James Jones: ‘Everybody’s In Trouble’ If Packers Get to Playoffs

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The 2010 Green Bay Packers won their last two regular-season games to get into the playoffs as the bottom seed in the NFC. They marched all the way to victory in the Super Bowl.

“I remember … getting off the bus and we were like, ‘These boys in trouble,’” former Packers receiver James Jones said this week on FanDuel’s Up and Adams. “That was the mojo, that was the swag of the team. Like, ‘We cannot be beat. They done let us in. We are going to beat everybody.’”

Jones sees the same mojo building for this year’s Packers, who have won four in a row and host the Detroit Lions on Sunday night to earn the bottom seed in the playoffs.

“Everybody’s in trouble after this game. … Nobody’s safe,” Jones said.

Under coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers are 18-1 in regular-season games played in December and January. The lone loss came in last year’s finale at Detroit, when many of Green Bay’s front-line players were on the field for about a half.

In regular-season play, the Packers are 10-0 at home under LaFleur in December and January.

“When you’ve got to be at your best and you’re a big-time player, you make plays and you win the ball game. You can’t bet against AR12 in December. It’s time to go,” Jones said.

For years, the pressure has been on Rodgers to carry the Packers in the playoffs. In past postseasons, the defense and/or special teams have gone up in flames at the worst possible time. This year, a turnover-producing defense and a big-play special teams should make Green Bay a more well-rounded playoff foe.

“The Packers have been playing really good football,” Jones said. “And it’s not even Aaron playing lights out. As a team, special teams-wise, they’ve got it going right now. Defensively, they’ve got it going right now.”

If the Packers get into the playoffs, they’ll hit the road for the wild-card round and play at the No. 2 seed next weekend. As it stands now, that would be the San Francisco 49ers, who have been a consistent thorn in Green Bay’s side in the playoffs. That includes a blowout win at San Francisco in the 2019 NFC Championship Game and last year’s shocking upset in the cold of Lambeau Field in the divisional round.

“Whoever’s at that 2 seed is in big, big trouble,” Jones said.

That, to Jones, is why the 2010 parallel comes into play. There were enormous expectations on the Packers in past postseasons. There were no expectations on the Packers in 2010 and there will be none this year, either, with the Philadelphia Eagles and 49ers being the heavy favorites to advance to the Super Bowl out of the NFC at FanDuel.

“Everybody talks about pressure,” Jones said. “Aaron is going into the playoffs with zero pressure on him. Who’s expecting him to win? Who’s expecting Aaron Rodgers to go from the seventh seed to winning the Super Bowl? Nobody.”

The betting public is getting on the bandwagon a bit. At the start of the week, the Packers were +3100 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel, the 11th-shortest odds. Now, Green Bay is +3000, tied for the eighth-shortest odds. Among the changes at FanDuel: Tampa Bay has gone from +2500 to +3000 and Minnesota has gone from +3000 to +3200.

The Packers are +2800 to win the Super Bowl at SI Sportsbook, the ninth-shortest odds. First, they have to beat the Lions. Green Bay is a 4.5-point favorite.

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