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The injury report is looking longer for the Packers this week:

Mike McCarthy was asked if ""you have some sort of calf epidemic going through the team right now?" with three players recently listed with the injury. Barnett is out for the season, but the Packers haven't found someone worthwhile to put on the roster in his place, so he hasn't been put on the I.R. yet. Bush has been playing through injuries the past couple weeks, so he should play again this week, but mostly on special teams. Clifton and Woodson are always listed, but they always play. The injuries to Cole and Kampman are new, but I'd be shocked if either of them missed this game. Driver is back after missing a couple practices after his father wound up in the hospital and he'll play. Jones is battling another injury, but he's not likely to be activate in any circumstance. I don't know if Peprah and Thompson will play, but only Thompson would be likely to have any playing time. It looks like Wells should be good to go. Wynn might not play, but he's been inactive on and off the past couple weeks, so he's not likely to play a big role anyway.

The big news for the Saints is that RB Reggie Bush might play, but it seemed like he would play last week. Instead he sat that game at Kansas City out. RB Deuce McAllister should play although he's battling a knee injury. His ongoing battle with the league office (DE Will Smith is also involved) shouldn't keep him out either. It looks like WR Marques Colston will play too, but he can't be at 100%. That's a lot of skill players struggling with injury for New Orleans and it has to have some effect on their high powered pass offense.

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Rankings from Football Outsiders:

Two sore thumbs really stick out; the Packers lousy run defense and the Saints lousy pass defense. The Saints fans expect QB Aaron Rodgers to have a career day. I'll have to take their word that the pass defense is as bad as it looks.

I have no reason to expect the Packers run defense is any better now then it has been all season. Chicago's RB Matt Forte didn't have a big game last week, but that was because the Packers' offense spent most of the game on the field and he had few carries. But he didn't have any big runs either. I'm would be concerned that the Saints rushing attack appears to be pretty good, but the SB Nation Saints blogger Saintsational thinks the running game sucks:

"This is a sore subject and I’m sure some of my readers are going to see this and pounce on it. The Saints running game sucks. But I don’t think its for a lack of talent, I think its for a lack of a coaching."

Judging from the stats at Football Outsiders, it seems New Orleans is a good running team when they hand off to RB Pierre Thomas and RB Deuce McAllister, but not when it's RB Reggie Bush. Still the Saints fans at Canal Street Chronicles all seem excited about the Bush's possible return. But one thing really stands out; the Saints don't like to run the ball. So far this season they've thrown the ball 398 times and carried it only 251. To give Packer fans an idea of how lopsided that is the Packers have 323 pass attempts versus 273 carries. The lack of carries is why the official NFL rankings (based on yards/game) have the Saints as 28th running the ball while Football Outsiders ranks (based in large part on success rank per run) them much higher.

The Saints match up very poorly against the Packers if they have to throw the ball a lot. They've probably had to throw a lot more in some games because they're defense has put them in a hole and they have to try and comeback. But a lot of pass attempts is just more opportunties for an interception by the outstanding Packer secondary.

The Saints defense is going to have a lot of problems trying to slow down the Packers. Their run defense is average, but RB Ryan Grant has been resurgent the past three games against much better run defenses. I don't see any reason QB Aaron Rodgers shouldn't have a big game in a domed stadium against a pass defense that is clearly on the ropes.

If the Packers can grab an early lead by 10 points or more, then the game could turn into a Colts-type blowout. The Saints best chance at winning is grinding out an Atlanta-type win where they build an early lead on some big passing plays, their defense doesn't allow any big plays, and they run the ball late to clinch the victory. The key for a Saints' victory is whether one of their receivers can imitate the day Atlanta's WR Roddy White had against the Packers.

A lot of things have to go right for the Saints in this game, but their pass offense is capable of building a lead and keeping up in shootout. The Packers have a lot in their favor, but I can see how it might get away from them. The Saints have scored between 24 to 34 points every game this season at the Superdome and the Packers will need to have a big game on offense to put this one out of reach. Packers 34, Saints 27.

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New Orleans has (in passing yards per game) the number one pass offense in the NFL. They are led by QB Drew Brees who is one of the best. WR Marques Colston and RB Reggie Bush were probably drafted in every fantasy league, and TE Jeremy Shockey probably was too. Yet their leading receiver this season is WR Lance Moore. I was amazed to find out that he hadn't been picked up in my fantasy league until November 12th. He even does a mean Rooney slide. Watch it here.

So where did he come from?

"Moore scratched and clawed his way through the NFL ranks as he began his career on the team's practice squad in 2005 with Jim Haslett still at the helm. He impressed Sean Payton enough for the then-new coach to keep Moore around for the practice squad. Moore made his way to the gameday roster four times but only caught one pass in 2006.

His impressive training camp in 2007 stamped his spot on the roster. He hauled in 32 passes for 302 yards and two scores last season...

McCarthy said Moore's numbers force coaches to pay attention and game plan for the Saints pass catcher.

"We prepare for everybody that's productive on film," McCarthy said. "That never changes and I think that's the beauty of the Saints offense. They do a very good job of utilizing their personnel and their progressions and their approach of how they go after your defense. We anticipate that will be the case on Monday night.""

They have to keep their eye on him. I was trying to find someone similar to Moore that the Packers have already faced this season, and the best I could come up with was Minnesota's WR Bobby Wade. Moore's listed at 5'9" and 190 lbs. which is about the same as Wade. And Wade is not some nobody. With 38 catches so far in 2008, he has more receptions than anyone else on Minnesota's roster. In two games against the Packers, Wade had 3 catches for 24 yards (all coming in the game at Minnesota). But, obviously, Bress is a much better QB than Gus Frerotte.

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When I read that former Packer CB Bob Jeter had died, I admit I wasn't familiar with him. He played on the great Lombardi teams of the 1960s. He was a star player in 1966 and 1967 when the Packers won the first two Super Bowls. He had a great career as a cornerback for the Packers, but as you can see from his career stats, his career got off to a slow start. He was a college running back from Iowa, went to the CFL for two years, and then came back to play for the Packers. "Speed made Jeter a decent receiver and a tremendous cornerback."

From John Maxymuk's book, Packers by the Numbers:

"Vince Lombardi made the same mistake with Jeter that he did earlier with another Big Ten halfback who he didn't think fit the Packers' running style-Herb Adderley. He tried to make wide receivers out of both of them...Bob Jeter, though, spent two seasons as a reserve receiver before finally being shifted to cornerback...In the next two years he would team with Adderley to shut down the top receivers of many teams...Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith would say of Jeter that, "In the past, left cornerback Herb Adderley was so good that the opponents picked on Jeter. But now they can't. Jeter has more speed than Adderley and is better at moving up on the end run."

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It's been a hectic week for me, both work and school-wise.  Hence, I did not have the same amount of time to devote to the blog.  So you could look at this week's installment of APC's Premature Playoff Preview one of two ways. 

1. It's awesomely awesome; combining both conferences into one post?  I can barely contain my excitement.
2. Lame; you totally copped out, skimped on the details, and put in barely any effort.

If you chose option 1, then thank you for falling for the trap.  If you chose option 2, then shut up and enjoy it anyway.  Rankings for both the NFC and AFC after the jump:

First off, here's the NFC, ranked by their likelihood of making the playoffs based on record, remaining schedule, and overall performance.  Starting at the top...

1. New York Giants (9-1) (last week: 1) - They're still the best of the bunch.  Three running backs that average close to or over 5.0 ypc, a nasty defense that gets after the passer, and Eli Manning is slowly evolving away from being Eli Manning.

2. Arizona Cardinals (7-3) (last week: 2) - The NFC West is two big steaming piles of blech, but Kurt Warner is really playing at an MVP level.

3. Carolina Panthers (8-2) (last week: 4) - They've finally opened up a lead over division rivals Tampa Bay (7-3) and Atlanta (6-4).  Combined with their RB duo of Williams and Stewart, they're set up quite well for the postseason.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) (last week: 5) - They're one game back from the division leading Panthers, but there are three 6-4 teams breathing down their necks.  The Earnest Graham injury hurts them, too.

5. Washington Redskins (6-4) (last week: 3) - The tough loss to Dallas and Portis' nagging knee injury could be a sign of a second-half decline.

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-4) (last week: 9) - Tony Romo has returned, but they're not nearly as impressive as they were in week 4.  It doesn't help that they only have a point differential of one (230 points scored, 229 points against).

7. Green Bay Packers (5-5) (last week: 11) - Ryan Grant looks like himself again, and the win over Chicago and Minnesota's loss to Tampa give Green Bay a slight edge in the division.  If the running game continues to improve, so will the Packers' ranking.

8. Atlanta Falcons (6-4) (last week: 6) - Matt Ryan actually looked like a rookie in Atlanta's loss to Denver.  Upcoming games against Carolina, San Diego, and New Orleans will go a long way in deciding their playoff fate.

9. Minnesota Vikings (5-5) (last week: 8) - Maybe if the Williams Wall avoids suspension (which is a toss-up at this point), Childress actually lets Adrian Peterson run the ball in the 4th quarter, and Gus Frerotte stops sucking, then the Vikings can make a run.  But they're in a considerable hole.

10. Chicago Bears (5-5) (last week: 7) - They just got routed by the Packers and gave up first place in the process.  Kyle Orton looked statuesque and the defense looked overwhelmed.  Trouble's a-brewin in the Windy City.

11. New Orleans Saints (5-5) (last week: 12) - Last place in a tough division is a tough spot to be in, even at .500.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1) (last week: 10) - Last place in a tough division is a tough spot to be in, but it's bad to end a game against Cincinnati, and it's even worse when your starting quarterback didn't know they had ties.

Officially removed from consideration due to dangerous amounts of suck: Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, Detroit.

If the playoffs started today, here's how the NFC looks.  Any questions?  Consult the tiebreaking procedures:

Division - Team [seed (last week) - ranking by record(last week)]

NFC East - New York Giants [1(1) - 1(1)]

NFC West - Arizona Cardinals [3(3) - 3(3)]

NFC North - Green Bay Packers [4(unranked) - 6(unranked)]

NFC South - Carolina Panthers [2(2) - 2(2)]

Wild Card - Tampa Bay Buccaneers [5(5) - 4(5)]

Wild Card - Washington Redskins [6(6) - 5(4)]

And now, here's the AFC, ranked by their likelihood of making the playoffs based on record, remaining schedule, and overall performance.  Starting at the top...

1. Tennessee Titans (11-0) (last week: 1) - Very little left to say...

Although, it is somewhat concerning how Chicago and Jacksonville have limited Chris Johnson and LenDale White.  Kerry Collins has carried the team for two straight weeks, but can he do it for the duration?

2. New York Jets (7-3) (last week: 5) - I know, I know.  You don't need to remind me.  But I still don't trust them.  Favre continues to play at a high level and he seems as excited as ever.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) (last week: 3) - Their inability to cover the spread against San Diego is laughable.  (Wait, what happened at the end of this game?)  Maybe Willie Parker is back, maybe he isn't, but he certainly looked back against the Chargers.

4. Indianapolis Colts (6-4) (last week: 6) - If I was wrong about the Jets and I was wrong about the Chargers, please let me at least be right about the Colts.  Peyton Manning has quietly passed for 17 TD's already this year, good for 6th in the league.  Oh, and he's only been sacked 11 times this year.  And Joseph Addai is healthy.  I'm riding this Colts bandwagon as far as it'll take me.

5. Denver Broncos (6-4) (last week: 8) - A two-game lead over a second place team that's floundering as much as San Diego is good enough for me to put you in my top 5.  But I still trust them less than I trust The Todd to treat my sister with respect.

I hope her defense against his inappropriate advances is better than the Broncos defense against anybody's advances.

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-4) (last week: 4) - They looked positively terrible against the NFC's best team.  Which isn't bad, but it's not something that helps you get in the playoffs.  And they're now tied with the Dolphins, Patriots, Broncos and Colts for two Wild Card spots.  Baltimore, be worried.

7. Miami Dolphins (6-4) (last week: 9) - Miami sucks far less then they were supposed to.  They're on a 4-game streak, and Chad Pennington and Joey Porter might have something to do with that.  But they need to stop it with the 2 point wins over bad teams.

8. New England Patriots (6-4) (last week: 2) - You don't get to ruin my anti-Jets sentiment without being punished.  Oh yeah, and Adalius Thomas is done for the season.  No bueno.

9. Buffalo Bills (5-5) (last week: 10) - The Bills continue their national tour of suck after starting 4-0.  They're last in the AFC East, too.

10. San Diego Chargers (4-6) (last week: 7) - How can Philip Rivers be leading so many statistical categories (including 21 touchdowns!) and the Chargers be so bad?  Oh, right, their defense is terrible.  But, they are only two games behind the Broncos.  Hope springs eternal.

Officially removed from consideration due to dangerous amounts of suck: Oakland, Kansas City, Cincinnatti, Houston, Cleveland, Jacksonville.

If the playoffs started today, here's how the AFC looks.  Any questions?  Consult the tiebreaking procedures:

Division - Team [seed (last week) - ranking by record(last week)]

AFC East - New York Jets [3(6) - 3(5)]

AFC West - Denver Broncos [4(4) - 4(6)]

AFC North - Pittsburgh Steelers [2(2) - 2(2)]

AFC South - Tennessee Titans [1(1) - 1(1)]

Wild Card - Indianapolis Colts [5(unranked) - 5(unranked)]

Wild Card - Baltimore Ravens [6(5) - 6(4)]

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Seriously this one is important.

RB Ryan Grant cannot lose the NFL ground player of the week award to either Williams or Parker. Both of them did it again lousy defenses; Parker against San Diego and Williams against Detroit. How can you award anyone for having a great game against Detroit's defense? You are supposed to have a great game against Detroit's defense! Grant, on the other hand, shredded one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

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The Packers' defense has scored seven TDs this season. Don't get used to it. It's not a skill. The ball is just bouncing their way.

They've ranked the Packers as the 5th best team in the league. Aaron felt some explaination was in order because that puts them ahead of 11 teams with better records:

"The Packers have lost three games by a field goal or less, and their largest loss is 11 points...

The Packers have outscored opponents by 65 points with +7 turnover margin...

Despite five losses, the Packers have only one game with DVOA below zero: their Week 4 loss to Tampa Bay."

The good news was at the bottom of Aaron's article; the Packers have the 7th easiest schedule the rest of the way.

Although it wasn't a great weekend for QBs, they ranked Rodgers as the 3rd best QB last weekend.

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Regretfully, this week's AFC and NFC Premature Playoff Previews will be delayed until Thursday or Friday.  I blame my history professor for scheduling a midterm so late in the semester.

Hope to see you all towards the end of the week.

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