The New England Patriots strolled into Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon and had the honor of getting wrecked just like everyone else. In a game that the Green Bay Packers led from start to finish, only the Packers’ performance in the red zone kept it close to the end.
11:15, 1st Quarter – The Packers ended their first drive of the game with a short field goal to go up 3-0. There would be a lot more where that came from.
Showing extreme and justified confidence in the offense, Mike McCarthy won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Packers responded by doing what they needed to in getting a score. First of all, DuJuan Harris was able to field the ball at the 10 and came the closest he has all year to breaking a long return. He was just barely tripped up at the 28.
Eddie Lacy would take it from there, single-handedly moving the ball to the Patriots’ 21. After taking an Aaron Rodgers’ pass for 12 yards on the first play of the game, he rumbled first to the right for 13 yards and then left for 24 more. On both plays, the Patriots were leaving six guys near the line of scrimmage. The Packers matched with six by keeping Andrew Quarless lined up on the line, and everyone just blocked a man straight up. On the second and longer run, Lacy split between the blocks of Corey Linsley and T.J. Lang and was loose in the secondary before being touched.
That would be the end of the dance for the Packers though, even after Brandon Browner was called for defensive holding on third down, giving the Packers two cracks at it within the red zone. The Packers would get no further than the Patriots’ 14-yard line. The failure is mostly the result of decisions made by Lacy and Rodgers — the two guys that got the Packers there in the first place.
On 2nd and 8 from the 14, Lacy had a shot at a touchdown if he would have followed Quarless between David Bakhtiari and Josh Sitton. Quarless was able to wall off linebacker Akeem Ayers and open up a sizable gap between himself and Bakhtiari. However, Lacy saw the flow of the defense heading that direction and decided to go up the middle instead. He got 0.
On 3rd and 8, Rodgers tried Davante Adams on the double move. It was the third time already that Rodgers tried it. Adams was held up by Logan Ryan just long enough for the pass to be overthrown. End Chris Jones also bulled through Bakhtiari and hit Rodgers just after he released it, possibly hurrying the throw. This was undoubtably a pre-snap read by Rodgers. If Rodgers had read the entire field, he would have seen that Quarless was matched up with linebacker Jamie Collins, who whiffed on his jam attempt at the line of scrimmage. Quarless immediately sprung free over the middle of the field and would have had the first down.
3:30, 1st Quarter – After a Patriot four and out, the Packers embarked on a time-consuming, 11-play drive that ended in another field goal, making the score 6-0.
The Packers opened the game with their nickel defense with Sam Barrington and Clay Matthews inside. On first down, Barrington looked confused when Julian Edelman motioned to his side. Matthews tried to compensate and no one covered Brandon LaFell who ran a simple curl from the slot. The only reason it only got 12 yards was because Ha Ha Clinton-Dix flew up and made a nice tackle.
On first down from there, the Patriots tried LeGarrette “Smoke-A” Blount, who bulled for 6 yards after landing on another player. On 2nd and 4, Tom Brady handed it to Shane Vereen who got met in the hole by Sam Barrington. You immediately know it is Barrington because the ball carrier actually went backwards for once after getting hit. On 3rd and 2, the Patriots supersized their order in handing it to Smoke-A Blount, and Barrington treated him likewise with the help of Clinton-Dix. It’s no gain and the Patriots decided to punt rather than open the game with a fourth down gamble from their side of the field.
The second Packers’ drive appeared to be going nowhere when Ayers came with a delayed blitz off the edge and sacked Rodgers for a 9-yard loss. However, on the play, Browner was hit with his second “handsy” call of the game, gifting the Packers with a first down instead of a 3rd and 19. Rodgers then hit the Patriots with his first great play of the game. He rolled to his left and fired upfield to Adams for 33 yards. On the next play, Rodgers threw high and hard for Adams on the slant, but Adams came down with it and held on after taking a hard shot in the chest from Dont’a Hightower. That play was good for 12 more, moving the ball to the Patriots’ 30.
The Packers appeared in danger of not getting anything when Bryan Bulaga was hit with a holding call, pushing the ball back to the Patriots’ 39. However, on the very next play, Rodgers scrambled up the middle for 17, getting his hand stepped on in the process. On 3rd and 1, Mike McCarthy decided to play checkers instead of chess and handed it straight ahead to Lacy. Lacy met resistance at the line, but smashed his way for 4 yards and a first down. That put the ball inside the red zone.
On 1st and 10 from the 18, Lacy ran a stretch right play. The Patriots strung it out and bottled Lacy up for a 1-yard gain. On 2nd and 9, Rodgers tried again for Adams on the stutter and go. Adams caught the ball in the end zone, but couldn’t get two feet down. On 3rd and 9, Rodgers had all sorts of time and hopped around in the pocket before finally throwing it well over the head of Randall Cobb. That brought about field goal No. 2.
The Patriots are doubling Jordy Effin Nelson, have Darrelle Revis on Cobb and are concentrating on keeping Rodgers in the pocket. When Adams isn’t getting open, Rodgers clearly doesn’t know what to do and it is working.
00:15, 1st Quarter – After another three and out by the Patriots, the Packers finished off another tremendous first quarter at home with a quick 85-yard drive for a touchdown. That made the score 13-0, and so far this game isn’t looking any different than the last four at home.
Apparently dissuaded by the beastitude of Sam Barrington, the Patriots went with three straight passes on their second possession. On 3rd and 5, Brady found Edelman on a cross, but Tramon Williams closed ground quickly and tackled Edelman short of the first. Punt.
After a run and short pass to James Starks got 8 yards, the Packers faced 3rd and 2 at their own 23. Adams burned Ryan badly on the out and up, and Rodgers found him racing up the sideline for 45 yards. On the very next play, Rodgers began to pass to his right, changed his mind and miraculously managed to hang onto the football. He backed up a couple steps, spotted Richard Rodgers on the deep corner with no safety over the top, and immediately delivered accurately to Rodgers for a 32-yard touchdown.
Yeah, that’s some straight up ballin’ there. If Rodgers keeps making plays like that, I’ll have to start calling him Aaron Effin Rodgers.
13:00, 2nd Quarter – The Patriots showed they were going to be in this game after all by driving for a quick touchdown of their own to make the score 13-7.
Maybe the key was kicking field goals. Remember last week, the Packers gave up a scoring drive after every touchdown they scored. The same would occur here. The Patriots seemed to spring to life when Brady stepped up in the pocket to avoid the outside rush of Matthews and Julius Peppers and found Rob Gronkowski running a cross against Morgan Burnett. The play was good for 29 yards. On the next play, the defense forgot about backup tight end and alleged surfer Mike Hoomanawanui, who was alone on the sideline for another 23-yard gain. Brandon Bolden took it from there, getting 12 yards and a concussion for Sam Shields on his first carry. Bolden then topped that by juking most the Packers defense, and especially Peppers, on a 6-yard touchdown run.
5:55, 2nd Quarter – The Packers responded to the Patriots’ touchdown with a 13-play, seven-minute drive that ended with another field goal.
Bill Belichick was apparently already sick of seeing Davante Adams burn his third corner and decided to switch it up by putting Revis on Nelson and leaving Browner on the other outside receiver, which typically was Adams. I would argue that was a mistake. Did Belichick really think Adams was going to beat him single-handedly? Anyway, the move freed up Randall Cobb, who would eventually torment the Patriots like he has just about everyone else this season. On 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 33, McCarthy lined up Cobb in the backfield and had him run a wheel route on linebacker Rob Ninkovich. It wasn’t even close. Cobb had pulled away by 4 yards by time Rodgers hit him up the sideline. The play went for 33 yards.
Cobb would go on to catch three more passes that drive, including a 12-yard catch on third down that moved the ball to the Patriots’ 8. After a Lacy run gained 2 yards, Rodgers threw the ball behind Nelson. Nelson ran a really smart route where he faked the pick play to the outside and cut back inside. Unfortunately, either Revis wasn’t sold on the pick play or he simply didn’t give a shit. He never moved from the inside and was all over it. On third down, the Packers offensive line blew about their only play all game. The Patriots only rushed three guys, with middle linebacker Dont’a Hightower coming right at the snap. Still, Corey Linsley ignored Hightower until it was too late. T.J. Lang at least had the excuse of having Vince Wilfork to worry about. Hightower ran right between Lang and Linsley and sacked Rodgers to force the field goal. That makes it 16-7.
1:14, 2nd Quarter – The Patriots nearly pull off getting two possessions in a row while driving for another touchdown to cut the Packer lead to 16-14.
The Patriots quickly got to midfield with a quick screen to Edelman that went for 17 yards. With Williams lining up 8 yards off the line of scrimmage, that is easy money. A couple plays later, Matthews dropped coverage on Vereen and he was loose down the sideline for 26 yards. On the following 3rd and 3, Brady found The Gronk, who went Pinball Wizard on the Packers defense down to the 2-yard line. Clinton-Dix may want to call his airline because I think he just lost his luggage. Anyway, as much as the media may marvel over The Gronk on this play, the Packers defense hit Gronk five times between the 8 and the 2-yard line. That is some pretty good hustle and with Matthews, Barrington and Clinton-Dix running around, there are now some hits being delivered by this defense.
The Packers would manage to force 3rd and 3, but on that big play, Williams overplayed the inside to LaFell. LaFell shoved off and was easily open on the out. Touchdown.
00:14, 2nd Quarter – Just when it looked like the Packers were about to waste another drive before half, Jordy Nelson breaks loose for one of the biggest plays in the Packers’ season so far. His touchdown makes the score 23-14 at half.
The Patriots have been the best team in the NFL all season at scoring before half. Fortunately, they weren’t quite able to take up the entire half. The Packers haven’t had a lot of chances to score before half and this one looked unlikely with just 59 seconds to go and the Packers at their own 19. However, on that play, Rodgers rolled to his right and fired down the sideline for James Starks on the long wheel route. Rodgers and Starks have had a miserable time all season connecting on 5-yard passes, and yet, this one works for 28 yards.
With two to use, the Packers absolutely should have called timeout. They didn’t. Twenty seconds rolled off the clock before Rodgers found Nelson on a quick out to stop the clock at 30 seconds. With the ball at the Patriots’ 45, a field goal is about the only thing in play here. Wrong. After taking a ridiculous timeout with the clock stopped, the Packers changed formation and got the single safety look. Rodgers stepped back and fired to Nelson on the simple square in. The Effin Nelson used a small shove and a quick inside move to get two steps on Revis. Once the ball was in Nelson’s hands, that two steps would only continue to widen. Nelson ran all the way across the field, foiling a poor angle by safety Devin McCourty, who apparently didn’t know that Nelson is “surprisingly fast,” according to Phil Simms and just about everyone else in the national media.
Yeah, we know. Nelson is “surprisingly fast” for a white guy. And Clay Matthews has a “high motor” too. Got it.
The Nelson did his sideline thing and somehow got the ball to the pylon even while being tackled out of bounds in the process. Nelson almost lost the ball as well, but almost is for losers. Touchdown. Teams like the Patriots and Packers don’t go to the playoffs for five straight seasons by letting teams score with 14 seconds left in the half. That is a BIG OUCH.
9:30, 3rd Quarter – The Packers looked like they were finally going to start a second half with a scoring drive, but Mason Crosby kicked a 40-yard field goal wide left.
The Patriots started with the ball, but they didn’t keep it long. On the first play of the half, Mike Daniels beat Dan Connelly — yeah, kick return Connelly — who was forced to hold Daniels or give up a sack. The Patriots never recovered from the resulting 1st and 20. On 3rd and 13, Datone Jones forced Brady to move to his right to avoid him, and Brady misfired downfield for Danny Amendola. A short punt and a smart fair catch by Micah Hyde gave the Packers the ball at their own 46.
The Packers have been terrible after halftime, but that appeared to be in the past after Rodgers converted a third down by scrambling for 9 yards. Unfortunately, in one of my favorite finds of the game, the tape shows that Adams lost his guy in traffic and was wide open running across the middle of the field when Rodgers decided to take off instead of throwing an easy pass to Adams. That is a big play missed.
The Packers got as far as the Patriots’ 26 on an out to Cobb from the slot. After Lacy took a 2-yard loss from there, Rodgers tried to run up the middle of a pocket that he never had to leave and gave Chris Jones a gift sack for another 5-yard loss. On 3rd and 17, Rodgers was wise to take Cobb over the middle for 11 yards, which put the Packers in chip shot field goal range. Ah, forget it. The Packers still aren’t meant to score after half and Crosby boots a draw when he needed a fade. Still 23-14.
13:50, 4th Quarter – Following the only Packers’ punt of the game, Tom Brady and the Patriots drove 78 yards for a touchdown to make the score 23-21 with most of the fourth quarter to play.
The Patriots’ second drive of the half ended in another punt when Brady tried to kill a gopher on 3rd and 9. Brady was facing a rush by Peppers and might have thought The Gronk wasn’t going to be turned in time to catch it.
The Packers moved into Patriots’ territory again thanks to a two-handed shove by Davante Adams. The refs inexplicably missed it, but no worries, the Packers would only go backwards from there. On the very next snap, Rodgers mysteriously took a delay of game.
What the hell is going on out there!
On 1st and 15, Nelson ran a quick slant beneath the slot receiver and it broke wide open. Rodgers delivered the ball behind Nelson, however, and a desperate dive by Browner knocked the ball away. Perhaps Rodgers was surprised by how fast Nelson is.
On 2nd and 15, Rodgers took so much time to throw while dancing around in the pocket that linebacker Jamie Collins, who had gotten steamrolled by Lacy, had enough time to get up and sack Rodgers with a knee-cap shot. On 3rd and long, Rodgers dumped to Adams and ran up the white flag.
The Patriots followed with the drive that made this game far more entertaining than it needed to be. On 3rd and 6, right away, the Patriots briefly were looking at another punt when the ball bounced off Edelman, who wasn’t ready for it. However, Edelman called for a flag and was eventually rewarded by the referee lined up in Sobieski. The replay showed that Tramon Williams was indeed guilty of getting-run-into-by-receiver-while-minding-your-own-business. That gave the Patriots 5 yards and a first down.
The Patriots followed that with a 19-yard pass to The Gronk, who beat good coverage by Casey Hayward. Once the Pats were on the Packers’ side of the field, they handed the ball to The Blount on consecutive punishing runs for 13 yards each. Whether he’s sucker punching opposing players after games, getting your best player arrested for chronic possession or flat quitting on his teammates, The Blount can still run through the Packers. What a guy!
The Patriots scored a couple plays later on a perfect back-shoulder pass to LaFell against Davon House. By the way, until this point, did you even notice House was in for Shields? Enough said.
8:40, 4th Quarter – On a must-have drive, the Packers went 65 yards in 11 plays, but disaster in the red zone again forced another Crosby field goal to make the score 26-21.
One thing I’ve noticed in the last two seasons is that Eddie Lacy shows up in the fourth quarter. Whether defenses start getting tired, or Lacy is the kind of guy that needs to work up a lather, or both, I don’t know. The Packers had balance with the run and the pass and therefore only had to pick up one third down on their way to the Patriots’ 10-yard line. On 3rd and 6, early in the drive, Rodgers found Quarless for 9 yards on the cross from the slot. Quarless would also get a curl for 9 more. Davante Adams would take a slant, break a tackle and go for 17 yards, into Patriots’ territory.
After a 5-yard run, the Packers caught the Patriots blitzing Hightower from the left by running Lacy up the middle. Lacy found a seam between Lang and Bulaga and broke loose for 17 yards, which put the ball into the red zone once again.
On first down from the 15, Rodgers found Lacy for 5 yards. On second down, Rodgers had 12 seconds to throw and couldn’t find anyone, eventually throwing incomplete. Unfortunately, every Packers’ receiver except for Lacy ran into the end zone, where there was six defenders waiting. The chaos that ensued sprung no one open. The Packers didn’t need a touchdown. They could get a first down at the 5-yard line. If someone would have worked back to Rodgers, they probably would have been open.
On third down, with a blitz coming, Rodgers knew he was going to Adams on the quick slant. Adams ran a great route and had the coverage beat. Facing the blitz, Rodgers threw a pass that reminded me of something Troy Aikman said after James Jones dropped a ball against the Eagles — “He couldn’t have walked out there and handed it to him any better.” The pass was so easy to catch that Adams later said he was thinking of his Lambeau Leap. There would be no Lambeau Leaps on this day. That is only Adams’ second drop of the season and it’s a big one.
2:40, 4th Quarter – One missed field goal deserves another. Stephen Gostkowski kicked wide right, and the Patriots last drive of the game came up empty.
Starting with the ball at the 8:40 mark, the Patriots did a lot of the work for the Packers by running six minutes off the clock. The Patriots drove methodically, with no big plays. They converted a 4th and 3 near midfield with a quick out on a pick play to Edelman against Williams. They picked up a 3rd and 7 with a 10-yard pass to The Gronk against tight coverage by Hyde. After Blount managed to bull his way to the Packers’ 21, the drive stalled.
On first down, the give was to The Blount once again, but Burnett lined up at the line of scrimmage and rode Blount down for just a 1-yard gain. On second down, Brady tried the go route to The Gronk against Clinton-Dix. Clinton-Dix has about as good of coverage as you could and that’s fortunate since The Gronk almost made a crazy catch. On 3rd and 9, Mike Neal beat left tackle Nate Solder around the edge and got a hand on Brady. Brady initially shook it off only to end up sandwiched by both Neal and Daniels. The 9-yard loss made it 4th and 18, which necessitated a field goal try. Gostkowski choked on the attempt though. The kick started right and kept going. Not even close.
2:28, 4th Quater – Rodgers and Cobb are not to be denied, and the 10th third down conversion of the game for the Packers sealed the win at 26-21.
The Packers took over at their 37 in the same situation they were in at the end of the Vikings game. Get a first down or two and win the game. The Packers went with two runs to the right and got 6 yards from Lacy, bringing up 3rd and 4. Since the Patriots used both their timeouts here, the Packers knew they win the game with a single first down. That means you give Aaron Rodgers a chance to win the game.
The Packers did their usual thing with four receivers in the pattern and Rodgers in the shotgun. The Patriots covered well, as they did most of the game. However, for one last time, they got no pressure. Cobb ran a square in and was covered up by Hightower shading his way from the middle of the field. With more time to work, Cobb simply ran past Hightower on a drag route. Fortunately, Rodgers came back to Cobb in time and delivered a brave pass with a rapidly narrowing window. Cobb pulled the ball down between two defenders. That is a first down. Game over.
This was obviously a huge win for the Packers, who offensively remained unstoppable at home. With Cobb pulling that final pass down at midfield, that means every Packers’ possession in the football game advanced to at least the 50-yard line. Yes, the Packers struggled in the red zone and kept the Patriots in the game. However, the Packers are still a top-10 team in the red zone and should be able to make some adjustments to stay that way. I don’t see that being a chronic problem. It was just more of what we already know, which is that rushing four and dropping seven is still the best defense against Aaron Rodgers, especially in the red zone.
The Patriots are not a great pass rushing team and the Packers’ offensive line pretty much had their way with them. However, that was also part of the Patriots’ overall plan. Ironically, the Patriots played the Dom Capers bend-but-don’t-break defense, and it nearly worked. It probably would have worked if not for Jordy Nelson’s epic touchdown jaunt right before half.
Probably the two most important things, besides the W, that came from this game is the proof that the Packers offense is diverse, and that shutting down Nelson and Cobb won’t necessarily mean you’ve shut down the Packers. Secondly, and probably even more important than the first point, is the proof that the Packers defense CAN stymy a big-time offense with a big-time quarterback, and they CAN make a big play in a crucial moment when they have to. I have been saying it all season, but if this Packers defense can just continue to improve, then this team can get where it wants to go.
In the big picture, this win keeps the Packers one game in front for the division lead and in great position for a high playoff seed and first-round bye. With the way the Packers are playing at home, they should want every game at Lambeau Field that they can get. Not only is it important to stay in front of Detroit for the division, of course, but it is also important to stay in front of the Seattle Seahawks in playoff seeding. Other teams will have their say, but I still believe the Seahawks are the biggest threat to the Packers in the NFC. The Packers absolutely want that game, if it were to be played, to be played at Lambeau Field.
However, it is also true that no trophies are given out in the first week of December and the Packers are not even guaranteed a playoff spot yet. The Packers must continue to improve and carry their momentum through December. Like Aaron Rodgers said after this game, it is the last month of the season, and “everything is right out there for us.”