With Matt Flynn set to make his first career NFL start, head coach and offensive playcaller Mike McCarthy will have to adjust several aspects of his offensive gameplan. Most obviously, he will need to make "staying on schedule" (staying in 2nd and 3rd short/manageable) a priority. McCarthy tends to get a little careless in this regard when Rodgers is under center, mostly because he knows Rodgers and his receiving corps can make up any down and distance with a single play.

How does McCarthy accomplish this? The biggest priority will be focusing on the West Coast aspects of his playbook. Slant, smash, dig routes and delayed backs out of the backfield should be the order of the day. The 10-15 yard patterns driving downfield need to be, if not eliminated, then greatly scaled back. Flynn just doesn't have the arm. (If you though his arm looked weak in the climate-controlled environment of Ford Field, you'll want to look away when he is forced deep tonight in the wintry weather of Gillette Stadium)

One of the best ways to take advantage of the Patriots up front is to run the slip screen that has paid dividends for the Packers offense in the past. It's a simple set-up and throw that Flynn should have no trouble executing. In the example below, watch how Rodgers looks off the safety first before coming back to his left to hit Jackson. This simple use of his eyes and head open up the inside just enough for Jackson to turn the play into a big gain:

Of course, more than any other pass play, what will help Flynn the most will be to get him something, anything, going in the run game. The best way for the Packers to achieve this is to go to more angle blocking rather than their prefered zone-blocking. The Browns had great success running against the Pats not only because Peyton Hillis was running like a beast (which he was) but also because the Browns' offensive line did a great job of picking off Patriot defenders and then sustaining their blocks.

McCarthy did this with some success toward the end of the 2008 season, when he mixed in not only angle blocks but pulling guards and simple man blocking concepts. Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton in particular could thrive on these kind of plays.

Regardless of how the Packers do in the run game, McCarthy will need to make sure he keeps calling run plays for no other reason than to set up the playaction sprint/rollout game and to take advantage of the Patriots linebackers hard-biting tendencies. Again, this is something the Browns made a living at when they beat the Pats

Bill Belichick is famous for getting up in front of his defense each week and highlighting two aspects of the opponents game that they must absolutely, positively take away at all costs. It's Belichick's way of forcing his opponent to dribble with his weak hand and he is better than anyone in NFL history at preaching it on Wednesday and then making it happen on Sunday. With Aaron Rodgers at the helm, Belichick's demands may have been obvious - keep Rodgers in the pocket and take away Greg Jennings.

But with Matt Flynn at the helm, the Packers offense, while definitely limited in their ability to push the ball downfield the way they can with Rodgers, almost becomes more of a mystery. McCarthy will be forced to go to the stuff deep in his playbook that he only brings out for special occasions. I would look for a version of the play where Favre hit Driver for a 90 yard touchdown in the NFC Championship game. On that play, the Packers showed two concepts they had run all season long, both a pump fake to a slant and THEN a fake draw, before hitting Driver up the right sideline. It was the only time all year they ran it and you can bet McCarthy will pull out one or two similar concepts tonight.

Packer fans have seemingly been divided into two distinctive groups this week. The fans that think the Packers have no chance to beat the Patriots with Matt Flynn under center and the fans that think that anything can happen and that the Packers have more than a chance.

The truth is, the Packers will need a break or two to go their way, preferably early. A big kick return or an uncharacteristic turnover from the Patriots. Something that both takes the crowd down a notch and gives the team some momentum. Absent something like this, yes, the Packers will need to play a near perfect game, especially on offense. Their best shot is to keep the ball away from Tom Brady, try to shorten the game and hope they are within striking distance at the end. If that happens, they have a chance. A good one? Maybe not. But a chance none the less.