You might think hope for victory Saturday night for the Green Bay Packers could be muted by the realities of losing by 30 points to their opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, just 18 days ago.
Not so, says a man who's been watching the Packers as closely as anyone this week - 620WTMJ Packers analyst Larry McCarren.
"I think these guys believe. That's the way they're going about their football business," said McCarren on "Wisconsin's Afternoon News."
"There's a lot of energy around here, both on the practice field and in the locker room."
There are reasons to believe, and Larry chose some that are not limited to the Packers' resurgent performance in beating Washington 35-18 on Sunday in the NFC Wildcard game.
"The last time the Arizona Cardinals went out, they got hammered by the Seattle Seahawks 36-6. Carson Palmer, he looked 'not very good,' " said Larry.
"One of the keys was Seattle putting pressure on him. The Green Bay Packers, they've got folks who can pressure. The Cardinals offensive line is very ordinary."
One of those "folks who can pressure" is Julius Peppers, the future Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate who led Green Bay in sacks with 10.5.
Perhaps Peppers has had undue pressure upon him for not making enough game-breaking plays, but McCarren says his commitment to playing his role on the defense has aided the entire unit finish 12th in the NFL in scoring defense.
