The “Battle of the Bays” didn’t turn out to be much of a battle after all as the Packers fell 38-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to drop to 4-1.
If you were watching the game, it’s no secret that the “pick-six” by TB against Aaron Rodgers totally changed the momentum of this one. The Packers took a 10-0 lead early and were looking good on both offense and defense until Jamel Dean intercepted Rodgers and returned it all the way, only the third time Rodgers had thrown an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Tampa Bay has two of those three. The Bengals are the other. On the Packers’ next drive, the Bucs got another interception on a tipped pass and almost returned this one all the way as well. They scored on the next play, took the lead, and Tampa Bay rolled from there.
All of a sudden, that hot start to the season by the Packers is now over. This wasn’t their afternoon. They aren’t even on top of their own division right now as the Bears (who defeated TB a game ago) are now 5-1, a half-game ahead of the Packers.
I knew this wouldn’t be an easy game, especially since TB was coming off a loss. Tom Brady also had to hear all week about whether he knew it was fourth down on his final possession in the loss to the Bears. It didn’t help that Jamaal Williams poked fun at the situation by saying Rodgers would never make that mistake. Rodgers did seem to forget in this game that the time clock had already expired. It happens to the best of them sometimes.
Is this game a fluke or was it their 4-0 start to the season? Time will tell. If they were believing the press clippings about how great they are, they can stop now and get back to the basics. A 4-1 record isn’t terrible but their last game was a loss and a very sloppy one at that. They need to learn from this and get back to work.
As bad as this loss is, there is still a long way to go in this season. They can’t allow this to linger. They are on the road next week as well, a trip to Houston to play the Texans. That won’t be a cakewalk either.
Tampa Bay was the better team in this game. A lot can happen between now and the end of the regular season. The Texans are next. Let’s get a win at Houston and get this thing turned back in the right direction. Take care Packer fans!
The Green Bay Packers are playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and FOX is calling it America’s Game of the Week. You know, normally I don’t trust anything FOX has to say, but I do think they got this one right. The reason the rest of America cares about Wisconsin, besides being concerned about our health and safety when it comes to COVID-19? Because this match-up will give fans an insight into which team might make it to the NFC playoffs. *cough cough it’ll be the Packers*
This will be the third, and possibly last, time that the NFL’s hottest quarterbacks, both on and off the field, will face off. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, two future Hall of Famers, will be leading their teams into the 6th week of games, and Packers’ running back Jamaal Williams summed the match-up perfectly…
After the Buccaneers lost to the Chicago Bears last week because of a brain-fart made by Brady, Williams said, “Come on, man. I’m pretty sure my quarterback knows what fourth down is. Aaron Rodgers would never do that. Never. He’s too smart for that… we’d never be in that type of situation because A-Rod is always prepared… always looking at the clock… we’ve got too many people that are just too ready to go. We’ve been in those types of pressure situations before, and I feel like it’s just natural for us to be on top of everything and go ball. I would never expect that from my boy 12, ever.” And obviously, Brady isn’t as sharp as he once was, which is probably why he’s buying a retirement home in Florida as we speak. At least there he might have a chance to beat Rodgers on the golf course.
We’re not idiots; we wear a mask and know when it’s appropriate to talk trash. Like in this instance when the Packers are 4-0-0, ranked second by The Athletic’s Expected Power Rating, ranks first in the NFL in yards per play, ranks first in the NFL in DVOA, has the best Pass Block Win Rate in the NFL, is first in the NFL in giveaways with zero, and the list could go on and on. Even Brady will admit that Rodgers is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
Watch the game on Sunday, October 18th, at 3:25 pm CT. And if we happen to lose, this article will be deleted and erased from your memory.
It’s a “Battle of the Bays” as the Packers return from their bye week to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in the late afternoon game this coming Sunday.
The Packers are a perfect 4-0 and last played at home vs the Atlanta Falcons, a 30-16 Packer win. The Bucs are 3-2 after their last game, a 20-19 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on a Thursday night.
Tom Brady is 43 years old and is no longer playing for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, but he is still capable of getting it done. He has had his highs and lows so far this year, and their last game featured more of the latter. He is still a threat and has a weapon in WR Mike Evans. They have a lot of injured players but when they are out there, they are more than capable of having huge games. TE Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to play for Brady and the Bucs. RB Leonard Fournette is not even starting, but he had big games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Packers might get Kenny Clark back, which is welcome news for sure. Rookie Kamal Martin has been activated as well. The Packers need a pass rush to disrupt Brady and get him off his game. Brady has thrown two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns already this season. With many players returning on defense for the Packers, they have a great opportunity to get turnovers and make big plays when they get them.
Aaron Rodgers continues to find ways to keep this offense going no matter who is out there. It looks like he will have some playmakers returning as Davante Adams had a full practice this week and Equanimeous St. Brown is active for the first time this season. Aaron Jones keeps finding ways to dominate and TE Robert Tonyan has a knack for finding the endzone. Hopefully, the Packer defense can make some huge plays of their own, but if it comes to a shootout, I like our chances with this Packer offense.
Brady is obviously going into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but it’s also obvious that he is showing some cracks in his game this year. He had 5 TD passes vs the Chargers but also made some critical mistakes this season, especially in his last game. Did he forget that it was fourth down against the Bears on Thursday night or was he just faking it? According to coach Bruce Arians, he knew exactly what down it was.
These two teams have had some memorable games, including a playoff game in which the Packers won 21-7 at Lambeau Field in January of 1998. Their last game was a 26-20 overtime win by the Packers, the winning touchdown scored by Aaron Jones. Aaron Rodgers was out with a collarbone injury during that game.
Much like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the NBA, it’s a shame we haven’t seen these two quarterbacks face off on the biggest stage, and it obviously won’t happen this year with both teams in the same conference. This game could very well determine where a potential playoff matchup would be though. Fans or not, we would rather see this game at Lambeau Field than in Tampa, Florida. By the way, the Packers had better get hydrated for this game on Sunday. It is expected to be a hot one.
With the exception of the Saints’ game, the Packers haven’t been tested a whole lot this season. This game might be different. The Packers finished their bye week but TB had some extended time off as well. Brady will also be looking to bounce back after that embarrassing final drive in his last game. The Packers need to be ready for this game.
I expect Brady and the Bucs to take their best shot, but if the Packers continue to play their game, I see a win by GB. Let’s get it going early and keep our foot on the gas pedal all day. Wherever you are, let’s get behind our team and cheer them to victory this Sunday!
The Packers are still undefeated as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30-16 on Monday Night Football at Lambeau Field and improved to 4-0 on the season.
Atlanta got the ball first and went nowhere but the Packers did, scoring a touchdown on their first possession and getting stopped near the goal line on their next one. Atlanta kept it close for a little while, but they couldn’t stop the Packers from scoring as Green Bay went into halftime with a 20-3 lead. The Falcons tried to make a game of it but the Packers were too much on offense on this night. The Packers made some key plays on defense to eliminate any idea of a comeback by the Falcons.
Some things that stood out to me about this game:
Already up 7-0, the Packers had a chance to go up even more but they were stopped short of the goal line on a run by Jamaal Williams. I thought the pass to Darrius Shepherd on third down should have been challenged by Matt LaFleur. I think he had the ball over the white line from the replays I saw. What a huge letdown by Green Bay and a jolt by Atlanta, who has really struggled on defense, especially in the secondary.
The Packers got a small jolt of their own when Atlanta went 94 yards in 20 plays down the field and took a lot of time off the clock, but they could not get the ball in the endzone. It resulted in points but considering how Atlanta was moving the ball, it’s a small victory for Green Bay.
The Packers scored twice before halftime, both on touchdown passes to Robert Tonyan, but Mason Crosby missed an extra point on the first of those two touchdowns, the first extra point or field goal he had missed this season.
Atlanta did something that seems to be a rarity these days. They won the opening coin toss and chose to receive to start the game. I assume it’s to try to get their offense going early and perhaps take a lead. It didn’t work out that way though. The Packers scored before the half ended and got the ball to start the third quarter. They ended up punting on their first possession of the second half however.
Atlanta scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, but Tyler Ervin had a nice return and the Falcons gave up 15 yards more on a facemask penalty. Aaron Rodgers wasted little time and Robert Tonyan scored his third touchdown of the game.
The Packers changed things up a bit without Davante Adams or Allen Lazard on the field. They still were efficient on offense and took what the defense gave them. I thought Atlanta gave a spirited effort given what they’ve gone through already this season and the injuries they have of their own, especially in the secondary. They lost more players in this game tonight in the defensive backfield.
The Falcons seemed to catch a bit of a break when their own receivers, who were listed as questionable during the week, played in this game while Davante Adams was held out. Adams was frustrated and even tweeted about it but eventually deleted it. It turned out to be the right move for Green Bay though. With the bye week coming up, it was wise to let him sit out another game and hopefully have him ready when they return from their week off. The Falcons played Julio Jones, who had a hamstring injury of his own, but Jones left the game. Perhaps he came back too soon but sometimes that’s a desperation move a winless team makes.
The bottom line is that the Packers are 4-0 and now have a bye week to rest injuries and regroup. It’s a nice start but they haven’t done anything yet. They have a challenge ahead of them when they return as their next game will be on the road vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady still has something left. In the meantime, let’s enjoy this win and enjoy the week off. A 4-0 record and sole possession of first place in the NFC North is not bad at all.
The Packers are 3-0 and looking for more as they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.
The Packers improved to 3-0 after their thrilling 37-30 win at New Orleans while the Falcons are 0-3 after an opening week loss to the Seahawks and blowing huge leads to the Cowboys and Bears the next two weeks.
QB Matt Ryan has an MVP Award and is putting up decent stats so far this season. RB Todd Gurley II is still capable of having a huge game, especially if the score is close. It is unclear whether WR Julio Jones will play as he is questionable, but we all know how much of a difference he makes in this entire offense. Calvin Ridley has put up some big numbers so the Packers still have a huge task ahead of them trying to slow down this offense. They can’t allow Ryan to get comfortable back there. If he does, he will probably make things very tough on the Packers’ defense.
Aaron Rodgers continues to make plays, even without Davante Adams in the lineup. Allen Lazard gave the Packers what they needed without Adams, but even though it’s possible that Adams may be back, they might be without Lazard for a while, which is too bad since he was just starting to get into a groove with Rodgers. Atlanta is last in the league in scoring defense and they seem to get worse as the game goes on. I’m sure the Falcons will try to give the Packers some different looks, but if the Packers take care of business on their end, they shouldn’t have much of a problem.
The Falcons had chances to win the last two weeks but they played very sloppy and undisciplined in the fourth quarter. Against the Cowboys, they had a chance to recover an onside kick by Dallas and let it go 10 yards before a Cowboy player jumped on the ball. Had the Falcons recovered, they would have run out the clock. Against the Bears, they had a 26-10 lead and blew it. Their offense put no pressure on the Bears, going three-and-out and taking very little time off the clock. That allowed backup (probably now starter moving forward) Nick Foles to rally the Bears and take the lead. They could be tied for the lead in their division but they are in last place.
This is a classic trap game for the Packers. Atlanta doesn’t have a good record but they have talented players who can come up huge. I hate to bring back bad memories but last year, the Packers started out 3-0 and then hosted a struggling team in the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles came into Lambeau Field on a Thursday night and left with a shocking victory. The Packers didn’t play like the team that won their first three games on that night. They need to be ready vs the Falcons on Monday night.
Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan have both been on the side of some great victories and crushing defeats when the two teams played each other. Sometimes they played in the regular season and those games determined which stadium any potential playoff matchup would be played. They both appeared in one Super Bowl and in both instances, the quarterback of one of these teams got past the other on their way to the Super Bowl. The Packers dominated the Falcons in the NFC Divisional Playoff Round on their road to Super Bowl XLV while the Falcons won the NFC Championship Game vs the Packers to reach Super Bowl LI.
The difference of course is that the Packers won their Super Bowl while the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead and lost to the New England Patriots. As tough as these blown leads are for the Falcons this year, none of them will match the heartbreak any of the players and fans faced on that February evening.
Another reason why this could be a trap game is because the Packers will have a bye week after playing this one on Monday night. They can’t be looking ahead. There is still work left to be done before they can think about what to do during their week off.
I would like to see the Packers dominate early and get a few scores ahead. They are playing a team who is reeling right now after two blown leads and they can’t let up at all. Let the Falcons know early that this will not be their night. I think the Falcons will come out and make some good plays but the Packers will make more. I see the Packers winning by at least two scores. There will once again be no fans in the stands but we can show our support and make our voices heard elsewhere. Let’s get this victory and head into the bye week undefeated.
The Packers are 3-0 after an exciting 37-30 Sunday night win at New Orleans.
The lead went back and forth in this one with each team answering the other with scores of their own. The turning point in this game was on defense as Za’Darius Smith forced a fumble on backup QB Taysom Hill and recovered it for the only turnover of the game. The Saints tried an onside kick late but the Packers let it roll harmlessly out of bounds and were able to celebrate a win with Aaron Rodgers taking a knee.
My thoughts on this game:
This had the feel of a big game right from the start and it didn’t disappoint at all despite both teams missing their top receivers. Drew Brees was trying to bounce back from a disappointing performance in Las Vegas on Monday night while Rodgers was trying to keep his good start to the season going.
The Packers’ first two touchdowns were set up on huge plays to Allen Lazard, who had quite a game himself with 146 total receiving yards, including catches of 48 and 72 yards. The 48-yard catch set up a touchdown pass to Lazard two plays later. The Packers have talent at receiver and perhaps it takes an injury to Davante Adams for everyone to realize that.
Like many of you, I was frustrated at the lack of tackling on Alvin Kamara, especially on that play alone where he scored on a 52-yard catch and run. He’s an awesome player but that was awful defense by the Packers. The extra point tied the game at 27.
On the Packers’ next possession, the Saints got another momentum boost as Aaron Jones got stopped on 4th-and-1 at the GB 48-yard line. The referees initially ruled it a first down but anyone watching the game knew it was going to be overturned. That gave the Saints a huge boost and put the Packer defense in a tight spot in a tie game.
That was when the turning point of the game happened. After a 7-yard gain, the Saints put in Taysom Hill in place of Drew Brees. Hill took the snap and Za’Darius Smith was waiting for him, stuffing him for a 2-yard loss but more importantly, forcing a fumble which he recovered. It’s a great play but I was wondering what Head Coach Sean Payton was thinking. Brees was in a groove and the Packer defense was reeling at the time and Payton took the ball out of his hands. I knew at the time that if the Packers won this game, the press would be all over Sean Payton and that decision.
TE – Robert Tonyan / LB – Za’Darious Smith
The Packers settled for only a field goal but the defense came up big once again, forcing a punt. Rodgers got the Packer offense going once again with a 23-yard pass to Jace Sternberger. The drive featured quite a bit of Aaron Jones as well. After some penalties by the Saints which took time off the clock, Rodgers found Robert Tonyan in the endzone right before the 2-minute warning.
The Saints moved down the field and kicked the field goal right away, but the Packers were ready for the onside kick and let it go out of bounds. I know I wasn’t the only one who thought of the Atlanta-Dallas game and how the Falcons didn’t fall on the ball and let the Cowboys recover and drive for the winning field goal. In this game, the Packers didn’t have to recover as it didn’t even roll 10 yards before going out of bounds. It was a cool video too as the ball was spinning out of bounds. Watch the highlights if you haven’t seen it yet.
Aaron Jones is an awesome runner and can catch the ball too, but I’ve seen plays in this game where he did some excellent blocking. That might be just as valuable to the team if not more.
One thing I liked is the tight ends making plays. I talked about Robert Tonyan and Jace Sternberger, but Marcedes Lewis made a great catch for a touchdown as well. The broadcast crew was talking about the catch by Lewis, saying it should have been offensive pass interference. I disagree. If anything, it should have been a penalty on the defender when I watched that play. Then again, I am kind of biased too. I just didn’t see it. By the way, that touchdown pass to Lewis gives Aaron Rodgers 2 career touchdown passes to first-round picks, both of them to Lewis.
This might be the year the tight end is utilized quite a bit in Green Bay. That would be the first time since Jared Cook was in a Packer uniform. Ironically, Cook plays for the Saints now.
It was a tense game that could have gone either way. Fortunately, the Packers made the plays at the right moments, especially that fumble recovery. Despite the lack of crowd noise, I think home-field still means a little bit, although Rodgers got the Saints to jump offsides late in the game. Normally the Superdome would be rocking and Rodgers wouldn’t be able to do that.
A 3-0 record is great but it’s nothing more than just a good start to the season. We aren’t even a quarter of the way there right now. I still think it’s a huge win though. Anytime you can get a win over Drew Brees, that has to count for something. It’s an exciting win and the Packers have a bit more time to prepare for their next game, a Monday night matchup with the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field. What’s going on with Atlanta? I can’t wait to preview that one. Anyway, enjoy the win Packer fans. It’s party time in New Orleans although the Packers are the ones celebrating.
The Packers look to remain undefeated as they play their first nationally televised game of the season, a visit to New Orleans to play the Saints on Sunday Night Football.
The Packers are 2-0 with divisional wins over the Vikings and Lions. The Saints are 1-1, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23 but losing to the Las Vegas Raiders 34-24 on Monday night in the Raiders’ home opener at their brand new stadium.
Drew Brees will go into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but his performance in 2020 so far has been less than spectacular, especially vs the Raiders on Monday night. The absence of WR Michael Thomas for the majority of the first two games might have something to do with it as the two have some amazing chemistry between them. RB Alvin Kamara has more receiving yards than rushing yards in this young season. A player who could make a huge difference is former Packer TE Jared Cook. The Packers need to have an effective pass rush so Brees doesn’t find his rhythm. Some turnovers always help as well.
Aaron Rodgers will also go into the Hall of Fame, but he is having a nice start to 2020, unlike Brees. The running game has helped him tremendously, especially Aaron Jones. The offensive line has its share of injuries already, but they have done a nice job of giving Rodgers time to throw and opening up holes for the running backs. It is unclear if Davante Adams will play, although he insisted that he could have come back in the game on Sunday vs Detroit had the score been much tighter. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard have played well, so if Adams is out, they still have options. We’ll see if the offense can keep it up on a fast track in New Orleans.
Brees and Head Coach Sean Payton both came to New Orleans in 2006. Both helped to reenergize the team (and the city) after Hurricane Katrina. They had much success together but won only one Super Bowl together. Does that sound familiar Packer fans? It’s surprising that they don’t get criticized for that fact more often than they do.
Brees may not be off to a great start but he’s put up some huge numbers vs the Packers in his career. He has never had a game below 300 yards passing vs Green Bay. Granted, that might be kind of misleading as he fell behind in some of those games and had to throw the ball to catch up, but stats are stats.
It’s kind of amazing that the Packers and Saints haven’t met in the playoffs yet, although they did come close a few times. In the 2010-11 playoffs, Marshawn Lynch had his famous run to the endzone as the 7-9 Seahawks upset the Saints, who were defending champions at the time. I believe the Saints would have beaten the Bears in Chicago and the Packers would’ve had to travel to New Orleans for the NFC Championship Game instead of Soldier Field. Last season, the Vikings upset the Saints. Had the Saints prevailed, they would have come into Lambeau Field instead of the Seahawks.
The Saints have a struggling quarterback right now and they played on Monday night, which means they have a shorter week to prepare for this game. The Packers can’t take anything for granted though. The Saints, and especially Drew Brees, are feeling a lot of heat right now in the press and elsewhere. I think the Saints are going to come out with a sense of urgency, and the Packers had better be ready for this game. Drew Brees is still capable of having a huge performance.
Games like these are huge because tiebreakers come into effect. This might be the difference on whether a potential playoff matchup will be at Lambeau Field or in New Orleans. The one positive is that although this game is in the Superdome, the Packers don’t have to worry about deafening crowd noise.
Just a bit of nostalgia: The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans, their first championship since the Vince Lombardi Era. It never gets old reminiscing about wins like this one.
I expect a competitive game on Sunday night. The Packers aren’t playing a team from the NFC North this time around. This will be a good test for them. I think it will be a high-scoring game. Turnovers and stops will be huge in a game like this. Let’s go on out there and keep proving the doubters wrong. Let’s get this win and keep the train moving forward.
The Packers improved to 2-0 and scored 40+ points for the second game in a row as they won 42-21 over the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
It took the Packers almost until the end of the first half to take the lead as the Lions scored a pair of touchdowns on their first two possessions to take a 14-3 lead. Robert Tonyan scored a TD to put Green Bay ahead 17-14 just before halftime. It only took one play for the Packers to score after halftime as Aaron Jones took off for 75 yards to the endzone, a career-long run. After an exchange of punts, CB Chandon Sullivan intercepted Matthew Stafford for a touchdown and a 31-14 Packer lead. The Packers added a field goal and another touchdown plus a 2-point conversion while the Lions could only get a touchdown the rest of the way.
The turning point of the game probably came when punter JK Scott pinned Detroit deep late in the second quarter. Matthew Stafford barely avoided a safety as Za’Darius Smith sacked him near the goal line. A couple of penalties by Detroit kept Green Bay’s drive alive and Aaron Rodgers found Tonyan in the endzone.
Hopefully Davante Adams won’t miss any extended playing time. He missed much of the game due to possible hamstring issues. Marquez Valdes-Scantling took some vicious hits in the first half. He could have easily been knocked out of the game but he came back and made a huge reception down the sidelines in the second half.
The offense started out slow for the second game in a row, but once they get going, they are hard to stop. Head Coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t happy with their defense in the first half. They played much better in the second half. The Packers still haven’t played a complete game on either side of the ball yet they are 2-0.
83 – Marquez Valdes-Scantling / 55 – Za’Darius Smith
Tim Boyle came in late in place of Rodgers for the second game in a row. AJ Dillon got some carries as well, including one where he fought through defenders for a first down. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for Dillon.
It’s another great win at Lambeau Field despite the fact that no fans were at the game. Hopefully that will change very soon. Next up for the Packers is a trip to New Orleans to play the Saints on Sunday Night Football. Enjoy the win Packer fans! Have a great week!
The Packers are 1-0 and are looking for more as they play their home opener on Sunday (Noon Central Time) vs the Detroit Lions.
The Packers won last Sunday 43-34 at Minnesota while Detroit lost a tough one 27-23 at home to the Chicago Bears.
Matthew Stafford is back for Detroit after missing much of the season last year. The Packers will also see an old friend on Sunday, RB Adrian Peterson, who is back in the division. Peterson’s shelf life is longer than most running backs and he’s still got it as he ran for 93 yards on only 14 carries, a 6.6 average per rush. WR Kenny Golladay missed the game vs the Bears and he is questionable for this one. Former Packer Geronimo Allison opted out for the season but we may see a familiar face in former Wisconsin Badger Quintez Cephus. This team has weapons and the Packers had their problems slowing this offense down the last several years. The defense had their struggles against the Vikings but much of that came when the Packers jumped out to a huge lead. Let’s tighten it up a bit this Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers continues to amaze despite the critics saying his best years are behind him. Perhaps we all should consider that game vs Minnesota a fluke and say he can’t do anything close to that again. He was amazing but we can’t forget the players around him, including Aaron Jones. He is the feature back but Head Coach Matt LaFleur is limiting his “pitch count” right now to get him fresher when it comes to December and January, at least that’s how I see it. Davante Adams showed he is one of the top receivers in the league, if not the best. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had some great catches but dropped a few easy ones. I’m sure he’s his biggest critic and will look to be more consistent. Hopefully what we saw last Sunday is a sign of things to come for this offense.
GB – WR Davante Adams / DET – WR Kenny Galloday
Detroit is never a team to be taken lightly. The Packers have had their struggles with this team the last three years. The Packers swept the Lions last season but the only time the Packers held a lead in either game was on the final play, a game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby in both instances. David Blough was the starting QB in the regular-season finale, a game which the Packers needed to win to secure a bye week in the playoffs. Never take anything for granted.
The Packers will be playing at Lambeau Field for the first time since their playoff game vs the Seattle Seahawks. The place was rocking in January but there will be no fans in the stands this time around. It’s sad but that’s life in 2020.
Detroit blew a huge opportunity to start their season 1-0 as they wasted a 23-6 lead. They still had a chance to win but RB D’Andre Swift dropped a pass in the endzone with 6 seconds left. The way I see it, their crushing loss could carry over into this game or they might come out looking to make a statement and make amends for that performance. The Packers had better be prepared for the latter.
Usually I would post the hashtag #GetLoudLambeau and encourage you all to make as much noise as possible if you are attending the game. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case, but we will be in sports bars, gatherings with friends, relatives, whatever. Let’s get ready to support our team wherever we are. Just make sure we all stay safe whatever we do. Let’s get another big divisional win, improve to 2-0 and move on from there. Make some noise and let our voices be heard!
The Packers are 1-0 after a 43-34 win over the Vikings at US Bank Stadium.
The offense started out slow but still led 8-7 after a couple of field goals and a safety by Jaire Alexander. They picked it up late in the first half with a couple of touchdowns, the second one set up on an interception by Alexander. After the Packers punted on their first possession of the second half, they scored touchdowns the rest of the way, not including their final possession on a pair of kneeldowns by backup QB Tim Boyle.
My thoughts on the game:
The Packers couldn’t get the ball into the endzone early in the second quarter and turned it over on downs, but Jaire Alexander came up big with a huge sack of Kirk Cousins in the endzone and a safety, making the score 7-5 Vikings at the time. The offense drove down the field but had to settle for a field goal and an 8-7 lead.
After a Vikings punt, the Packers really got to work on offense, and there were a lot of passes thrown by Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams. Their first touchdown was another highlight play by Rodgers as he rolled out to his right and made a beautiful throw to Adams. All of the talk about Rodgers declining and him being sour with the organization is just talk. Rodgers is just fine.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had two beautiful catches but dropped two as well, so he had his ups and downs this game. Rodgers still trusted him to make plays though as the two connected for a huge gain after his two dropped passes.
The Packers ran the ball effectively in this game as 5 players finished with 14 or more rushing yards, and none of them were named Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers will get his yards here and there but we can’t have him be the leading rusher in the game for the Packers because that usually means the offense is inconsistent.
Hopefully, the injuries aren’t serious. Kenny Clark left the game with a groin injury and guard Lane Taylor left with a knee injury. It would be a huge loss if Clark is out for an extended time and we need Taylor for depth on that offensive line.
Before Aaron Rodgers in this game, the last time the Packers had a quarterback throw 4 touchdown passes in a season opener was Brett Favre in 1999. That game featured a thrilling comeback by Favre vs the then-Oakland Raiders as the Packers won that game 28-24.
I know we should have expected this but it’s hard to get used to hearing a lack of crowd noise. The Packers almost always had to account for the noise when they visited Minnesota, whether the teams were good or bad. Part of the fun in playing on the road is silencing a noisy crowd. They won’t need a silent count very often this year if at all.
There is still plenty to work on but the Packers are back on the field and they are 1-0 to start the season. That’s never a bad thing. They have a short time to enjoy this win before they get back to work. Next up for the Packers, their home opener vs the Detroit Lions next Sunday. Enjoy the win Packer fans and have a great week!
