“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: