The 7-2 Packers took on the 5-3 Panthers at venerable Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The biggest focal points for both team’s offenses were the run games. Christian McCaffrey has been absolutely incredible for Carolina while the same could be said of Aaron Jones for Green Bay. McCaffrey ended the day with 108 yards on the ground on 20 carries, good for 5.4 YPC, and 1 touchdown. On the other side, RBs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams combined for 156 rushing yards on 26 carries, which was good for 6 YPC, and 3 total touchdowns. Jones and McCaffrey are both tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 14 each. Green Bay’s offensive line played exceptionally well from a run blocking perspective; so much so that they actually gave both Jones and Williams an additional 3.6 yards before contact per rush on Sunday, per NFL Insider Field Yates.

The other great thing was that Rodgers did his job in getting Adams involved in the offense again (7 catches for 118 yards), while also spreading the ball around to other receivers (4 other receivers has 2 or more catches), which was great to see. The snowy conditions definitely helped a ton too. Rodgers spoke about it after the game with Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews: “Winter is here in Green Bay. We’re starting to make this place a tough place to come in again. That’s a good football team, I’m proud of our guys. [We] left some plays out there, especially in the first half but our defense came up big with some stops. You know, Kyle [Allen] played really well, they got a good team, maybe [we’ll] see ’em down the line.” On Aaron Jones’ performance: “Yeah, he played great, I mean, he’s such a steady player for us. He smells the endzone; he’s been in it a lot this year. It’s fun having a back like that who can do so many things for ya but again, we gotta be very critical of ourselves but it feels good being 8-2 heading into the bye.” 

It was a great, hard-fought win that came down to a final defensive stand. The Packers definitely bounced back in a big way this week after an embarrassing loss last week; which was much needed — especially before a bye week. It gives them confidence heading into week twelve’s clash with the 49ers back in California in two weeks. I know the team mantra thus far has been “All gas, no f*ckin brake.” Well, this week, it was: “All bend, no f*ckin break.” Also of note, with this win and New Orleans losing, Green Bay is now the 2-seed in the NFC. Rooting interest should be towards the Seattle Seahawks in Monday night’s game against San Francisco. This Packer team is very good as of now, as healthy and balanced as ever — which is a very scary thought for the rest of the NFL this late in the season. Keep the train rolling after the bye!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #ParkerMoes @ParkerMoes

The Green Bay Packers improved to 8-2 after defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-16 at snowy Lambeau Field.

Carolina scored first but the Packers responded. It was 14-10 GB at halftime but the Packers came out in the second half and scored 10 points in the third quarter to take a 24-10 lead going into the fourth. The Panthers scored a touchdown but missed on a 2-point conversion to pull to within 24-16. They made one last effort to tie the game but Christian McCaffrey was stopped short of the goal line as time expired and the Packers held on to win and clinch a non-losing season.

Analysis and thoughts about the game:

Aaron Rodgers and Christian McCaffrey are legitimate MVP candidates, but perhaps one other player has made his way into the conversation as well. I’m talking about Aaron Jones. He scored 3 times again, the first Packer to have more than one game of 3 touchdowns or more in a season since Sterling Sharpe in 1994 and the first running back to do so since Jim Taylor in 1962. That is some good company right there.

Carolina was up 10-7 and driving again until a bad snap resulted in a turnover and the Packers recovered. Aaron Jones scored his second touchdown at that point in the game and the Packers never looked back.

It got interesting in the Packers’ final drive of the first half. Panthers’ DE Gerald McCoy got called for a roughing the passer penalty against Rodgers in the endzone and gave the Packers new life. They would drive down to the Carolina 1-yard line and went for it with 2 seconds left in the half only to get rejected by McCoy as time expired. The same guy who extended the Packers’ drive ended up making the huge play to deny them any points on their final drive before halftime. By the way, I don’t disagree with Matt LaFleur going for it in that situation. The execution was bad. Carolina would have their own failed play later in the game.

Kyle Allen would have a nice game passing the ball but during their first drive of the third quarter, his pass in the redzone was deflected by Adrian Amos and intercepted by Tramon Williams, which would lead to a field goal by Mason Crosby. Actually, Crosby would miss a 52-yard field goal only for Dontari Poe to line up across from the center, which resulted in a penalty and new life from 47 yards, which Crosby converted to make it 24-10.

Carolina would not go away easily. They drove down the field and McCaffrey scored from 3 yards out to make it 24-16. Ron Rivera, who is sometimes known for gambling, went for 2 points but Allen’s pass to Greg Olsen was knocked away and the score remained 24-16.

The Packers ultimately had to punt and Carolina was backed up at their own 11-yard line, but they made a furious attempt late in the game. Jaire Alexander dropped an interception early in the drive that would have sealed the game. They allowed a fourth-down conversion to D.J. Moore and the Packers stopped Carolina on fourth-down late in the game only for Preston Smith to end up offsides and give the Panthers new life. Two plays later, it came down to the final play of the game.

At the 2-yard line, a Christian McCaffrey run got stopped short of the goal line. After a lengthy review, the call was upheld and the Packers could finally exhale and celebrate victory.

Both coaches made controversial calls that ultimately backfired. LaFleur went for it with two seconds left in the half instead of kicking the field goal. Jamaal Williams was stuffed for a loss and the half ended with the Packers only up 14-10. After Carolina pulled to within 24-16, Rivera went for 2 and failed. I understand his reasoning. He wanted to make it 24-18 and if they could stop GB, he could win it with a touchdown and an extra point. If they failed (which they did), they could tie it with a touchdown and a successful 2-point try. He never got the chance to do it though.

It was an exciting game in cold temperatures. Carolina is a good team and they didn’t go down easily. The defense once again gave up a bunch of yards, but when plays needed to be made, they were able to make them. It was disappointing to see dropped interceptions. I want to see the defensive backs make those plays and make things easier on the defense. I do give them credit for keeping Carolina out of the endzone on the final play, even if they dug themselves a hole time and time again on that drive alone.

The bottom line is the Packers are 8-2, which is better than what they have been the previous two seasons. They have a week off before they play on the road vs the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. They have looked good offensively at times in this game. Davante Adams had triple digits in receiving yards, a good sign for this offense moving forward. I wish they would have put the game away earlier but they turned back a good Carolina team with a good young quarterback. Cam Newton may have played his last game in a Panther uniform.

The win is all that matters. The Packers need to improve in many areas but they held on and are now 8-2. They are in great shape right now in the playoff picture. Let’s rest up and finish off these next six games on a winning note. Enjoy the week off Packer fans! We will see you on the West Coast in two weeks!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901

Green Bay suffered just their second loss of the season on Sunday, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park by a score of 26-11. This was one of their worst losses in recent memory. They were shut out in the first half for the first time all year by a score of 6-0. The defense then held the Chargers to two consecutive field goals in the second half but the offense couldn’t muster anything in the third quarter. Los Angeles’ pass rush was ferocious, sacking Rodgers a total of 3 times in the game. Offensive penalties were also a huge issue. 5 total in the first half (4 false start penalties, 1 illegal block), 8 total for the game. They definitely were not in rhythm during the game. They are also now 7-2 on the season but the silver lining here is that even with the loss, Green Bay still maintains first place in the division due to the Lions, Bears, and Vikings all losing as well.

Blame the weather or tiredness, either way, it definitely wasn’t a good day on either side of the ball for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers was held to just 35 yards passing in the first half, his lowest amount since 2015 against the Denver Broncos (77 yards). Melvin Gordon; RB for Los Angeles, ran for 80 total yards along with scoring two total touchdowns; Los Angeles’ only touchdowns of the game. QB Phillip Rivers was on point passing the ball, going 21/28 (75%), for 294 yards with a 108.3 passer rating. Green Bay’s secondary couldn’t contain the run or pass at all in the game, which was to their detriment, unfortunately. After giving up a FG to Los Angeles, the score was 12-0 at the beginning of the second quarter. Green Bay’s first two second-half possessions ended in punts. After surrendering a touchdown on the Chargers’ first possession in the second half, Green Bay was in desperation mode down 19-0 late in the third quarter. K Mason Crosby then made a 54 yard FG with 3:20 left on Green Bay’s third possession in the second half, making the score 19-3 Los Angeles. 

Green Bay’s defense once again could not stop Los Angeles’ offensive attack, giving up another touchdown on a 10 play, 75-yard drive that took 5:14 off the clock. The score was now 26-3 Chargers with 10:30 left in the 4th quarter. Knowing it was make it or break it time, Aaron Rodgers went to work, going 9/9 for 75 yards and 1 touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion attempt by Green Bay (Rodgers rush), it was 26-11 Chargers with 6:21 left in the fourth. Green Bay’s defense held LA to a possible game-sealing FG, it ended up being wide left (44 yards) with 2:14 left in the fourth. 

After taking over on their own 34-yard line, Green Bay went on a 7 play, 25-yard drive. It ended up coming down to a 4th and 5 from the Chargers’ 46-yard line. The pass was just out of the reach of WR Davante Adams in the endzone and essentially ended the game for Green Bay. Despite that, Rodgers and the Packers still went down swinging. He finished 23/35 for 160 yards and 1 touchdown, along with an 85.5 passer rating. Los Angeles then knelt the ball for the final two plays. (1:06 left in the fourth). It was a very frustrating day all around.

So, with this loss begs the question: Where does Green Bay go from here? Well, the season is far from over yet. They have plenty of time to correct their mistakes before the Carolina Panthers come into town on Sunday. QB Aaron Rodgers spoke about the loss after the game: “This was a good learning experience for us. We gotta come ready to play. I don’t think we were locked in from the start, unfortunately. I’m not sure exactly the reason [why], but I don’t think the focus was there from the start. We have to look in the mirror and be very honest about our performance, myself first and then our offense and our energy and attention to detail. We gotta get better. This was a good slice of humble pie for us, we’re kinda rolling at 7-1 and starting to maybe listen to the chatter a little too much. I think this will be a good thing for us, we’ll regroup, go back home and play another good team before the bye.”

Rodgers definitely understands this loss is a team loss, as is any NFL game. It’s not on one certain player or position. The entire team is at fault. Penalties and offensive rhythm definitely played a factor in it. They know they have to clean it up before Sunday and I think they will bounce back in a big way just like they did after losing to Philadelphia at home earlier in the year. This team is a resilient bunch. They’ll learn from this and bounce back in a big way against the Panthers on Sunday. Regroup, rebound, and bounce back.

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #ParkerMoes @ParkerMoes

The Packers had a rough day on the West Coast as they fell 26-11 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers were much better on both offense and defense in this game even though they were mostly settling for field goals. They finally scored a touchdown before the Packers scored for the first time in the game on a field goal late in the third quarter to make it 19-3 L.A. The Packers were held under 100 total yards through the first three quarters and gave up numerous big plays on defense. It just wasn’t the Packers’ afternoon.

After a 7-1 start to the season, the Packers were hoping to build on that in favorable weather conditions and despite the fact that they were on the road, the crowd would have been largely in their favor had they played anything resembling good football.

What are we to make of this loss? After they went 4-0 without Davante Adams in the lineup, they got him back for this game only for the offense to put up their worst performance of the season. It just seemed like the Chargers were at least a step faster all afternoon on both sides of the ball. I think it was just one of these games. Even the great teams seem to run into a game like this at least once every season. They just can’t make it a habit.

There is plenty of blame to go around in a loss like this, but I want to call out Mike Pettine a bit here. The defense has given up too many big plays this year. It’s time for him to mix things up a bit. They have overcome those big plays more often than not this year, but they will run into trouble if they keep playing with fire. Aaron Rodgers and the offense didn’t have enough to overcome the lack of defense in this game.

The Packers are still 7-2 which isn’t terrible at all. The Bears, Vikings, and Lions all lost which means the Packers did not lose any ground in the division. They need to get back to the drawing board and back on the winning track. They host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday and then have a bye week so they still have a great opportunity ahead of them. No game will come easy for them though. With the start to the season they had, they should expect everyone’s best effort week in and week out.

The Packers have work to do this week before they take the field vs the Panthers next Sunday. Carolina has a dynamic running back in Christian McCaffrey, so the Packers have quite a job just for that reason alone. After their first loss of the season, the Packers went to AT&T Stadium in their first game without Davante Adams and defeated the Dallas Cowboys. Things can change in a heartbeat. Take care Packer fans. There will be better days ahead.

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901

The game started beautifully for Green Bay as they dominated most of the first quarter, scoring the game’s first 2 touchdowns to go up 14-0 after 1. The second quarter saw Kansas City climb back into it, scoring 17 unanswered points to go up at halftime by three. Rodgers was getting pressured up front by KC’s d-line. He was sacked a total of 5 times in the game; twice in the first half, and three times in the second half. Green Bay’s offensive line wasn’t all that good overall in the game from a pass protection standpoint. They definitely have to protect Rodgers for a bit longer when he’s in the pocket if he has no time to even survey anything, he won’t have time to extend plays. Hopefully, they shore things up for next week’s game against Los Angeles.

One player that has been an absolute star for Green Bay has been running back Aaron Jones. He is tied with Packer legend Ahman Green for 2nd in franchise history for the most touchdowns scored in the first eight games of the season (11). Only former legendary Packer WR Don Hutson has more (14). Pretty impressive company to be a part of for the 3rd-year back out of UTEP. He ended up with 20 total touches for a combined 226 total yards (159 receiving, 67 rushing), and 2 total touchdowns. An absolutely incredible offensive performance. He was definitely an instrumental part of Green Bay’s success Sunday night.

Another player that put up yet another impressive offensive game was quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He ended up with 305 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. 23/33 (69.6%), for 305 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 129.0 passer rating. Back-to-back games for him with over a 100 passer rating. In the last four games, he’s been absolutely spectacular: 98/137 (72%), for 1,255 yards, 10 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a 121.1 passer rating. Definitely MVP type numbers.

The defense was so-so last night. Tackling was a huge issue, especially in the second half. Another big issue was lapses in coverage during big passing plays for KC. They have to be better prepared in coverage; otherwise, they’ll get burnt on every play downfield. They couldn’t do anything to stop Tyreek Hill; one of KC’s fastest wide receivers. He always seemed to get open in any coverage Green Bay conjured up. Luckily the pass rush ended up getting to Matt Moore enough to rattle him in the second half. He was sacked a total of two times in the game. Both sacks came from OLB Za’Darius Smith, who was an absolute animal for Green Bay on defense in the game. He now has eight sacks in as many games; he’s been very impressive on the field for Green Bay thus far. 

Overall, it was a very good and competitive game that came down to the final play. Kansas City, even with a depleted defense and without their star quarterback, definitely came to play. It just goes to show that you absolutely cannot underestimate your opponent in any game, regardless of record or injuries. Hopefully, Green Bay can take the bad from this game, learn from it, grow from it, and perform better because of it heading into the latter part of the season. They have a meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers coming up next week. 7-1 through the first half of the season is great, but from a city named “Titletown”, we want more! Keep winning, keep growing as a team, and most importantly, keep the pedal down! All gas, no brake!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #ParkerMoes @ParkerMoes

What an exciting game! The Green Bay Packers improved their record to 7-1 as they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Packers jumped out to a 14-0 lead but the Chiefs scored on their next three possessions to take a 17-14 lead into halftime. The Packers answered in the second half with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 24-17 lead before Kansas City would tie it again at 24-24. The Packers answered back with a touchdown pass to Aaron Jones to take a 31-24 lead, which they would not relinquish and won a hard-fought game in a hostile environment.

Analysis and thoughts on the game:

The Packers got the ball to start the game and Aaron Rodgers went right to work. His throw to Jake Kumerow on third down was a thing of beauty. The defender just missed knocking the ball away and Kumerow held on for a clutch first down. Aaron Jones had a rushing touchdown called back due to a penalty, but he found the endzone two plays later on a pair of receptions and a 7-0 GB lead.

After a huge sack of Rodgers on Green Bay’s next possession, the Chiefs took advantage of great field position after JK Scott had to punt out of his own endzone. Mecole Hardman would return the punt to the GB 30-yard line, but the defense held them to -2 yards on the drive and Harrison Butker’s 50-yard FG attempt missed wide left.

Two plays later, Rodgers appeared to hit Jones for a 60-yard touchdown, but Jones stepped out of bounds at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jamaal Williams took it in from a yard out and the Packers appeared to be in business with a 14-0 lead.

The Chiefs didn’t go away though. Veteran Matt Moore led the team to 17 unanswered points as they took a 17-14 halftime lead. KC got the ball to start the second half and was driving for more points but Za’Darius Smith sacked Moore on third down, forcing a punt.

The Packers took over at their own 11-yard line and threatened to take the lead but a sack on third down forced them to settle for a Mason Crosby field goal and a 17-17 tie.

The Chiefs took over and Tyler Lancaster stopped LeSean McCoy, forcing a fumble which Lancaster recovered, giving the Packers a golden opportunity to take the lead. Facing a third-and-1 at the KC 3-yard line, Rodgers ran around and appeared that he was going to be sacked, only to throw an incredible rainbow to Jamaal Williams in the right corner of the endzone for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead.

After the Chiefs answered, the Aarons connected once again as Rodgers hit Jones with a short pass that he took 67 yards to the endzone and a 31-24 lead. The defense forced a punt but the ball ended up at the GB 2-yard line with 5:04 left in the game.

Aaron Jones would get them out of that hole quickly as he burst forward for 6 yards. After a few first downs, the Packers faced a third-and-5 on the other side of the two-minute warning and the Chiefs out of timeouts. Rodgers found Jones once again for an 8-yard pass and GB was finally able to kneel on the ball and end the game.

Rodgers didn’t finish with a perfect QB rating like he did last week vs the Oakland Raiders, but he had some incredible throws and some timely runs to keep the chains moving. Aaron Jones was obviously the star of this game with 67 yards rushing and 159 receiving yards for a total of 226. The defense gave up a lot of yards once again but they had some timely sacks by Za’Darius Smith and that fumble was huge.

A lot of credit goes to QB Matt Moore in a losing effort though. He isn’t Mahomes but he really gave the Packers’ defense fits. I knew that this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for the Packers. The Chiefs still have a lot of weapons and Arrowhead Stadium is not an easy place to get a win.

This is the first time the Packers have won consecutive games vs the Chiefs. The all-time series is now 7-5-1 in favor of Kansas City. Three of the five Packer wins have come at Arrowhead Stadium. They have one win at Lambeau Field and the other win was at the LA Coliseum in the first Super Bowl ever played.

They really had to sweat it out but it’s another win. The Packers are 7-1 and with the exception of the game vs the Raiders, none of them were blowouts. They have beaten some good teams this year. The offense is starting to come around. Also, we can’t lose sight of the fact that they are now 4-0 without Davante Adams in the lineup. Speaking of Adams, he will probably be ready for the next game. Things are looking good for Green Bay right now. One thing I would really like to see is the defense gets a little bit stingier. Other than that, there really isn’t much to complain about. We also can’t overlook the job Matt LaFleur has done.

Speaking of LaFleur, I almost forgot about his challenge early in the game. On Kansas City’s first possession, they originally had a first down but LaFleur challenged the spot and the call was reversed, forcing a punt. Given how good the offenses were in this game, that challenge was huge.

So we have reached the halfway point of the regular season and the Packers are 7-1. They will continue to be challenged week after week so they have to be ready for whoever they face. Their next game is on the road vs the Los Angeles Chargers in the late game next Sunday afternoon. For now, enjoy the win and have a great week!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #AllGasNoBrake #GregGoshaw @gg901