Historical Trap Game This Week

[Carolina_Packer]

I just read in USA Today's Sports Weekly that the last two times the Packers were 8-1 through week 10 in both 2002 and 1996, they lost in weeks 11 and 12. So, I went to trusty Pro-Football-Reference.com and sure enough, here it is...

2002 (8-1, having lost only at New Orleans in Week 2)

11 | at Minnesota Vikings | L | 21-31 |
12 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L | 7-21 |

1996 (8-1, having only lost at Minnesota in Week 4)

11 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L | 20-27 |
12 | at Dallas Cowboys | L | 6-21 |

Going back even further...the last time the Packers were 8-1 was 1963, and they lost at Chicago in Week 10, but remember it was a 14 Week Season and no bye week.

The last time they went undefeated going into Week 11 was the 1962 Season when they started 10-0, and finally lost at Detroit in Week 11 (Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1962).

So, you thought this was just another week on the schedule? A win to go to 9-1 this week and the Packers have the best start in team history since 1962. If they can beat Carolina this week and win at Detroit on Thanksgiving, they can tie the 1962 team's 10-1 start, and avenge the Thanksgiving loss to Detroit in 1962 in the process! Go Pack Go!

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

The next two weeks for the Packers will tell a lot. If they win the next two games and go 10 - 1, we all but lock up a first round bye. If we lose to Dallas, you can kiss home field good bye. If we win all three some how, then I don't think I could write a better start to this season.

About a year ago I heard that Brett Favre is going to have a movie about this career once he retires. I think he's helping the writers with the ending this season.

[Carolina_Packer]

Dallas remaining:

Sun, Nov 18 WASHINGTON (FOX) Sponsored By DR PEPPER 3:15 pm Tickets
Thu, Nov 22 NY JETS (CBS) Sponsored By MILLER 3:15 pm Tickets
Thu, Nov 29 GREEN BAY (NFLN & KDFI Ch 27) 7:15 pm Tickets
Sun, Dec 9 @ Detroit (FOX) Noon Travel
Sun, Dec 16 PHILADELPHIA (FOX) Sponsored By MOTOROLA 3:15 pm Tickets
Sat, Dec 22 @ Carolina (NFLN & KDFI Ch 27) 7:15 pm Travel
Sun, Dec 30 @ Washington (FOX) Noon Travel

So, the only way the Packers get home field advantage is to either:

1) Beat Dallas head to head, which means we could have one more loss (assuming they kept winning all their games too)
2) If we lose to Dallas, hope that they lose two other games to have a worse overall record (assuming we have no more losses after Dallas).

The only games I see them possibly losing is the Green Bay game, possibly at Detroit, or at Washington.

First things first...let's beat Carolina!

[BF4MVP]

Minnesota and Tampa in 2002, and even (much) moreso Kansas City and Dallas in 1996, were all much better teams back in those years than Carolina is now..Not to mention those were all road games..

Can't overlook this week, though.

[Pacopete4]

i think that mccarthy will have em ready for every game.. this team is young and hungry.. and the guy that is old, might be even hungrier..

[mraynrand]

The most significant factors in those other games were injuries. First, in 1996, the Packers had already lost Brooks for the season. They then lost Freeman for a time with a broken arm. Then in the Chiefs' game the quickly lost Chmura with a foot injury and Doug Evans was tossed for bumping a ref. Suddenly, the Packers had Don Beebe and Keith Jackson on offense. Still, the Chiefs were supposed to be the Superbowl representative from the AFC so the Packers weren't playing chopped liver. The Packers then had to go to Dallas missing all those weapons. Rison didn't show up until the following week at St. Louis, where the Packers were in danger of losing again, until Evans turned momentum around with an INT TD.

In 2002, everyone was injured, including Favre with his damaged knee (he had just removed the brace, I think, but he still was throwing more off his back foot). The Viking game was a typical Viking game with too many crazy things happening in the dome. At Tampa, The Packers were in the game until Glenn invented a pattern in the middle of a throw (he was supposed to go across the middle, chickened out, and turned upfield). Favre's pass was intercepted and Sapp took out Clifton on the return. Flanagan had to move to tackle (he stayed there the rest of the season, and Winters came in at Center. It went downhill from there. That was a winnable game, and it was for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, but that one play pretty much finished the Packers off for the rest of the season.

This year is a whole lot different. just so long as there are no major injuries (knock on wood) I can't see McCarthy letting the Packers overlook Carolina. They know they need every win and how on Earth could you lose to Vinny Testaverde when he couldn't even beat Atlanta. I mean COME ON!

[Scott Campbell]

The 2nd half of the Bear game showed that this team is capable of a letdown. Fortunately we haven't seen it much.