Aaron Rodgers(notes) has picked apart opposing defenses with ease in leading the
Green Bay Packers to their best start in nearly 50 years. Things don’t seem
likely to go any differently against a winless St. Louis Rams team that is
without both starting cornerbacks.

Rodgers looks to lead the undefeated Packers to an eighth straight win at
Lambeau Field on Sunday against the struggling Rams, who own the league’s worst
road record over the past four seasons.

Green Bay’s perfect record was in a little jeopardy Sunday night in Atlanta,
as the Packers fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter. But Rodgers kept his
composure and threw two second-half touchdowns to rally Green Bay to a 25-14
win.

“It was a choppy game but we persevered,” said Rodgers, who finished with
396 passing yards – his fourth 300-yard game of the season. “We expect to win
when we take the field.”

Green Bay fans might also be expecting another Super Bowl. The Packers
improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1965 and seventh time in franchise
history. Each of the previous six, Green Bay went on to win an NFL title.

“5-0 feels great,” cornerback Charles Woodson(notes) said, “but we’re looking at
greatness.”

The Packers have won 11 straight dating to last season, including their
march to the Super Bowl title. They’ve also won seven in a row and 13 of 14 at
Lambeau Field, while the Rams are an NFL-worst 4-21 on the road since 2008.

“We’re building something here,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said.

That starts with Rodgers.

He leads the NFL with a 122.9 quarterback rating and a 71.7 completion
percentage and is tied for the league lead with 14 touchdowns along with only
two interceptions. His Packers are the highest-scoring team in the NFL,
averaging 34.6 points.

“They’re scary good,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “But we’ve got
players out here, too. We’ve got to go play the game. We’ve got to find a way to
slow them down and see if we can’t have one more point than they do.”

That seems like a tall order for the Rams (0-4), who have been outscored
113-46 this season.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated,” linebacker James Laurinaitis(notes)
said after a 17-10 home loss to Washington on Oct. 2, before the team’s bye
week.

St. Louis had an extra week to prepare for this challenge, but in the
process it lost starting cornerback Bradley Fletcher(notes) to a season-ending knee
injury.

Fletcher got hurt in practice last Wednesday when he stepped on Mike
Sims-Walker’s(notes) foot during a drill. He’s the seventh cornerback injured since
training camp for the Rams, who had to place starter Ron Bartell(notes) on injured
reserve after he sustained two fractures in his neck in the opener.

The 36-year-old Al Harris(notes), who starred with the Packers from 2003-09, and
Rod Hood(notes), signed in late September and coming off reconstructive knee surgery in
June, are expected to see significant playing time.

“Rod and Al are going to have to play some football, otherwise we don’t have
enough,” Spagnuolo said.

The Packers are also a bit banged-up, with left tackle Chad Clifton(notes) and
right tackle Bryan Bulaga(notes) battling injuries, but that hasn’t seemed to make much
difference to Green Bay’s offense. Clifton (hamstring) is expected to miss a
couple of weeks, while Bulaga (left knee) has missed the last two games but
could return Sunday.

Facing a makeshift offensive line, the Rams will try to put pressure on
Rodgers, but their eight sacks are tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL and they
failed to get one in their last game.

Sam Bradford(notes) was sacked a career-high seven times by the Redskins, throwing
for 164 yards – the third time this season he’s failed to reach 200. He didn’t
get much help from Steven Jackson, who finished with 45 rushing yards on 17
carries.

Jackson has rushed for 260 yards in his last two games against the Packers,
but will be facing a Green Bay defense that ranks third against the run,
allowing an average of 75.8 yards.

This is the first meeting between these teams since Sept. 27, 2009, when
Rodgers passed for 269 yards with two touchdowns in a 36-17 road victory. The
Packers also beat the Rams 33-14 in 2007.

The NFL commercial featuring a faceoff between a Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints fan outside Lambeau Field is in regular rotation as NBC and the league gear up for Thursday’s regular season kickoff.

While the ad pits New Orleans fans and Green Bay fans against each other, only the New Orleans second line brass band that plays “When the Saints Go Marching In” in the ad is actually from the Big Easy. The other Saints “fans” are really Packers fans who dressed up to support the other team.

More than 200 people took part in filming the commercial on Aug. 12 in Green Bay.

The NBC Sports Agency came up with the concept to showcase a game featuring the past two Super Bowl champions.

The “grill guy” in the commercial who says “Back to football!” is really Mike Kostelnik, the son of Ron Kostelnik, who won five NFL championships as a player for the Packers in the 1960s.

Using bicycles borrowed from fans to ride from Lambeau Field to the Packers’ practice facilities is a tradition that dates back to Vince Lombardi‘s coaching days.

The Packers resumed the tradition, which began because Lombardi wanted the players to be closer to the fans, on Tuesday. There’s no doubt Lombardi’s wish is still being honored today, as the fans continue to walk next to the players with their bicycles.

Click here to see the Packers bonding with fans >>

Check out the Packers’ bicycling in the video below.

The roots of prep football in Wisconsin run deep. Unfortunately for one school, the roots of Green Bay Packers football run a bit deeper, even when the only thing on the line is a meaningless preseason game for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises.

According to the Associated Press and a handful of other sources, Green Bay (Wisc.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy decided to move up its season-opening home game against Manitowoc (Wisc.) Lincoln High on Friday from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. There’s an obvious reason why they’re doing so: The Packers have their preseason home opener — the first competitive or non-competitive game played at Lambeau Field (pictured above in post Super Bowl celebratory delirium) since the team’s Super Bowl victory against the Steelers in February — scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. just down the road.

While one can understand why the Tritons would buckle to the pressure of bumping schedules with the reigning Super Bowl champs, doing so comes at a steep price, since they will no longer get to play their own season opener under Friday night lights.

“We’re so close to Lambeau Field and we’re right in the traffic flow at Mason Street that we do not like hosting events for traffic and safety of our kids,” Notre Dame athletic director Ken Flatten told WLUK-TV.

Of course, you’d think that the people most upset about the schedule conflict would be the players themselves, who miss out on the traditional rite of passage of looking up into the floodlights on a warm August night. Yet for Notre Dame’s game, at least one notable player said he thought the decision to move the game’s kickoff time was a win-win adjustment for everyone involved.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Notre Dame quarterback Paul Allen told WLUK. “It’s a home game, now people can see both games.”

Given the proximity of the two stadiums, fans and players alike might even be able to see both games in person. If anything is worth giving up that first Friday of high school football under the lights, an afternoon of high school football followed by an Aaron Rodgers championship belt performance might be it … at least if you’re a teen in Wisconsin.

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Related: Wisconsin, football

By Seth Pollack

– Regional Sports Editor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Aug 17, 2011 – On Friday evening at famous Lambeau Field two of the NFL’s oldest and storied franchises will meet for their 21st preseason game. History runs deep between the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers and the blood, sweat and tears will flow once more at 5:00 p.m. PT as Week 2 of the NFL preseason continues. You, good fans, will be seated on your couch or in your reclining chair with your favorite beverage and snacks at hand as you turn your television sets to ABC Channel 15 and let the sound of the battling warriors wash over you.

(If that paragraph made no sense, try clicking here and playing this music while reading it again.)

Cardinals’ coach Ken Whisenhunt has made it clear this week that he has no intention of adjusting his plan to meet the strengths or weaknesses of the Green Bay Packers. Whiz has an agenda for his team that includes familiarizing his offense with the offense and to test the defense against the Packers offense. 

In Week 1 of the preseason, the Cardinals played 80 players and were pleased with all four of their quarterbacks who racked up a combined 297 yards, three TDs and a 126.7 passer rating. The running backs looked good at times with rookie Ryan Williams perhaps even pushing Beanie Wells for the starting job.

This week at camp, the defense has reportedly reasserted itself after getting sand kicked in their faces early on. It will be nice to see if we see any improvement there on Friday both from the pass rush and the secondary.

Watch the Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers, NFL Preseason Week 2 at Lambeau Field at 5:00 p.m. Arizona time on ABC Channel 15 or KTAR radio.

Read More: 2011 nfl preseason, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Do you like this story?