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A collective groan can be heard resonating through the state of Wisconsin as the woeful Packers are off to their worst start in 11 years at 1-3. For cheeseheads, things couldn’t get much worse right now.

In a state where professional teams seasonally get knocked on their back by the .500 barrier, the Packers have proven to be a guiding light for Wisconsinites for the past decade.

With Favre still woozy from his concussion Sunday and a defense that has more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese, the Packers’ playoff hopes are dwindling just four weeks into the season, a sad commentary for a team that just last year appeared to be a Super Bowl contender.

So where is a Packer fan supposed to spread the blame? One needs to look no further than the defense – a title most commonly given to a group of 11 men that stop the opposing team from advancing the ball down the field.

In the first four weeks, opposing offenses have glided through the Packer’s defense like the field was one giant slip and slide, averaging 366 yards a game and putting up more than 23 points per outing. Those statistics are good enough to secure the Packer’s defense a solid 26th position out of 32 teams.

Unlike last year’s 1-2 start, injuries aren’t the scapegoat for this year’s club. Yes, 340-pound nose tackle Grady Jackson and his backup James Lee are both out with knee injuries, but that’s still no excuse. The defense has collectively worked as a team to turn in four bad showings.

With Mike McKenzie going to the New Orleans Saints, the Packers officially have no shutdown cornerback and one of the weakest secondaries in the league.

As demonstrated when Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts shredded the secondary for nearly 400 yards through the air, if teams make up their mind to pass the ball against the Packers there is nothing but grass in between the opposing offense and the end-zone.

What happens when Randy Moss comes to town? The Packers slyly tie his shoelaces together and hope that he can’t deal with a double-knot; at this point it appears to be their best option.

At least on the other side of the ball things are looking relatively kosher. The only real cause for concern is Ahman Green and his tendency to forget that he’s carrying a football that opposing players desperately want, which leads to costly turnovers that can change the outcome of a game. Remember the Chicago game?

I know it sounds bad; actually it smells and looks bad too. But when push comes to shove, the Packers have the one thing that no other team in the NFL has, a quarterback that can single-handedly carry a team to the playoffs: Brett Favre.

Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans could very well be do or die for the Packers. In the history of the NFL only eight teams have ever made the playoffs after starting 1-4, a statistic that Favre and company are staring right in the face.

With a less than healthy Steve McNair, and an average defense, the Packers will collect their first home win of the season against the Titans Monday and hope to get the ball rolling before opening up divisional play.