A Saturday night win at Lambeau against the Carolina Panthers keeps the Packers on pace for the number 1 seed in the NFC. I will start things off with by sharing a tweet from CheeseheadTV co-founder, Aaron Nagler:

The Packers offense started out on fire. They scored touchdowns on their first three drives. After that, the offense went silent. This is a game that I thought the Packers would have definitely won easily but it turned out to be a closer game than I expected. The defense stepped up big time in the second half to cover for the offensive woes.

Make no mistake about it Rodgers is the MVP, he is playing at an MVP type level. I mean, he even brought out the belt. When Rodgers brings out the belt, watch out NFL, he is feeling it. Rodgers became the first player in NFL history to throw at least 40 touchdown passes in three separate seasons on Saturday night when he threw his 40th touchdown pass of the season. He had 45 touchdown passes during his 2011 MVP campaign and 40 in 2016.

Saturday night also marked the end of Davante Adams eight straight games with a touchdown reception. He tallied seven receptions for 42 yards and did not have a receiving touchdown. On the other hand, the Packers ground game was rolling, as Aaron Jones had 20 carries for 145 yards and a rushing touchdown.

After the Packers explosive first half, the offense came to a halt in the second half. They were outgained 214 yards to 49 yards in the entire second half. They were also outscored 13 to 3. In his post game press conference, Aaron Rodgers even said this about the second half; “a stinker for the offense”.

When you are dominating the game like the Packers were in the first half, you need to finish it off in the second half and the Packers offensive failed to do that. The type of second half performance the Packers had is not going to get it done in the playoffs and accomplish the goals that the Packers have.

The win keeps the Packers in the top spot for the NFC playoffs. In reality, it doesn’t matter if you win by 30 points or by 1 point, a win is a win and that is what really matters. The team has two more weeks before the playoffs start so there is still time to get some things fixed. Green Bay will host Tennessee next Sunday night in another night game before finishing the season at Chicago. The Packers control their road to the number 1 seed in the NFC and that is all we can ask for at this moment.

Go Pack Go!!

Anthony Haag is a writer for PackersTalk.com. He has been a Packers fan since the day he was born and truly bleeds green and gold. He makes annual visits to Lambeau Field and has attended his fair share of games. You can follow Anthony on Twitter at @anthony_haag