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Predicting the Final Score of New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

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By @rickstavig

New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Arguably the biggest matchup in an NFL weekend featuring a plethora of them is the Sunday afternoon game featuring the 8-3 Green Bay Packers hosting the 9-2 New England Patriots. Either team could be considered the ‘hottest’ in the league given that the Pats have won 7 in a row while the Pack have won 7 of the last 8, and now they face off in what could be a preview of the Super Bowl. Isn’t the NFL wonderful?

The biggest storyline will likely be the key battle between quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, two guys destined for Canton who are each having insanely effective season’s. Brady, at age 37, has completed 65% of his passes for 2,998 yards with a nice 26/6 TD to INT ratio. Rodgers has been even better, however, and has to be considered the frontrunner for league MVP at this point. So far he’s completing 66.7% of his passes for 2,957 yards and a very impressive 30/3 ratio. What separates him is the fact that he can make plays with his feet and extend the play outside the pocket, and Brady can’t.

While the QB’s will garner all the headlines in this matchup, what will really decide this game is the turnover battle. Somewhat of a cliche I know, but the old adage really proves true in this pairing considering these teams are first and second in the NFL in difference between takeaways.

The Packers have only lost 8 turnovers all season, four INT’s and four fumbles. Defensively, they may give up a lot of yards, but they also come up with a lot of big turnovers. They’ve recovered 8 fumbles this year on defense while also racking up 15 INT’s, giving them a +15 difference between takeaways and giveaways.

The Patriots, meanwhile, are second in the league in that category. They’ve lost 3 fumbles and have thrown 6 INT’s, while their defense has recovered 8 fumbles and have picked off 12 passes, giving them a +11 difference.

Two teams with elite head coaches, elite quarterbacks and neither turn the ball over? This game may as well be taking place February 1st in Glendale, Arizona, because these are truly Super Bowl-caliber teams. No, neither defense really scares you, and while the saying ‘defenses win championships’ may be true, a good defense doesn’t necessarily have to allow the fewest yards.

The weather won’t be a factor considering both teams are used to playing in the cold wind and rain on a weekly basis, so this one will likely come down to home field advantage, especially when that home field is located on 1265 Lombardi Avenue in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I’m giving the edge to the Pack in a close one.

Final Score Prediction: Packers 24, Patriots 21.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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