In what’s been an abysmal season for Green Bay, one player has remained consistent throughout and that’s wide receiver Davante Adams. He finally eclipsed 1000 yards in his career and is only 204 yards away from setting the single-season franchise record for receiving yards set by Jordy Nelson in 2014. Nelson had 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 15 total touchdowns that year. Adams currently has 1,315 yards and 13 total touchdowns on 100 total receptions. Speaking of receptions, Adams will also have a chance to eclipse former legendary Packer wide receiver Sterling Sharpe in franchise single-season receptions with 112 set back in 1993. He only needs 13 total receptions over the final two games to do so.
Considering he’s only in his 5th-year, those would be amazing accomplishments for him. Adams also earned a second trip to the Pro Bowl due to his impressive season still with two games to go. This season has been tough one for Green Bay but one thing’s for sure, Davante Adams continues to prove he’s a top-tier receiver in the NFL. When you’re mentioned with Packer greats like Nelson and Sharpe, you’re definitely doing something right. There’s no question that if Adams continues to perform at a high level, he’ll be among the greats as well.
The 2018-19 season finally ended, and whether you like them or not, the New England Patriots are once again on top. I am sure that the majority of you cannot stand New England, but they know how to get it done, and every other team, including our beloved Green Bay Packers, are looking up at them and trying to find ways to be the team that will be the last one standing in February.
The Packers had quite a season, although the negatives outweigh the positives. They finished the season 6-9-1 and out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Let’s go back and look at some of the highlights and lowlights of their 100th season.
Win of the Year:
With only six wins the whole year, unfortunately it is not a big sample size, but what else could it be? The Packers kicked off the season on a Sunday night at Lambeau Field vs the Chicago Bears. After the Bears jumped out to an early lead, it looked like the Packers were in big trouble during the game itself and possibly for the rest of the season as Aaron Rodgers went down with a knee injury that appeared that it could possibly be season-ending. Amazingly, Rodgers came out and played the second half and delivered one of the most thrilling comeback wins in Packer history, at least for the regular season as they overcame a 20-0 deficit to win 24-23 and start their season 1-0.
Honorable Mention:
On a Monday night in October, the Packers hosted the San Francisco 49ers, who were playing without their star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Instead of a comfortable win for the Packers, they were in for a battle on this night. The 49ers had a 30-23 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Rodgers started to get hot and found Davante Adams in the endzone late in the game to tie the score. Quarterback C. J. Beathard, possibly wanting to go for it all late in the game, threw an ill-advised pass into coverage that was intercepted by Kevin King. Rodgers, given new life after a SF penalty on third down, scrambled up the middle for 21 yards before spiking the ball and then delivering three clutch completions, all on sideline passes before Mason Crosby kicked the game-winner for a 33-30 final score.
I picked the above game over the thrilling 44-38 overtime road win over the New York Jets because the Packers were already out of playoff contention by then.
Most Deflating Loss of the Year:
All Packer losses are deflating, but some hurt more than others. In my opinion, the most deflating loss had to have been the 29-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Coming off a bye week, the Packers were trying to get some huge confidence-boosting wins after that win on Monday night vs the 49ers the week before the bye. After the Rams kicked a go-ahead field goal with under two minutes remaining, the Packers had a timeout in their possession and needed only a field goal to win it and stun the eventual NFC Champions. Instead, Ty Montgomery, who ran the ball out on the ensuing kickoff instead of taking a knee when he was two yards deep in the endzone, fumbled the ball away and ended any hope of a comeback. I really think that this was the beginning of the end of the Packers’ season. It’s quite possible that they would have missed the playoffs anyway, but you never know what could have happened had they defeated the Rams, who were undefeated at the time. Instead, they lost in such heartbreaking fashion and went 3-6 the rest of the way. Ty Montgomery was traded to the Baltimore Ravens during the week of this loss.
(Dis)Honorable Mention:
The Packers completed a stretch of four road games in five weeks, going 1-4 and losing all four of their road games during this period. They returned home to face the lowly Arizona Cardinals, who were ranked dead last in both rushing and passing offense coming into this game. The Packers were having their own struggles at times, but surely they would handle a team like Arizona and keep their fading playoff hopes alive, right? What happened instead was the nail in the coffin to their season as they lost 20-17 after Mason Crosby missed a field goal at the end that would have tied the game. The offense was just pathetic and the defense couldn’t get off the field at critical times during the game. Mike McCarthy was finally let go a few hours after the game. Joe Philbin would take over and coach the remaining four games, where he would go 2-2.
When the Packers began the season, they were coming off a 7-9 campaign where Aaron Rodgers missed a huge chunk of the season with a broken collarbone. Dom Capers was finally shown the door and Ted Thompson was reassigned. With a new general manager and defensive coordinator in place, and with Rodgers finally ready to go for the season, there were high hopes that the team would contend once again. We instead were treated to a flawed roster, greatly weakened by mediocre (at best) drafting and bad free agent additions during the few times Ted Thompson actually went that route. Also, it was clear that Mike McCarthy had overstayed his welcome in Green Bay. It was time for a change.
A little more than a week after their season ended, they found their next head coach in Matt LaFleur, who was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. He worked under Sean McVay, the Rams’ head coach, and once coached under Mike Shanahan. He hired Nathaniel Hackett to be his offensive coordinator and kept Mike Pettine, who had just finished his first season as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
The coaching staff is in place, but what about the roster? Davante Adams has proven his worth as a receiver, but there are a lot of question marks at that position. Will Randall Cobb be back? Can Geronimo Allison return from his injury and be a solid #2 receiver? Will the young rookies take a huge step in their second year? Will TE Jimmy Graham be back, and if he is back, will he finally play like the guy we thought we would be getting? I think Aaron Jones is one of the most explosive running backs in the league. Jamaal Williams is a great compliment to him. We could always use a solid #3 running back. The offensive line is decent when everyone is healthy, but we need depth in that area. We also need pass rushers. The young secondary showed promise at times, but we need to find a safety or two. We need a defense that will force turnovers, something that was severely lacking in 2018.
Finally, we need Aaron Rodgers to bounce back in 2019. He has played through injuries and has produced a few thrilling moments, but his reputation has taken a huge hit last season. His accuracy seemed to be way off, and his inability to make plays at crucial moments in games cost the Packers dearly. Not too many people are calling Rodgers the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time) anymore. Tom Brady just won his sixth Super Bowl, Drew Brees is still getting it done, Patrick Mahomes just won his first MVP Award, and others like Jared Goff are just getting warmed up. For the Packers to contend in 2019, Rodgers has to at least be in the conversation for the League MVP Award. It has been eight years since Rodgers and the Packers won Super Bowl XLV. At the time, it looked like they were just getting started, but they haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since then. Since 1992, we have had either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers but have only two Super Bowl Titles to show for it. We know that this opportunity will not last forever. We want more Vince Lombardi Trophies added to the collection.
We will have to wait and see. Hopefully Matt LaFleur is the coach that we need and Brian Gutekunst is the GM who will rebuild this roster and get the players we need to capture more championships. Davante Adams was named to the Pro Bowl and said that he cannot wait to go back there next year. Aaron Rodgers talked to him and said that he will be busy instead, implying that they will be playing in the Super Bowl next year. Can we realistically expect that? Teams have overcome longer odds in recent memory. All I know is that you should bet against Aaron Rodgers at your own risk. He has proven people wrong so many times in the past. He can do it again.
I am excited for next season. There is still a lot of work left to be done, but I really believe that it will be our year again very soon. Take care Packer fans! Next season will be here before you know it.
The Packers ended their season with a thud as they were blanked 31-0 to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
To make matters worse, Aaron Rodgers had to leave the game with a concussion. It’s the third concussion for Rodgers that we know about, the other two coming in 2010, the season where they went on to win the Super Bowl. Concussions can never be minimized as the more you have, the more likely you are to have your NFL career cut short, and it also jeopardizes your long-term health. Unfortunately, that’s the risk you take whenever you take the field in an NFL game, whether it’s in the preseason, regular season, playoffs, or even in a scrimmage.
As for the game, sloppy tackling, dropped passes, and other than a few runs here and there, DeShone Kizer did almost nothing to inspire confidence in any of us should he ever be called upon for extensive action in the future. It also should put to rest any talk about Joe Philbin returning as the head coach next season. It doesn’t matter how much Rodgers and Davante Adams want him back. They are great players, but they don’t make personnel decisions.
Speaking of which, Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst have a huge task ahead of them. For starters, they need to do their homework in their search for a new head coach. They need to make a great hire. They need to really evaluate this roster from top to bottom. I think that Rodgers has some MVP-caliber seasons left, but he needs playmakers around him on offense and a top-ten defense, not a mediocre D. Speaking of the defense, they have done a poor job of getting turnovers, and their tackling lately has been pathetic.
Gutekunst has said that he will be active in free agency this year. It’s time for him to put his money where his mouth is. The Draft is still important, but we don’t have the time to wait for the players to develop in three years. The time is now. We have seen how teams can go from last place to first place in just a year. Even though the Packers aren’t in last place, they have just finished their second losing season in a row. We need some significant changes during these next several months or else it will be three in a row at this time next season.
After last season ended, we fired Dom Capers, demoted Ted Thompson, and looked forward to the return of Rodgers after he had his collarbone injury. Many of us thought that we would be in the running in the NFC. As it turns out, we finished with an even worse record this year. This situation won’t be fixed with a few band-aids and some duct tape. We need a thorough evaluation of this entire organization from the front office to the waterboy.
The Packers have the 12th overall pick in the Draft. They also have the Saints’ first-round pick, and all we know is that it will be late in the first round. How far they advance will determine how late it will be. Free agency begins in March, so many of us will be glued to our TV screens and electronic devices around that time to see what they do. They have decisions to make with players such as Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews. Do they bring back Jimmy Graham despite a disappointing year? Do they stick with the young receivers and bank on them to improve significantly in their second year? These are some of the questions that the team must address.
The 100th season for the Green Bay Packers started out with a bang as they defeated the Bears 24-23 on opening night, a game many of us will not forget anytime soon. Not much went right after that. Even the wins seemed less than inspiring. The Cardinals will pick #1 in the Draft, the team that won in Green Bay, leading to the firing of Mike McCarthy. The 49ers (#2) and Jets (#3) are teams that the Packers barely beat, winning both games on the final play. Getting swept by the lowly Detroit Lions is just sad, especially when you end the season with a 31-0 loss at home. I’m ready to put this season in the rearview mirror and look forward to the offseason.
It will take a lot of work, but I think this team can make some noise next season. A lot of it depends on the health of Aaron Rodgers. He also needs to improve his mechanics and get back to putting up MVP numbers. The jury is still out on Brian Gutekunst. The team took a step back last year and we need something to give us a dose of confidence. Perhaps we will get that when they name a new head coach.
I remain optimistic that they will get this thing turned around. I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, but perhaps they can study what the Bears did to turn their franchise around. The Packers need to think outside the box a little bit. The league is constantly changing and they cannot afford to be two steps behind all of the time.
We will wait and see. There will be much to talk about in the coming weeks and months ahead. Take care as we remain loyal to the Green and Gold through thick and thin.
The Packers have one more game left in their season as they play host to the Detroit Lions at Noon Central Time on Sunday.
The Packers are 6-8-1 after their 44-38 overtime win over the Jets in the Meadowlands, while the Lions are 5-10 and have clinched last-place in the NFC North after falling at home 27-9 to the Vikings.
This is the last chance we have to see Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams in action until the summer, unless you count the Pro Bowl. I am sure the personnel and the style of offense will look a lot different next season. They did a lot of good things against the Jets last Sunday. Let’s carry that into this game.
Matthew Stafford, who struggled a lot vs Green Bay earlier in his career, seems to have some good performances when he has seen the Packers lately. Like the offense, I am sure that the defense will have a lot of new faces next season. Let’s put together a great game on defense as well and have a nice ending to this otherwise dreadful season.
Let’s not forget special teams. They were not good last Sunday vs the Jets and haven’t been too good this year overall. Ron Zook is probably gone after this season.
The Packers have had their way with the Lions throughout the years, but Detroit has won the last three meetings vs Green Bay, including two of the last three meetings at Lambeau Field. This needs to change, especially at home.
A lot of these players will not be in Packer uniforms after this season. This is our last chance to see them, especially some of the veteran players. Davante Adams is on the verge of rewriting the record books in Green Bay. I know it’s not the same as gearing up for a championship run, but we have to look forward to something the way this season has gone.
A win would give the Packers a 3-1 record under Joe Philbin. That might not be enough to bring him back, but it would be a nice ending to a frustrating season. The Packers have already conducted interviews for their next head coach, including Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano. It is unclear what direction the front office wants to go as far as their next head coach, but the Caldwell interview adhered to the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate.
Like last season, the Packers have already been eliminated going into their final game vs Detroit. The difference this season is that the Packers are at home this time and will have Rodgers in the finale. It’s one last chance for fans to tailgate and bond with each other before the game. For those watching on the screen, whether it is the TV, smartphone, or iPad, we have one final Packer game to cheer for (or against if you are looking for a higher draft pick) the Green and Gold before we head into the cold, long winter season.
I personally want to see a win and at least have the final memory of this season be a positive one. There is a lot of work to do in the offseason to get this team back to being a championship contender. I will focus on that at a later time. For now, let’s get a win vs the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
