The Packers rebounded nicely from their loss on Sunday by defeating the San Francisco 49ers on the road 34-17 on Thursday night.
The Packers jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After the 49ers scored a field goal, the Packers answered with 27 straight points of their own before SF scored a few touchdowns late in the game.
Some thoughts about this victory:
Davante Adams continues to get it done as he caught 10 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. Marquez Valdes-Scantling only caught 2 passes but both went for touchdowns. Marcedes Lewis scored the other TD, giving Aaron Rodgers 4 more TD passes in a game.
The Packers’ offense is much more efficient when Aaron Jones is out there. Perhaps he would have sat out again had the Packers not lost Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon for this game. At least the players have some extra time to rest now that this Thursday game is finished.
I wouldn’t say their defense is fixed as they were playing against a depleted roster, and they still gave up some huge plays. Still, they only allowed 3 points total until late in the fourth quarter.
I also wouldn’t say the Packers made up for their two losses to SF last season either, although it is enjoyable to beat them no matter who is lining up for them on the field. A small bit of consolation is the Packers probably dealt a huge blow to the 49ers’ playoff hopes after losing to them in January. Even with the extra playoff team in each conference, a 4-5 record might be too much for them to overcome, especially with the key injuries they have.
Overall, it’s a nice win for GB. They still have much to work on, but it’s comforting not to have to stew over a loss for 10 days.
The Packers are now halfway through their season and have a 6-2 record. They just need to keep improving, especially on defense and also avoid injuries. If they can do that, they have a chance to make a deep playoff run. They now have a “mini-bye” before their next game, a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on the 15th. Let’s enjoy the win Packer fans! Enjoy the time off before the next game!
The Packers fell to 5-2 after their deflating 28-22 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Both teams scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, which took almost the entire first half. The second half was much different, however, as the Vikings kept scoring and the Packers stalled on offense. The Packers tried to rally but fell short, handing Matt LaFleur his first loss within the division in his two seasons as Green Bay’s head coach.
One thing really stands out about this game. The Packers’ defense is awful. I know Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the league but there was no excuse to consistently allow the runs and catches for big gains that Cook accumulated during this game. The offense is not going to score on every possession, and when they are struggling to put drives together, the defense needs to step up and they didn’t do it on Sunday.
The seat has now gotten much hotter for Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine. We have suffered through some terrible defenses under Dom Capers, who has held onto his job for way too long. Pettine was supposed to be an upgrade, but his defenses haven’t been any better. It’s time for him to get called on the carpet. If things don’t turn around in a big way, we need a new DC. It’s not personal, just business.
When the Packers failed to score on their opening possession of the third quarter, already trailing 21-14 by the way, I knew they were facing some big trouble. It was a frustrating second half. Drives were stopped by dropped passes and penalties. It also didn’t help that the Packers turned it over on downs when Robert Tonyan was interfered with by Anthony Harris, and the officials picked up the penalty flag they originally threw, putting a major blow into GB’s comeback hopes.
When they got the ball back with a chance to win it, Aaron Rodgers was hit from behind and fumbled the ball away, ending the game. They had a slight chance and failed, but this loss falls mainly on the defense, especially their run defense.
It’s always frustrating to lose a game like this, and the fact that it’s the Vikings rubs even more salt in the wounds. The good news is they have a game this Thursday, but the bad news is it’s against the San Francisco 49ers on the road. The 49ers lost 37-27 at Seattle and now have four losses, so they are looking to rebound as well. We can’t forget that the Packers were blown out twice by this team last season. With the kind of defense the Packers played vs Minnesota, they might be in for another long night on Thursday. It is Thursday Night Football though, and we have seen some strange things happen when teams are playing with very short rest in between.
Every team has some glaring weaknesses, but if the Packers don’t fix theirs, they will have a very short stay in the playoffs, assuming they even make it. Nothing is guaranteed. Right now, they have a lot of work to do and a very short time to do it as they now get ready for San Francisco on Thursday. Take care Packer fans. Hopefully, we have much better days ahead of us.
The Packers improved to 5-1 after their 35-20 road victory vs the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon.
The Packers scored 3 touchdowns in the first half and went into the locker room with a 21-0 halftime lead. The Texans scored a TD on their first possession of the third quarter, but they would not get any closer than that as the Packers got timely drives and stops to get their first victory in 20 days.
Thoughts about this win:
The Packers ended up with 96 rushing yards vs the worst rushing defense in the league, but they did have some very effective runs, including during their final drive to give them a 35-13 lead late in the fourth quarter. They took what the defense gave them, and Davante Adams had another huge receiving game with 13 receptions for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers threw for 4 TD passes overall, a nice rebound game for him as well after their setback at Tampa last week.
Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari sat out this game, but the offensive line held up well, not allowing any sacks and opening up some holes for their running backs. The only receiver besides Adams to catch a pass was Malik Taylor, who had 2 for 6 yards. The other receptions went to their running backs and tight ends.
Despite the win, there will be a lot of work to do during the week. They did sack Deshaun Watson 3 times, but they struggled at times trying to contain him. They aren’t the only team who has that problem though. Their special teams weren’t very special as they had a punt blocked and failed to recover an onside kick late in the game. The defense made a play after Houston recovered the online kick. Henry Black forced a fumble by RB David Johnson, which Adrian Amos recovered. QB Tim Boyle knelt down twice to end it.
Green Bay has never lost a regular-season game in Houston, going 3-0 vs the Texans after this win and 3-0 on the road vs the Houston Oilers, who are now the Tennessee Titans.
Overall, it’s a nice win and we can celebrate a victory once again. Let’s continue to improve and get these players back from injury. Perhaps they will add another receiver or two. It’s hard to predict what the front office will do. They now head home to face the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. Of course we want a win vs the Vikings no matter where either team is in the standings. Have a great week Packer fans!
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 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 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 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 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!
