars' backfield (1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss) while Clay Matthews missed a couple tackles and Julius Peppers didn't record a single stat. Joe Thomas grabbed the lone INT and he was in on the final stop to end the game. It was a quiet game for Mike Daniels (hopefully it wasn't an SI cover jinx) but that was mostly because he faced a bunch of double-teams.

The secondary was a mixed bag. Burnett struggled and CB Quinten Rollins allowed a TD pass. On the other hand, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was great and Damarious Randall had the top defensive grade from PFF. I was worried about Randall after a bad playoff game and a poor preseason (in limited playing time) but he's bounced back.

Next up is a big game, Sunday Night Football to open the Vikings's new US Bank Stadium on September 18.

Packers 2016 Preseason: Win Over Raiders

This was an odd preseason game to evaluate for the Green Bay Packers. With so many stars sitting in these first two preseason games, it's not like we're watching the team that's going to play in the regular season opener, and there are few starting jobs being fought over. JC Tretter and Blake Martinez both played well, but it might not matter at all if they're just keeping the seats warm for Corey Linsley and Jake Ryan, respectively. It's important to avoid injuries (the ankle injury doesn't appear serious for QB Brett Hundley) and sort out the battles at the end of the bench. Speaking of which...

Last night was a dream come true.. #BeyondBlessed #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/RiKdAVdclM

— Josh Hawkins (@J_HawKkk) August 19, 2016

After two games, the biggest surprise has been CB Josh Hawkins. Among the rookies, maybe Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez might have outplayed him, and among the returning players, it's good to see ILB Carl Bradford emerge. But I know who those guys are and I knew little of Hawkins before he stood out in both preseason games. On the play pictured above, Hawkins went up high to make a play on the ball and grab the INT on a pass that should have been over his head.

Offensive evaluation:

After an opening TD drive that featured RB Eddie Lacy (who's looked better than last season, so far), maybe the plan was to air it out with Hundley, but instead he re-injured his ankle shortly after Lacy took a seat. The injury did show that rookie LT Jason Spriggs isn't yet up to pass blocking against an All-Pro like DE Khalil Mack. After Hundley left, the Packers called a lot of running plays for James Starks and John Crockett, and by the end of the game they were almost exclusively calling running plays for QB Marquise Williams. That ground heavy performance did make the offensive line look good, and showed that rookie RT Kyle Murphy is a pretty good run blocker, but it provided few opportunities for the receivers.

Impressive play on the boundary bodes well for the #Packers.

Insider Inbox 📬: https://t.co/j4U6I7SBmP pic.twitter.com/reoTl2UwLR

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 20, 2016

But when they did throw the ball, they did have success throwing to WR Davante Adams. Mike McCarthy also complemented Adams during his post-game press conference. After a disappointing sophomore season, Adams is starting to show the promise that was expected last year. The only negative in the passing game was all the incompletions thrown to WR Ty Montgomery who is slowly moving down the depth chart this preseason.

Defensive evaluation:

With a lot of sure tackling and great coverage by the secondary, the Raiders struggled to get much of anything going against the Packers' first or second team defenses. Outside of two long completions to Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts, the Raiders moved the ball little through the air, and only averaged 2.4 ypc on the ground. I would like to stop seeing CB Damarious Randall stop getting beaten in coverage, and his INT wasn't a big sign of improvement when he had to push off (not called) to make the play. On the ground, the Raiders had little success moving the Packers' tackles off the line, and the Packers' linebackers did a good job of moving through all the traffic around the line of scrimmage to make the tackles.

But the one thing that was really missing was their pass rush. The Packers didn't record a single sack or even a quarterback hit. Part of that was the result of the Raiders' QBs getting the ball out of their hands quickly. If the Packers were hoping LB Nick Perry and/or LB Kyler Fackrell were going to provide a consistent pass rush this season, it hasn't worked out so far.

Special teams:

It's kind of pointless to discuss special teams during the preseason, when the Packers are using so many different players on each unit compared to the ones who will be lining up during the regular season. But the Raiders scored their only touchdown when CB LaDarius Gunter whiffed on a block that led to a blocked punt recovered in the end zone. The return situation hasn't looked great either, other than a couple nice returns from rookie WR Trevor Davis, who seems unlikely to stick with so many other receivers ahead of him on offense.

So the Packers didn't look bad, and they mostly looked really good, but this is all happening with a number of key players sitting out and/or hurt. At least it looks like the Packers are a deep team, if they need to call on that depth later in the regular season due to injuries.

Did The Packers Do Enough This Offseason: Run Offense

Unlike the Green Bay Packers' pass offense, which will only improve if a number of things go right (Nelson is healthy, Cook is a good free agent fit, the offensive line is healthy), the run offense simply needs more from RB Eddie Lacy:

Packers hope Eddie Lacy doesn't revert to old habits during summer break https://t.co/mMmocuVw1K

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) June 15, 2016

Lacy's weight has been an issue for at least the past two seasons, and I could probably find articles about it during his rookie season if I tried to find them. He was reportedly down to 240 lbs. in April, which is still a lot for a running back, and losing weight should make him faster. That's not too important at the line of scrimmage, but it could turn some 10 yard runs into big plays.

RB James Starks. Starks was one of the worst running backs who had more than 100 carries last season, according to Football Outsiders. He's valuable as a pass protector and receiver, which is why it was a good move to re-sign him as a 3rd down back, but he's not going to replace Lacy unless they have no other choice.

The offensive line. Though they didn't miss many games, every starter on the offensive line missed some time with injuries. Unfortunately it seems like wishful thinking that a veteran offensive line would return the following season in better shape then they were the year before but that's the hope.

OTs Kyle Murphy and Jason Spriggs. Two of the three offensive players drafted last April were lineman who might help the running game. Murphy's the latter round selection but he's arguably better as a run blocker (he blocked last season for Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey last season) while Spriggs is more likely to be the athletic, pass blocking offensive tackle of the future. Though Murphy could help as a run blocker, he's not going to take over the starting job from any of the projected starters, he might be helpful as an extra tackle on short yardage situations.

Short of drafting a rookie running back to challenge Lacy in 2016, except it wasn't much of a 2016 draft class headlined by Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry as the top choices, the best way to improve the run offense was to ask more from Lacy this year. Based on his 2013 and 2014 seasons, his improvement is probably their best bet next season.

All The Packers Must Fix The Offense Articles Are Coming Out After Getting Clobbered By The Broncos

The short answer remains that the Green Bay Packers miss WR Jordy Nelson. By one measure, he accounted for 40% of their passing offense in 2014. So now some good intentioned articles are focusing on how the Packers can improve mid-season without Nelson.

The Packers have problems. What's ailing Aaron Rodgers and the offense, and how it can be fixed. By @Andy_Benoit https://t.co/t2geFndZ5J

— The MMQB (@theMMQB) November 2, 2015

Author Andy Benoit liked it when the Packers brought a wide receiver out of the backfield on short passes. I actually wish the Packers would do that more with RB Eddie Lacy instead of WR Randall Cobb, though Cobb has better hands. There's always the potential for a big play when Lacy has the ball in the open field and he hasn't been nearly productive enough this season in Nelson's absence.

When I initially looked at how the Packers could replace Nelson, I focused on the Packers getting more receivers involved in 2015. That hasn't happened but here's who can step up.

WR Davante Adams. He's missed most of the season with ankle injuries but finally returned against Denver. Unfortunately he did next to nothing in the Broncos game but it was only his first game back. He's got to get better as the season goes on.

WR Ty Montgomery. He's been sparingly used and plays an almost identical role to Cobb but he's also been the 2nd best WR of those who have had fewer than 32 targets this season. An ankle injury kept him out against Denver and he'll be welcomed back.

TE Justin Perillo. Perillo is the preferred No. 2 TE at the moment. The answer might be more receivers out in the formation with fewer blockers, and Perillo could become that forgotten TE in two-TE sets that can take advantage of a linebacker in coverage.

RB Eddie Lacy. He too has been battling an ankle injury but looked like his old self in the Denver game. Hopefully he can finish the season strong.

But maybe nothing will help as much as avoiding negative plays and converting on a higher rate of 3rd downs. Their 3rd down conversion percentage has been slowly sinking all season long, and it bottomed out at 25% against the Broncos. Remember that early drive when Lacy carried it twice from on 2nd and 3rd and short when they didn't pick up the 1st down? They can't afford any negative rushing plays at the moment and have to find plays that work on 3rd and short.

As much as the knee injury to Nelson has been the big story of the season on offense, a lesser story is the trifecta of ankle injuries (Adams, Montgomery, Lacy) that has taken away the three players who combined could replace Nelson's production. It's next man up time for one (or more) of these players to make the offense better for the rest of the season.

Packers Beat Seahawks 27-17, But Lose Eddie Lacy To Ankle Injury

It was hard to watch all the carts drive off players during the first half (Eddie Lacy, then Davante Adams and Josh Boyd). But QB Aaron Rodgers was fantastic once again, including a sick touchdown pass to WR James Jones (of course) against CB Richard Sherman while jumping in the air. However, LB Jayrone Elliott was the surprise, big playmaker of the game.

Jayrone Elliott: I'll take that. #Interception #SEAvsGB pic.twitter.com/UBzi55Ul3O

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 21, 2015

Elliott has been a star of the last two preseasons, but it hadn't carried over into the regular season yet. The Packers tried everyone at outside linebacker in this game and they all struggled to generate a pass rush or contain QB Russell Wilson on the bootleg and cut backs. Most of the pass rush came against Seattle's interior lineman. Elliott was the last outside linebacker to take the field (Peppers, Matthews, Perry, Mulumba, and Neal all played snaps outside before Elliott) but the interception above was the turning point, and his forced fumble on RB Fred Jackson sealed the victory.

The pass coverage had at least one busted coverage and CB Micah Hyde allowed a couple big plays, but generally the coverage was tight and TE Jimmy Graham was held to only one catch. After getting exposed last week in Chicago, CB Sam Shields was rarely seen against the Seahawks (which is probably a good sign that he's getting the job done and we don't see him). The interior of the defensive line (Raji, Daniels, and Pennel) often overpowered the unheralded interior lineman of the Seahawks, and they were the big reason why RB Marshawn Lynch never got going on the ground.

RT Don Barclay struggled badly in the preseason during his first action since injuring his knee in 2014, but he was decent in place of RT Bryan Bulaga. Though it wasn't a perfect performance; he did miss blocks and was overpowered on one sack (LT David Bakhtiari was overpowered on the same play). It wasn't perfect and Rodgers was hit on more plays than I'd like to see, but his lineman overall gave him time to throw and RB James Starks some room to run against a tough run defense.

While Starks did have a great game, except for a first half fumble which, at least, wasn't turned into any points by the Seahawks, it was made possible by an ankle injury to Lacy. The early indication is that it's not serious, so hopefully it will be one of Starks's few big moments in 2015. He's a solid running back, but his track record with injuries makes it unlikely he'd survive an entire season.

It was a small coming out party for WR Ty Montgomery, who didn't blow up the stat sheet (4 receptions for 37 yards) but he had a couple 3rd down receptions on their final scoring drive that helped eat up a lot of clock. Also, he slipped away from Sherman in the first half and drew a 50+ yard pass interference call. It's not going to be all Jones as a replacement for WR Jordy Nelson, and it looks like Montgomery can take on some of the responsibility.

The Packers now get a little more time to recover, and let Lacy's ankle heal, as they don't play until next week Monday night. The Chiefs are a good team but playing them in Lambeau (the Packers last game against the Chiefs was in 2011, when they lost their only regular season game that year on the road in Kansas City) is a big help.

Reaction: Packers give up with seven minutes to play in crushing loss to Seahawks

You guys already know what happened today, so I'm not going to explain it. Still, this is a Packers site, and on it today must be discussed.

Today, the Packers played perfect football for 53 minutes. They picked off Russell Wilson four times, kept the Seahawks to just seven points, and led by 12. They had the ball after a Morgan Burnett interception, and for a second it was all over.

In my own household, there were cheers. Plans for a Super Bowl party were already being made while discussions on the upcoming AFC game took place. For a second, everything was perfect. The Packers, with a half-injured QB in Aaron Rodgers, had upset the mighty Seahawks on their homefield, and memories of Rodgers' famous "relax" comments came to my mind.

Then, all the sudden, something struck the Packers. The team who seconds ago had all the momentum in the world seemed to just turn off. Their attitude could be compared to what always happens with them: they stop playing prematurely, and almost blow the game.

Key word there is almost, because this time they actually did it.

Wilson led Seattle downfield at will to make it 19-14 and the usual nerves began to fill me. As always, I didn't expect the Packers to make it easy for themselves, but still, I was sure they'd find someway to finish it off.

Then Bostick dropped the onside kick, and I, probably along with the rest of the Packers' fanbase, knew it. The Packers were screwed, or any other word you would like to substitute there. 

Seattle scored again without trouble and went for two. Fortunately, on this play, Wilson ran back to the 20, so it could be assumed he had no chance of converting the play. However, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, having the game of his life, thought differently, and decided to play what can only be described as stupidly for the first time all afternoon. He let a receiver catch a lob pass the receiver had no business catching, and the score became 22-19. Game over, right? Nope, the Packers still weren't done screwing with our heads.

Because Rodgers, refusing to let his uninterested defense ruin his season, amazingly got the Packers all the way into field goal range within the next minute, setting up a Mason Crosby 48-yarder to tie things. Hope, I thought then. Maybe this'll just be a really awkward victory that we'll still appreciate.

No, because by chance the Packers then lost the coin toss (not sure which genius thought that idea up 100 years ago, but that's another story), and the Seahawks had the ball. I wasn't happy about this, but I tried to be optimistic. The Seahawks had had multiple worthless possessions up to that point, so maybe the Packers could force another. 

But remember, this is the Packers, and consistency is not one of their values. Indeed, after somehow forcing the Seahawks to face a 3rd-and-6, Green Bay gave up a pair of deep pass plays, the latter of which put six points on the board. And just like that, the dream was dead. The idea of watching TV personalites talk about the Packers' brilliance became nothing. The two weeks in which I was looking forward to writing about every aspect of the Super Bowl: nothing as well. 

Basically, the Packers let me down in this one. I appreciate the division title and the Cowboys win and all, but really, I don't. Had they lost this game in the first quarter, I'd be fine. They gave it their best shot and got this far and all, but just weren't good enough in the end. 

Only they were good enough. Maybe that's why I'm so upset right now. They had a chance to write a story. They had a chance to shock the bandwagon fans of the Seahawks, (Yeah, I'm calling you out. There were not this many Seahawks fans before last year) and play Tom Brady for their own trophy. But no, they traded it all away, essentially all their hard work since the summer, because they thought it was over. 

Bottom line: this season should be remembered for Rodgers' greatness, Davante Adams' emergence, Eddie Lacy's refusals to go down, and the 12-4 record. But it won't, at least not in the minds of Packers fans. Instead, it'll be seen as the lost season, somewhat of a forgettable one.

And after today's fourth quarter, maybe it should be.

Lacy probable for conference championship game

Packers RB Eddie Lacy has been listed as probable for Sunday's conference championship game in Seattle, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

Lacy has been experiencing soreness in his right knee this week, according to Demovsky. However, team Head Coach Mike McCarthy isn't concerned about his health, assuring the media Friday "he'll be ready to play."

Lacy rushed for 101 carries on 19 carries in last week's divisonal playoff against the Cowboys, including one on which he ran for 29 yards. As for his entire season, he recorded 1139 yards on 246 carries, reaching the endzone nine times while fumbling thrice.

Can Eddie Lacy Run Against The Seahawks?

The Seahawks have a formidable run defense and Eddie Lacy was not a factor (12 carries for 34 yards) when they last played Week 1 in Seattle. While that game is from this season, a lot has changed since (one example, Corey Lindsey isn't making his first career NFL start) and what's happened in recent weeks is more relevant than a game from September.

Eddie Lacy glad he doesn't have to tackle Marshawn Lynch. #Packers http://t.co/JwoRo4AitF
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 15, 2015

What's true for Lacy is probably the same for Lynch; they're both a load to take down and arguably the two most physical runners in the NFL.

The last time the Packers played a run defense this good was just two games ago when they played the Lions, who are ranked No. 1 overall by Football Outsiders (the Seahawks come in at No. 2). Lacy ran 26 times for 100 yards against them in Week 17, but his per carry average was dragged down by several late 4th quarter carries when the Packers were up by two scores and trying to run out the clock. Otherwise, Lacy hasn't been held to under four yards per carry since their November 9th blowout against the Bears. He's been able to run against every defense he's faced over the past couple months and he should be able to run against the Seahawks.

While nearly every player on the Lions defense has a positive run defense grade according to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks have a negative grade from every member of their defensive line except Michael Bennett, who's been a monster on run defense. Since Bennett isn't a giant nose tackle (274 lbs.) he's probably doing most of his damage when he beats a block and makes a tackle in the backfield. The lineman are going to have to maintain their blocks on Bennett to keep him in check.

Though their defensive line is overall a negative against the run, almost every other defender at linebacker and in the secondary has either a positive run defense grade or is playing at an elite level. Lacy might be able to break through to the second level with regularity but he might not be able to break a tackle against their second level. Lacy's had a run of greater than 20+ yards in each of his last six games, but that streak might end against the Seahawks.

So the Seahawks have a great run defense that isn't going to allow many (any) big runs but the Packers should have some success on the ground. I don't expect they'll ignore the ground game, but as long as they stick with it should be productive.

How The Packers Can Attack Seattle's Secondary

This comment doesn't take away from Seattle's great defense, but I was surprised at how few great quarterbacks they've faced in recent weeks. To start the season, they won against Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning but lost to Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo. Over their past eight games, they've faced Cam Newton, Shaun Hill, Ryan Lindsey, Colin Kaepernick (twice), Mark Sanchez, Drew Stanton, and Alex Smith. Their defense has been fantastic over those last eight games, but that's not the greatest quarterback challenge either. Aaron Rodgers, even with a bad calf, is better than those last seven quarterbacks.

How can Rodgers, #Packers target #Seahawks secondary? All-22 look at 3 route combinations: http://t.co/lB3VUS7weo pic.twitter.com/SkEiEgtOcz
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 14, 2015

His article is written like something that a former NFL safety would love, and it's a bit heavy on concepts and formations, but he found three examples of big plays against the Seahawks's defense (which he admitted were hard to find). Two of them were passes to tight ends, and twice it showed how to exploit a linebacker in coverage. Just as TE Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers were surprise helpers in their win over the Cowboys, the Packers are going to have to use them again to exploit Seattle's linebackers in coverage.

The last time a quarterback had a good game against Seattle's defense was arguable on November 9th, when Eli Manning wasn't too bad in a 38-17 loss. Unsurprisingly he got a big game from WR Odell Beckham Jr. but he also got a career game out of third string WR Preston Parker. So another big game out of WR Davante Adams is important. In the season's opener, no Packer wide receiver other than Nelson and Cobb caught a single pass and that can't happen again.

For something completely different, the last team when the Chiefs beat the Seahawks, they did it in large part by calling more running plays for Jamaal Charles than pass attempts for Alex Smith. Maybe that was just what the Chiefs had to do because of their quarterback and lack of decent wide receivers, but it's something to consider when the Packers have Eddie Lacy available.

In the end, no pass heavy or run heavy attack is the answer. The Packers will need a combination of both, and every receiver on the team is going to have to deliver.

Reaction: Packers Take NFC North Again With 30-20 Win Over Lions

(View from my Seat)

My thoughts after watching the Packers beat the Lions yesterday, clinching for the former a fourth straight NFC North title:

1. The Dreaded Goal Line:

The Packers still can't punch it in from inside the 10, so that was annoying. Hopefully Lacy will just start jumping over the line again once the playoffs start.

2. Rodgers is Hurt:

The stadium died when he left and lit up when he returned, but nonetheless, he's still kind of hurt. Definitely not favorable at this time of year.

3. Another Strong Outing From the Defense:

They gave up a pair of touchdowns when Rodgers was out, but besides that they were very good at killing Detroit's momentum. 

Leave your own takeaways below. 

Packers Listed as 10 Point Favorites For Sunday's Battle of the Bays

It seems like the Packers can never beat the Buccaneers when the two play in Tampa, but Vegas apparently thinks things will be different this year.

The odds for this week's NFL games have been released, and this time around the Packers are 10 point favorites to improve to 11-4. Granted, on Monday that line read a few points higher at 12, but nonetheless, it's a pretty sizable one.

Anyway, I'm not sure much more insight is needed here, as the Bucs are just 2-12 right now and are likely no threat to the inconsistent powerhouse that is the Packers. Expect Green Bay to win as long as they show up, though I'll admit, I don't see a blowout happening.

Lacy a Limited Participant in Practice Thursday, But "Making Progress"

Packers RB Eddie Lacy is still recovering from a hip injury he suffered in Monday's win over the Falcons, but may be nearing a recovery.

According to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky, Lacy was limited participant in the team's practice Thursday, something that's not necessarily good considering how late in the week it is.

He is, however, "making progress" in the words of Mike McCarthy, which can't be bad. Lacy was one of the biggest reasons the Packers won their last road game over the Vikings November 23, rushing for two first downs in the final minutes to run out the clock.

Let's hope he gets a chance to do so again this Sunday, when the Packers play arguably their toughest contest left on the schedule in Buffalo.

Reaction: Packers Struggle in Second Half, But Still Find Way to Beat Falcons

Last night's 43-37 win over the Falcons wasn't perfect, but still, it was a win. Here are my thoughts on it:

1. The Defense Struggled:

I'm not sure this will become a recurring problem, but it's definitely something to take note of. The Packers' defense looked awful yesterday, and that can't be a good sign with the postseason just around the corner. 

2. Starks Played Pretty Well:

Not as well as Lacy, but certainly solidly. Can't hurt anything if he keeps it up.

3. At the End of the Day, It Was Just a Monday Night:

Maybe the Packers just weren't used to not playing on Sunday. Who knows?

Leave your own takeaways below.

Reaction: Packers Hang on Versus Patriots for Fourth Straight Win

It wasn't as pretty as I thought it would be, but I'll take it. Here are my takeways from yesterday's win:

1. The Packers Are Actually Stoppable At Home:

At least kind of. They still emerged victorious, but it wasn't like they did it easily. Say goodbye to games like the ones against the Bears and Eagles, I guess.

2. McCarthy Almost Blew it Again:

Seriously, he's gotta work on getting the last first down late. For the second week in a row, he almost found a way to go three and out with Green Bay up by less than a touchdown in the final minutes, but again, he was bailed out by a nice play. Last week it was Eddie Lacy who made it, this week it was Randall Cobb. Thank you for that.

3. We Can Expect This Winning Streak To Continue:

The Falcons won't beat the Packers on Monday Night Football next week. Enough said (?).

Leave your thoughts below.

Reaction: Packers Road Struggles Continue vs. Vikings, But They Still Win

The Packers didn't play that well today in Minnesota, but still, they won 24-21. Here are my takeaways from it:

1. Road Struggles:

They're not an illusion. This team is just not the same outside of Lambeau, and they need to fix that.

2. Eddie Lacy Can Make Big Plays:

On the last drive of this one, Lacy carried the ball five times in a row, and picked up the necessary two first downs to run out the clock. Not bad.

3. First Place:

With this and the Lions' 34-9 loss to the Patriots, the Packers are in sole possession of the top spot in the North for the first time this season. Finally.

On to the Patriots. 

Jordy Nelson Is Number One, But Spreading The Ball Around Has Made The Packers Offense Better

Sam Monson has written the definitive post about the Green Bay Packers first game with Clay Matthews at inside linebacker (don't call him an inside linebacker!) and should be read by anyone interested in his new position/role on defense.

Another interesting point raised this week was that QB Aaron Rodgers threw two of his six touchdown passes against the Bears to tight ends, which doubled the number of touchdown passes thrown to tight ends this season. He has been throwing more passes in general to TEs Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers in recent weeks and he's been spreading the ball around to the benefit of the offense.

Below are the number of targets to their top receivers so far this season, pro-rated out to 16 games in the next column, and compared to the number of times each player was targeted in 2013.

Receiver	2014 Targets	2014 Projected	2013 Targets
Nelson	84	149	126
Cobb	60	107	46
Lacy	30	53	44
Adams	37	66	0
Quarless	27	48	54
Richard Rodgers	14	25	0
Jones	0	0	93
Boykin	8	14	82
Finley	0	0	34

One interesting note is that overall the Packers haven't run as many offensive plays this season. So when you combine the projected number of targets to Quarless and Rodgers (73) and compare that to the total targets in 2013 to Quarless and Jermichael Finley (88), it's down but overall the number of plays are down anyway.

The number of pass attempts to Eddie Lacy is up slightly, and passes that last year went to James Jones and Jarrett Boykin (so much for his breakout season) have gone to a healthy Randall Cobb and rookie Davante Adams, though not as many. However, the one player that jumps out is Jordy Nelson.

Watch all the big plays from last night's win, including this impressive Jordy Nelson TD: http://t.co/NUr8sZxDhj pic.twitter.com/c8iaJEkRG4
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 10, 2014

29% of all pass attempts have been targeted at Nelson, which leads the team by a wide margin. Early in the season, Nelson was targeted 40% of the time, so he's actually been less featured in recent weeks. He's also had to play against two teams (Lions and Saints) who were very determined to shut him down with double coverage.

Whatever they're doing this season its working in the passing game, Aaron Rodgers moved ahead of Peyton Manning in ESPN's QBR this week, so this is not a complaint. I'm just tracking how the passing game is being used as the season goes on.

Reaction: Packers Blowout Vikings in Week 5

My takeaways from the Packers' 42-10 win over the Vikings last night:

1. Eddie Lacy is Back:

Granted, he wasn't facing a great defense, but still, Lacy's two-touchdown, 105-yard performance was definitely his best of the year.

2. Julius Peppers is Pretty Good:

Peppers' 49-yard Pick Six in the second quarter, his first interception as a Packer, made him the first player in league history with 100 sacks and 10 interceptions, so yes, I guess you could say his day went well too. 

3. Minor History was Interestingly Made: 

Though it didn't feel like much of a record-setter, the 32-point victory for the Pack was actually the second biggest blowout in Thursday Night history, trailing only the Falcons' 42-point one over the Buccaneers two weeks ago.

Packers Confident Lacy Will Bounce Back From Rough Start

The Packers are confident struggling RB Eddie Lacy will bounce back from his rough start.

"Any positions group is going to feel like it's on me," team RB Coach Sam Gash recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "What can I do to get better? it's just an emotional answer. Eddie has to just keep doing what he's doing and coming to work and preparing the way he's going to and it'll click. He'll get it."

Let's hope that's true. Because if not, it's extremely likely this Sunday's game will just be a repeat of last's, something I'm sure nobody wants.