The Green Bay Packers beat the St. Louis Rams 21-7 in their second preseason contest, but that’s not at all important. What is important is that we got a small glimpse of what the Packers are really going to look like this year.
Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Jordy Nelson got their first action of the preseason, with the No. 1 offense going two series (minus Lacy, who only played one). Those two offensive series were something to behold.
The Packers ran no huddle right off the bat, spread the ball around and marched down the field for a touchdown — a three-yarder by Randall Cobb. The second drive was nearly as nice, but bogged down at the end and resulted in a Mason Crosby field goal after a Jordy Nelson touchdown was nullified by a David Bakhtiari penalty.
Here are the numbers that are important. Aaron Rodgers: 11-of-13 for 128 yards and a touchdown. Eddie Lacy: five carries for 25 yards, two catches for 22 yards. Three catches a piece by Jarrett Boykin and Randall Cobb.
The Packers No. 1 defense also played two series and gave up one touchdown.
The TD came on a perfectly thrown ball by Sam Bradford midway through the second quarter. Micah Hyde had great coverage on Lance Kendricks on the play. Bradford just put it where only Kendricks could catch it.
The scoring drive featured two big plays by receiver Brian Quick. Quick caught a ball in front of Sam Shields for 41 yards and then drew a pass interference penalty on Shields that moved the ball to the Packers’ 17. Not a great day for the Packers’ No. 1 cornerback and the secondary as a whole.
You could say those clowns are in midseason form already.
Bradford was 9-of-12 for 102 yards and a touchdown in his two series.
There was reason to be excited about the Packers No. 1 defense though. They looked tremendous against the run, generating a consistent push into the backfield.
The Rams’ top back, Zac Stacy, carried six times for six yards.
And Julius Peppers must have gotten tired of everyone asking him why he’s been dogging it. He decided to show up for the first time since training camp opened. Peppers stuffed Stacy for negative yards on the Rams’ first drive and almost got a sack on the second. The knockdown did force an incompletion.
So yeah, Julie. We get it. You’ll turn it on when you feel like it.
Today we learned that the Packers offense is going to be a force, the front seven should be improved (but how could they be worse?) and the secondary is still a work in progress.
Now let’s get to the rotations.
Scott Tolzien got the nod as the No. 2 quarterback, playing late into the third quarter. At first, he looked awful, but he also had zero time to throw. Once Scooter got some protection, he looked serviceable. However, his accuracy wasn’t what we’ve seen.
Tolzien finished 10-of-15 for 107 yards. He didn’t win or lose himself the No. 2 job.
Matt Flynn only made a brief appearance, going 3-of-4 for 44 yards and a touchdown. Flynn can thank Jeff Janis for that stat line. Janis accounted for 34 of those yards on a touchdown catch and run late in the third quarter.
That Janis guy looks like he might be a playmaker.
At tight end, the Packers led off with rookie Richard Rodgers, who didn’t have any catches and also showed his blocking needs work. Brandon Bostick, who had one catch for 9 yards, was second, followed by Andrew Quarless. Last year’s starting tight end was the most impressive on this day, catching four balls for 58 yards.
On special teams, the Packers are looking at all kinds of returners. They used Micah Hyde, Jeff Janis, Myles White and Davante Adams on punt returns. Only Janis and Adams actually returned a punt, but the fact that Hyde was back there first is a good sign that he’s the guy when the season starts.
On kickoffs, DuJuan Harris was the guy. He averaged 18 yards on two returns, which isn’t impressive. Harris didn’t do himself any favors running the ball either. He was more effective than last week, gaining 32 yards on seven carries, but he also fumbled.
It’s probably a good thing Rajion Neal didn’t play today.
Finally, there are always little-known guys who make plays and catch our attention. This week those guys were defensive tackle Mike Pennel and outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott.
We’ve been hearing a bit about Pennel throughout camp and he had a sack on Saturday. What’s more, he had it in the first half, so he’s obviously moving his way up the depth chart after coming in as an undrafted free agent.
Mark this guy down for a roster spot.
Elliott, an undrafted guy from Toledo, had three sacks in the game. While that’s impressive, they all came in the fourth quarter. They also came against a guy named Sean Hooey, who clearly has no business being in the NFL, CFL or maybe even the Arena League.
That’s not to take anything away from Elliott — he took advantage of his opportunity. However, we’re not marking him down for a roster spot just yet.
Finally, and most importantly, the Packers didn’t suffer any serious injuries on Saturday. So on to the dress rehearsal!
It looks like Matt Flynn is the first quarterback to get sacked by that gay football player. Might as well add that to his list of achievements.
I Pity you for getting so worked about absolutely nothing
I pity you for not realizing its a joke. I could give a shit less that attention whore who plays for the Rams. What I was getting at was that for being a back up QB, Matt Flynn has been involved in a lot of crazy situations.
If your QB is tackled for a loss by an opposing player who is gay, is it still OK to call it a ‘sack’?
This offenss can out do the 2011 offense. They have all the weapons in addition to the superior offensive line and a spectacular run game. Sept. 4th here we come!
Great game by the No.1 offense against a very good Rams D. No one was close to Rodgers. Good thing about Pennel is that ex Viking Guion if not already gone is now. Nate Palmer should also start packing bags. Linebacker is going to have some tough cuts. Bradford sure is lost on the depth chart.
I sure hope that catch will ensure Janis makes the roster. Bostick was injured….
I was there. The #1 offense was impressive-Rodgers had the protection the franchise deserves considering the Lams supposedly have a pretty decent d-line.
I’m more worried about the D’s performance than Monty seems to be, although Pennell played enough he made us look him up on the roster however. Let’s hope I’m way off on the D secondary to beer consumption Speaking of secondary….would have been nice to see some.
sorry about the redundancy & horrible grammar; hopefully you get my point!
Things will be alright.
like Janis as #5 receiver. if he goes on the practice squad we lose him. defensive secondary,here we go again. something has to change
Ignore the sacks by Elliott. The Rams left tackle was having serious balance issues and was completely lost like nothing I’ve ever seen. I think they put in Pennel for a play and he did the same thing.
Those sacks were a bunch of hooey
Hi Dave Dameshek.
re: backup tackles
They’re probably not as good as the Titan performance (TN has just gone to a 3-4) and they’re probably not as bad as the Ram performance. If they’re not cut out for artificial surfaces, it’s good that there only two occasions (@Lions & Saints) on the schedule.
re: OLB
Is there a lot of depth? The newcomer and superstar are a lock. Likely Neal and Perry. I seldom hear of Mulumba, Hubbard, or Palmer in the practice blogs. And the whole notion of Bradford at OLB where “he’s comfortable” is simply specious. Elliott has flashed against lesser talent.
While some consider the 3rd pre-season game as a regular-season tuneup where starters see extended action, I’d rather see the lower-tier guys go up against established players.