Packers: 5 ways they can upset the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football

We are in for a doozy on Thursday night when the 7-0 Arizona Cardinals host our 6-1 Green Bay Packers in a matchup that will have playoff implications.

The contest has been somewhat dampened by injuries–on both sides–with Davante Adams and Allen Lazard out for this game. That leaves the Packers extremely shorthanded at wide receiver even if Marquez Valdes-Scantling is activated before the game. Green Bay is also down Za’Darius Smith, David Bakhtiari, and Jaire Alexander and likely Preston Smith as well. Meanwhile, Arizona received a huge blow when it was announced J.J. Watt will likely miss the rest of the season with shoulder surgery.

With Arizona the heavy favorites, here are five ways the Packers can pull an upset in front of a national audience.

If the Green Bay Packers want to upset the undefeated Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football, these five things must happen.

Ways Packers can upset Cardinals: Play from ahead

The Packers have made an early (bad) habit of playing from behind this season and it hasn’t quite come back to hurt them yet. They’ve fallen behind by a touchdown in the first quarter against the Washington Football Team, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions (They were down 17 points in the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints before Mason Crosby hit a field goal as time expired at half) before coming out ahead by the end of the game.

That trend can’t continue against the Cardinals. Arizona’s crowd is going to be raucous and any lead is only going to fuel their energy. They must strike first and play from ahead (or at least tied) in the early going.