5 Things the Packers Must Do to Make the Playoffs

Packers backup QB Seneca Wallace (9) throws a pass Monday against the Bears

When I was driving up to Green Bay this past Monday, I was talking to my Dad about our expectations for the game. We both predicted blowouts of varying magnitudes. I had the sense to add a caveat to mine: "I think we win by 3 touchdowns, unless something horrible goes wrong like Rodgers getting hurt."

Now Packers fans, used to elite and durable quarterback play through the last two decades, are left in the unenviable position that many other teams in the NFL find themselves in. Their success or failure this season depends largely on how well a below-average quarterback plays. And, all of the sudden, with their loss against the Bears, they find themselves in the middle of the NFC North standings and, if the season were to end today, out of playoff contention.

All is not lost, however. There is a roadmap to January for the Packers, even if Aaron Rodgers is out for 6 weeks. Here's what the Packers must do.

1. Treat the running backs like gold. 

The Packers have the #3 rushing offense in yards per game. This is now their offensive identity without Rodgers. Packers RB coach Alex van Pelt recently said that RB Eddie Lacy could carry the ball 35 times if needed. I'm sure that's true, but the Packers must rotate their running backs more than they have previously this season. Lacy getting 35 carries in a game is inviting a serious injury. Starks and Franklin have both had success this year. There's no reason Lacy needs to be the only one carrying the load.

2. Build confidence in Seneca Wallace. 

Even without WR Randall Cobb and TE Jermichael Finley, Wallace will have quality receivers running routes. He'll be seeing single-high safety looks for most of the games in which he's playing, so allowing Wallace to gain confidence through short and easy passes is crucial. Here's a reason to be optimistic as well: on Monday night against the Bears, Wallace had a 102.7 passer rating when using play-action. See why keeping the running backs healthy is important?

3. Don't be stubborn. 

It's a standard meaningless platitude from coaching staffs that no injury changes their game plan. While being stalwart and confident have their benefits, the fact of the matter is that the Packers need to be extraordinarily flexible and adaptive to get out of this season alive. Fortunately, McCarthy and company have demonstrated their ability to overcome injuries, whether it be through shuffling wide receiver positions or using creative blitz packages on defense. This must continue. There's a lot of talk among fans about whether or not Seneca Wallace (or whomever they want to come and rescue this season - Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien, Brett Favre, or Bart Starr) can run our offense successfully. This is really missing the point - the offense is dead, or at least in a coma, as long as Aaron Rodgers is gone. To win, the Packers need to reinvent themselves for however long Rodgers is out.

4. Execute perfectly. 

A cliché, I know, but it's true now more than ever. There is no margin for error on this season anymore. This past Monday's game against the Bear must be the last game the Packers almost win, because they need every win they can scrape together to even give Rodgers a chance at vaulting the team into the playoffs when he returns.

5. Create turnovers. 

The last and perhaps the most obvious of all (besides, you know, winning games), the Packers are -3 in turnover differential on the year. They're tied for last in the league in interceptions. Yeah, okay, you've heard all of the alarming numbers already. They just confirm what we all know from watching the secondary play. The DBs are not capitalizing on opportunities, and it's allowing awful quarterbacks look like All-Pros. We've been able to win despite this because of excellent defensive line play and an offense that has dominated time of possession. But now, the Packers need interceptions and fumbles instead of punts. Now, having the ball at their own 10 is less an opportunity for a long TD drive and more a chance for a 3-and-out. Hopefully with Clay Matthews (Megaman hand or not) and Nick Perry returning, opposing QBs will have less time to make reads, but when they make poor decisions, there need to be consequences from Shields and company.