The Green Bay Packers enter a preseason game tonight in Denver that will not end up in the regular season standings that decide their potential January playoff fate.

Yet, it's a must win.

Must win? In August?

Must wins in this month should mean the Brewers trying to solidify a playoff berth and potentially catch the Cubs for the NL Central division championship home field in an NLCS.

Must wins in August '08 should have to do with the Redeem Team against Argentina, not the Packers.

I'll agree with the other two examples, but I'll disagree with the nay-must-win-sayers.

Why?

1) Confidence.

I won't disagree that a team can act confident about its performance even if it loses. Think Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense after its dominant 10-0 stretch of the first preseason game against Cincinnati.

But as dominant as they were in game one, they were pathetic in game two versus the 49ers.

The offensive line performed worse than the Little Sisters of the Poor, Rich and Middle Class in protecting Rodgers in game two. Pass receivers were treating passes from Rodgers, Brohm and Flynn like they were hot potatoes.

And the defense couldn't stop the Sisters' fellow clergymen who share St. Norbert's College with the Packers during training camp if they fielded a football team.

This team needs to prove something to itself and to its fans, and in a game where the starters will play at least the first half, if not longer, they need a dominating performance.

The backups also need confidence to show Packers coaches that they have depth. They'd better perform, too.

In other words, do what you need to do to win.

2) The Brett Favre specter.

This team needs something positive to hang its hat on after the last seven months-plus of pain since the Giants upset them for the NFC Championship and Brett Favre upset Packers nation with his move to New York's other team.

Aaron Rodgers needs to get Favre out of his rear view mirror, and as long as the Packers continue to fail in the win column - whether preseason or regular - that won't happen.

The Ted Thompson haters will unfairly drive up to Aaron and stick big, huge life-size mockups of Favre in Rodgers' rear and will chase him off the road, blaming him for doing nothing in the Favre scandal but not be Brett Favre.

A good win, any win, will at least temporarily end those specters.

Green Bay, Coach McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, the air is thin, but in the minds of many, your leeway will run thinner if you don't win tonight.

Yes, it's a must win, in August.