Cue NFL Films voice… the undefeated Houston Texans hosted the desperate Green Bay Packers at Reliant Stadium.
The 2-3 Packers were plagued by mental errors and unfulfilled promise in their disappointing start. Meanwhile, the 4-0 Texans were taking the league by storm.
Cue my voice… there’s only two ways this game could have gone. Either the Packers were going to come in and let all the bullshit come to the forefront and get dominated by the best team in the league or they were going to band together and turn their season around and make a statement.
They did the latter.
The Packers made a statement in the important aspects of the game, to the tune of a 42-24 asskicking of the best team in the NFL on their home field.
The out-of-sync offense?
Showed up and then showed up again. And then showed up again.
The inaccurate MVP, Aaron Rodgers — accurate. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and six touchdowns.
Six!
That’s one off the NFL record for a single game. Had he actually played meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter, Rodgers could have thrown for eight. Rodgers found the rhythm he didn’t have with his receivers so far this season.
Jordy Nelson?
Boss!
We’ve all been waiting for that jackwagon to show up and apparently, he was just waiting around for the big game. Jordache hauled in three touchdowns and had 138 yards receiving.
Randall Cobb did the rest, basically carrying the Packers offense when it needed to be carried. Cobb had seven catches for 102, but more importantly, he was the guy Rodgers went to when he needed a play.
Tonight’s game was a watershed moment. Mark it down. This was Randall Cobb‘s coming out as a receiver. He may not officially be ahead of James Jones on the depth chart, but he’s ahead of James Jones. He’s probably also ahead of Jordache, who’s much more comfortable being a badass No. 2.
So the passing game is back. What of the running game that was supposed to be dead?
Alex Green was much better than anyone thought. The tally says 22 for 65 yards, which is a crappy average, but Green moved the ball and allowed the Packers to legitimately run play-action.
More importantly, that defense that couldn’t stop anyone the past couple games didn’t allow Houston’s offense to get going.
The Packers defense stuffed Arian Foster before he ever got going. Even though he didn’t have any sacks, Clay Matthews was stellar against the run.
Most people thought the absence of B.J. Raji and his little girl ankles would hurt the Packers. It did not.
Ryan Pickett played the nose like Ryan Pickett plays the nose — like it’s his natural position, before he got moved over to DE to make room for the overrated Raji.
Tramon Williams held his own against Andre Johnson. Sam Shields drew the obligatory phantom penalty, but even that wasn’t bringing the Green Bay Packers down Sunday night.
Even though they were great for a moment, the Packers are .500. Let’s all keep that in mind.
They need to string together a few solid performances before anyone gets too excited. However, the Packers probably saved their season from certain disaster Sunday night.
They also proved that, for at least a few hours, they’re the best team in the NFL. The question is, will they carry that forward?