That was a pretty satisfying week 1 win. The Green Bay Packers vanquished probably their most hated rival outside of the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings (not in that order) — the Seattle Seahawks.
They did so, surprisingly to me, with a great defensive performance.
Total offense — Packers: 370, Seahawks: 225.
The Packers dominated the time of possession. They took care of the Seahawks’ three-headed running game. Other than scrambling, they shut down Russell Wilson.
Those are the broad strokes. Here are the fine lines.
Work In Progress
If anyone thought Ty Montgomery was going to come out and dominate, you were wrong. I expect Montgomery to have some decent games. I expect him to flash here and there. He and the Packers’ running game are still a work in progress, however. Seattle presented a stout defensive front, but 2.8 yards per carry? The guy even got what we’ve been bitching about him getting for over a year — enough carries to do something. Montgomery finished with 19 and just 54 yards. He did add four catches for 39, but I think he’s still a bigger threat as a receiver than as a running back. Those three running backs the Packers drafted? Only Jamaal Williams got any playing time and just two carries.
Return Of The Gangster?
That’s a good goddam Outkast song. I’m asking about Randall Cobb, though. Cobb had a team-high nine catches for 85 yards on 13 targets. Cobb has been trending downward for the past two seasons. But as you saw, he can still make plays. Personally, I am betting it was more about the defense that was being presented to the Packers. That two-tight end set we’ve been expecting all offseason? The Packers trotted out more three receiver sets than anything else. Hell, Trevor Davis even got four snaps on offense. Naturally, Cobb should take care of that cornerback matchup, especially after Jeremy Lane got tossed. Especially when healthy. I still think the two-tight end set is coming and coming strong. That will mean fewer opportunities for Cobb. And that means less production.
Remember The Weakness Of That Team
Yeah, we’re all going to take a win over the Seattle Seahawks. Remember the weakness of that team, though. It’s the offensive line. Are they the worst offensive line in football? I don’t know, but they are at least close. Part of this win was the Packers making plays — Nick Perry, Mike Daniels, etc. Nine tackles for loss on the day says something. The other part of that equation is the butt-level quality of Seattle’s offensive line.
All On Perry And Matthews
Until these guys get injured — and they both most certainly will — the Packers’ pass rush appears to be all on Nick Perry and Clay Matthews. Each guy had more than 40 snaps on Sunday. Ahmad Brooks, who was signed just after training camp ended, got just six. Kyler Fackrell, who we’ve been riding as a disappointment all camp, had 12. Maybe Brooks isn’t up to speed yet. That would make sense. That said, it looks like the Packers are trying to ride two injury-prone guys in the pass rush department. Perry was awesome. He graded out at 89.8 at Pro Football Focus, the third-best grade from an edge rusher in the league for week 1. Matthews had a 55.2, which is terrible, but I thought he did what he was supposed to do — create pressure. He just needs to start making those plays that he’s so close to making. Oh, and both guys need to stay healthy, apparently…
So Much For All Those Cornerbacks
Hell, the Green Bay Packers kept seven of them. It bears mentioning. Other than their top three guys of Davon House, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, the rest of the group got eight total snaps. Six went to Kevin King and two went to LaDarius Gunter. House graded out best, although I would like to acknowledge Rollins’ 1.5 tackles for loss. He also knocked down a pass. It’s probably not great that he led the team in tackles, but at least he’s making plays again.