Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – Matt LaFleur’s mantra of “hitting the reset button” could be a bit more challenging this week with the Packers coming off their biggest win of the season to date and with an upcoming opponent on an eight-game losing streak.
Then again, the NFC North-champion Packers still have so much to play for, LaFleur doesn’t believe his players will approach their weekly reset any differently than they have all season.
“That’s the emphasis, but I think our guys understand what’s at stake,” LaFleur said Tuesday, as the Packers need a win in Week 17 at Detroit to secure a first-round bye and stay in the hunt for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
“This game has huge implications. You get that bye you’re automatically one round further in the playoffs, and certainly we’d love for every game to come through Lambeau.”
LaFleur also pointed out that as much as the Lions (3-11-1) might be struggling, with 11 losses in their last 12 games dating back to late September, all the Packers have to do is look at the film from their Week 6 meeting to stay mentally prepared.
Detroit jumped in front of Green Bay 13-0 before the Packers rallied for a one-point, walk-off victory. The Lions no longer have star QB Matthew Stafford, who’s on injured reserve, but to wit, the Packers also have a shot at the top seed because the previously four-win Cardinals, playing with a backup QB in the second half, beat the playoff-bound Seahawks at their place just last week.
So as much as LaFleur “felt like the focus last week was at a higher level than what we’ve seen maybe throughout the entire season,” it cannot wane now.
The past two weeks in particular, the Packers prepared themselves for extremely physical battles against their division rivals, the Bears and Vikings. LaFleur talked at the podium repeatedly about expecting physical contests, and it showed in the way the Packers controlled the line of scrimmage for arguably seven of eight quarters (all but the fourth quarter vs. Chicago).