“If someone came up to me before the season and said the Packers will be 3-0 to start the season, at 10-1 for $500, i would have taken that bet. and today i’d be $5,000 lighter and not a happy camper.” – Commenter and resident genius, P4FL
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Who can honestly say they expected Matt LaFleur to open up at 3-0? While it was less of an ugly win than the last two, it was an ugly win all the same.
The Good
Turnovers! Defense Looked (Mostly)Great
Mike Pettine you beautiful, bald son of a gun. Bless you and your family.
The Smiths had 5 sacks between the two(3 for Preston and 2 for Za’Darius); this is the same number off sacks Clay Matthews and Nick Perry had in 2018 COMBINED ALL SEASON. Za’Darius Smith managed a sack in the very last play of the game and his satisfied smile to that fact was the perfect ending to a game mostly won by the defense.
Kevin King was burned allowing a 52-yard reception but was saved by the new guy, rookie S Darnell Savage, when he claimed his first interception of the season in a subsequent play during the same drive. It is fascinating seeing a team get so much productivity from their rookies Darnell Savage and Rashan Gary. Well done Gutekunst and well done Pettine. Seems like most people upset about Khalil Mack getting away have almost entirely fallen silent on the subject.
#Packers Rashan Gary: "Having Preston and having Z, that’s the best thing that could have happened to me, being drafted here at Green Bay, coming in under leadership like these two guys. It’s only making me work harder and trying to keep up with what they’re doing."
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 22, 2019
Once again, Blake Martinez hustled his ass off and claimed 8 tackles and 4 assists. Jaire Alexander also stood out the whole game including a 3rd quarter takeaway from Noah Fant like it was candy from a giant baby. That play was the prelude to this latest pose for the defense:
Rodgers was not sacked
The Broncos defense, albeit talented, entered the game with 0 sacks and 0 forced turnovers so far this season. Following their visit to Lambeau, both those numbers remain at 0. It’s important to appreciate this as the Broncos D is nothing to scoff at.
Rodgers was quoted on this after the game(transcribed by The Athletic):
“I have to say, this is one of the cleanest games my jersey has ever looked,” Rodgers said. “I took one shot. I hit the ground one time, so I’m ecstatic. I’ve been at this for a long time and to go home with my body feeling this good is a credit to the offensive line for sure. I’m feeling really good. I’m probably gonna have a little Scotch and look at some Philly tape.”
The Bad
Inconsistent Offense
Much like week 2, and unlike week 1, Aaron Rodgers and the offense started out on fire. Also much like week 1, Rodgers took advantage of a free play due to an offside penalty by the Broncos defense. While the weather was a factor, Rodgers’ playing was a hodgepodge of overthrows and right-on-the-money precision.
Jamaal Williams was the RB workhorse of the night despite Aaron Jones being credited for 2 TDs. It just wasn’t a particularly great game for the Packers’ rushing efforts. As a side note, Marquez Valdes-Scantling seems more and more to be the WR2 at the moment.
A win is a win and it’s hard to turn your nose up at an offense that put up 27 points against the Broncos defense, but I think any reasonable fan expects them to play at their potential with more consistency. There is also some reasonable concern regarding Rodgers’ obsession with avoiding interceptions, but it is hard to fault him considering the outcome of the game.
The Ugly
Third Down Conversion
The Packers converted 2 out of 9 third down situations. Two out of freakin’ nine.
Inability to Stop the Run
Between Broncos RBs Phillip “Check out my midriff” Lindsay and Royce “Have you seen Lindsay’s midriff yet?” Freeman, there were a total of 36 rushing attempts. Between breaking tackles and finding holes, Lindsay just about humiliated the defense.
Missed Tackles
Phillip Lindsay is 5’8″ but the Packers D made him look like he was 6’6″ and twice his weight. This can be attributed to the field conditions(due to rain) to a degree, but overall, the tackling was disgusting. Packers S Darnell Savage just slipped off the guy at full speed near the line of scrimmage early in the 3rd quarter allowing Lindsay to make a 36-yard reception.
Parting Thoughts
Muscle man FB Danny Vitale was so close yet so far from scoring a TD. I feel you, man. You still did great.
https://twitter.com/RealDannyVitale/status/1175915416201437187
This is what out to pasture means for you city slickers.
Can’t stand Alabama but they’ve had some fine coaches:
It was as if Lindsay had his jersey greased up or something.
If Rodgers ever buys into this offense, the Packers might have something. As it stands now, while the Packers appear to be a playoff contender, his diminished skills and his clear frustrations will make any playoff appearance short lived.
I thought the same during the game Deep, that dude is slippery.
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We should start Boyle.
Watched part of the game and saw on the sideline Rodgers giving LaFleur some nasty attitude. It was pretty funny, too, because as LaFleur walked away Rodgers immediately turned his head and made total long distance “eye contact” with the camera on them. He must have spotted the camera earlier and kept track of where it would be. (Being the narcissist that he is) Then he must have realized how bad this could look if the camera was still on them and right away he looked over to see if it was and, yep, there it was. Rodgers and LaFleur will deny any and all tension but that told the story. Rodgers reacted with zero tolerance for any critical feedback and zero respect for LaFleur. I guarantee that Rodgers, in his mind, attributes his slow start this year entirely to others and not himself.
Think about that. Ahead, 2-0, at home, about to be 3-0. Rodgers in a hissy. It is reminiscent of last year and the Buffalo game. The Packers shut out the Bills and won commandingly and all Rodgers could do was piss and moan. Why? Pissed at his stat line and the interception he threw.
If he’s like this now what will Rodgers be like after the Packers lose a few games and he throws a few interception? Ranking 15th thus far in QB rating I’m sure does not match up with how Rodgers views himself. I’m sure he thinks he’s better than Marcus Mariota and Case Keenum.
Lil Tater Tot is right on this one. Rodgers needs to stop pouting all the time.
Danny Vitale is one guy i wouldn’t want to f with.
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Would love to see him succeed, maybe get into the game plan a bit. Looks like the man could stay in and block also. We’ll see.
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In other news: Jaire Alexander is a straight up thief! Who does that?
Preston Smith is playing like a man glad to be out of Washington…errrr Landover Maryland. I’d be glad to leave that shit-hole too. He could be Green Bay’s version of Casey Hayward. Never really got it together in Washington but now a beast. At least through 3 games anyway. He’s playing like he appreciates the money Gutey gave him.
“He’s playing like he appreciates the money Gutey gave him.”
That would be a nice change of pace.
The defense has been awesome, which has been refreshing. Only problem is, they haven’t played a top end offense, which worries me. They are probably a top 10 defense, but not an elite defense. Like QBs, there are very few actual elite defenses. I worry what happens if they play a Drew Brees led offense, the Rams, the Patriots, the Chiefs. Hell, even the Cowboys (we will in a couple weeks). The offense will actually have to score. I don’t see the defense allowing under 27 points to those teams most likely. LaFleur and Rodgers need to get their heads out of their asses.
Agreed on all save the Rams. Goff is NOT a great QB1. He is just a good QB. He chokes with pressure. Rodgers needs to hit the open man no matter who it is like he used to back in the day. That is how they won. He, LaFleur and the rest of the offense need to get way up on their opponents like they did against MN. If they do this, the scripted plays from the opposition go away. The run game goes away. This allows the D to pin their ears back and become more aggressive. That is effectively what has happened to Rodgers for much of this decade, no effective run game equals stress for QB1 no matter how you look at it. It will be nice to see Green Bay perhaps dishing out the mayhem on defense for a while. However, ILB is the reason that Green Bay has suffered at the run game defense. Clean that mess up, and the Packer D will be great. Until then, not as much. They are one ILB stud from being dominant period.
The good. Finish the game strong!
A large percentage of every NFL game comes down to the team that wins the 4th quarter wins the game.
The Packers defense for the third straight game have held opponents scoreless in the 4th quarter, with several sacks and turnovers. The Packer offense in this game and the Bears game have produced time killing drives that have resulted in modest points. Six total. Not great or even good, but needed to close out a game in the 4th quarter. Add in clutch punting and what you have is a team that has a lot of room for improvement, but so far have shown an ability to step up at critical times in order to finish strong.
I know some freak out about the Packer D giving up run yards in this game and the offense being inconsistent. Think about this. In the 4th quarter the inconsistent Packer offense held the ball for approximately 9:00 minutes, gained 75 yards approx., and scored 3 points. Yes, much room for improvement. The Packer poor run defense gave up a total of approximately 25 yards, and no scores in the money quarter.
Many are going to disagree, but I think having close games and finding ways to win is a better way to build a strong team in the early portion marathon season, rather than having blowout wins. Keep finishing strong!
A couple of statistics I saw today I found interesting. The Packers defense has faced the second most drives in the league through three weeks. They have given up the second fewest points per drive in the NFL, at less than one point per drive. They are forcing turnovers on a little over 20% of drives. I hope they can keep it up.
A wise coach told me a long time ago you can fly to Miami a lot faster than you can walk there,” Pettine said about prioritizing pass defense over run defense. “You’re going to get beat through the air. That’s the bottom line.”
Guetenkist (sic) hit on some FAs and draft picks (hey, I think Jaire just stole my 401k!) but the best thing LaFleur has done is retaining Pettine.
Pettine’s defense would take the lunch money from Caper’s defense – and then stick its head in the toilet for a swirly
Those are baaaaaaaad men
It is glorious
Also – yes, that TD run the greased pig made is highly suspicious. I read one account where he said one of the offensive lineman picked him up and threw him over the line. But he had already wriggled out of the grasp of six guys by then
Every time I see the o line push someone forward I think about the Ice Bowl and not wanting to be seen to push Starr forward. I guess rules have changed some.
Also, is the defense really going to pose for pictures every game in the endzone after forcing a turnover? I mean, I like the swagger and the fact they are having fun playing, but it comes off as borderline overconfident
I love what Gutey has done with the D, but there are a paucity of playmakers on offense. In season, I’m not sure if much can be added, but AJ Green is interesting. He’s 31 yo, in the last year of his contract, and has missed chunks of the past few years, but if he looked good post-operatively (July surgery) maybe he’s worth a shot if the Bengals would sell low. If he remains on their roster this year they’d probably get a 3rd round compensatory pick in 2021, whereas a Packers 4th rounder next year coupled with saving $6M in salary this year might do it. If he expects Julio Jones type money going forward then it’s probably a no go.
They need to turn Kumerow loose. WTF? I thought Rodgers loved the guy. Is he the next Jared Abbrederis? Fan favorite that never plays?
After the Monday Night game Bears fans are going to think Ha’Sean is a great player…….stupid Bears fans….just wait.
The first pick he was playing his usual center field, he had his eyes on the QB and broke for the overthrown ball for a pick 6. I remember thinking, nice play but it’s not like he jumped a route.
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The second pick was far more impressive. Initially he was 15-20 yards from the receiver, he read the QB and started running, and jumped the route right in front of the receiver for a clean pick. He also led the bears with 7 solo tackles. I think you have to give the man his due. Say what you will, that’s how you make Pro Bowls.
Why didn’t we see any of this when he was in GB?!?
The Buffoon is why. Bad locker room ethos. There are a half dozen others that have done well after leaving Green Bay. The Claymaker looks pretty good right now as well, and he is much older.
Because, the Bears front 7 makes it possible for HHCD to do this. That’s primarily why. He will play better there, he’s more seasoned, and he’s on a better defense that will make this possible (better than the one he was on here) because of the up front pressure.
This was completely predictable. Hey, good for him. He will likely have his best year.
His head grew so much last night it will explode today. He will miss a tackle or drop a pick that ends the Bears season.
So Glad we didn’t trade for Khalil Mack. The Smiths production together is better than his alone and we are paying them both collectively less money than chicago plus we still got both our draft picks which are also contributing. Our defense right now is better without him hands down!!!!!!