The Green Bay Packers are preparing for a big showdown against the Arizona Cardinals as they continue to fight towards the postseason. The Packers are coming off a win against the Oakland Raiders that was not as big as the team was hoping for. Aaron Rodgers noted the offense was not clicking like it had in the week past. That could change in Week 16 as the Packers prepare to get Andrew Quarless back from injured reserve.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, Quarless is being activated from short-term injured reserve after being sidelined with a knee injury. Quarless returns as Ty Montgomery gets placed on injured reserve for an ankle issue. Quarless could make an impact early working with Richard Rodgers who has improved throughout the season as a viable passing threat. Head coach Mike McCarthy noted that the tight end will get action for the final two games in order to improve before the playoffs begin.
The return of Quarless comes at the right time as the receiving game for the Packers continues to struggle. While Randall Cobb is improving, Davante Adams continues to have issues on the field. Adams' season has been hot and cold. He has struggled with an ankle injury and drops during the year and they are not improving. Adams had another forgettable showing in Week 15. He now has nine drops on the season which is causing the offense to stall out. As a result, Aaron Rodgers is requesting that receiver Jared Abbrederis gets more time on the field.
"He can get open," Rodgers said, via ESPN.com. "He's a good route runner. He needs to be on the field more."
Abbrederis' numbers are quiet, but the receiver has come up with critical third-down catches that have been welcomed by Rodgers. With players like Adams, James Jones and Jeff Janis struggling to find consistency, Abbrederis has developed into a nice safety blanket. Facing a tough defense like the Cardinals in Week 16, receivers like that will be critical. Arizona will be without secondary start Tyrann Mathieu who suffered an ACL tear this week, so Rodgers is expected to take advantage of the passing game. Eddie Lacy will continue to be critical with James Starks.
Lacking style points, McCarthy noted that he was simply happy the Packers got the win over the Raiders as the offense still needs a lot of work. McCarthy has his eyes on the playoffs as Green Bay can clinch a wild card spot with a win on Sunday. Facing the Cardinals will not be easy as the head coach tries to get the team focused for Week 16.
"This is about the playoffs," said McCarthy, via ESPN.com. "We're in the playoffs now. Everybody understands what we need to do to first win the division and then hopefully get the highest seed. The division's probably obviously going to come down to the last week [against the Minnesota Vikings], but this is an outstanding football team that's been playing well all year, and we're playing them out there."