Green Bay Packers face early must-win game

You might think it’s too early for the Green Bay Packers to have a must-win game, but that’s what they face in Houston on Sunday night.

Las Vegas has the Packers as a four-point underdog against the undefeated Texans. If the Packers don’t overcome those odds and win, their chances of making the playoffs will diminish greatly.

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Packers are already in a precarious spot as the result of their loss at Indianapolis last Sunday. The paper cited research from Stats Incorporated which shows that only 19 NFL teams in the last 12 years have made the post-season after a 2-3 start.

Only one of those teams won the Super Bowl – New England in 2001.

No team has ever won the Super Bowl after starting at 2-4, and only 21 of those teams have made the post-season throughout the NFL’s history.

Denver did it a year ago with an 8-8 record. But pundits say it takes 10 wins just to make the post-season this year.

If the Packers can find a way to beat the Texans on Sunday night, they’ll have a new glimmer of hope. A win would put the Pack at 3-3 – the same record they had two years ago when they won the Super Bowl.

The Packers are started to go over their game-plan Wednesday for the Texans contest.

Benson injured reserve

Packers running back Cedric Benson was placed on the NFL’s new injured reserve list on Wednesday with a possibility to return later in the season. A new rule was adopted right before the end of training camp, in which a team can designate one player to sit out for a minimum of eight weeks on the I-R list – and could start practicing within six weeks. Benson suffered a left foot injury in last Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis, and media reports have said it’s a Lisfranc fracture – which requires a minimum of 6-to-8 weeks of recovery time. Coach Mike McCarthy said he could see Benson returning for the final four weeks of the regular season. In the meantime, the coach said second-year pro Alex Green will start at running back on Sunday night at Houston – and James Starks will also get his first playing time of the season, as he comes off a turf-toe injury. Also, McCarthy said receiver Greg Jennings, tight end Jermichael Finley, and nose tackle B-J Raji would not practice until Friday at the earliest. Finley and Raji were hurt at Indianapolis, while Jennings recovers from a groin injury the week before against New Orleans. McCarthy said all three could be game-time decisions this weekend, depending on how they recover. Safety Sean Richardson missed practice again today with a lingering hamstring injury. Corner Davon House fully participated, as he comes off a long-running shoulder problem.

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