Packers have a chance to shake the "playing down" allegations by avoiding Panthers trap

In too many games this season, Green Bay has played down to inferior competition. They'll get another chance this weekend with a monster NFC test looming. It's time to grow up.

There’s an old football proverb that goes, “You’re eligible for an ass-kicking every week.” The Atlanta Falcons thumped the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago. Last week, the hapless Miami Dolphins returned the favor for the AFC East by throttling the Falcons. Teams we thought weren’t very good, taking care of much better teams in impressive ways. After looking like the most impressive team in the NFL through two weeks, the Packers spent the next month or so playing down to their opponent and having to squeak out games that, at least on paper, didn’t look that close.

For most teams, that would merely be life in the NFL. There’s enough talent around the league to make teams eligible for that beatdown, no matter who they’re facing. But we’ve seen the Packers play well enough — the Detroit Lions game, the second half against the Steelers, etc. — that they’ve shown they’re one of those teams. Their best is as good or better than everyone else’s best.

The Carolina Panthers have also shown they’re capable of handing out that butt whooping to an unsuspecting team. They shut out the Falcons 30-0 (why is it Atlanta seems to be on one end of all of these?), and beat the Dallas Cowboys with 410 yards of offense.

Matt LaFleur will have no problem showing examples of the Panthers taking advantage of a team not taking them seriously.

On the other hand, Andy Dalton is expected to be the quarterback, the Packers are coming off one of the more emotional, hard-fought games of the season, and they’re back at home before hosting the defending Super Bowl champs, who happen to be the team that eliminated Green Bay in the playoffs last year.

If trap games exist (I’m dubious), this is one of them.