The Packer comeback win streak continues with the Detroit Lions visiting Lambeau Field. Packers need a win to secure their spot in the playoffs in a season that almost seemed lost after a loss to the Eagles which put the Pack at 4-8. Even going into the season, things looked bleak with the offseason departure of WR Davante Adams which left a receiver corps that was mostly experienced and lacking.
On the other hand, NFC North rival Lions need to win this and also for the Seahawks to lose in order to claim a wild card position in the 2022 playoffs.
There is one Wild Card up for grabs in each conference and 3 teams in play for it:
NFC:
Packers: Win
Lions: Win + Seahawks loss
Seahawks: Win + Packers loss
AFC:
Patriots: Win OR Dolphins + Steelers loss
Dolphins: Win + Patriots loss
Steelers: Win + Patriots/Dolphins loss
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 8, 2023
Packers vs Lions Week 18 Injury Report
Aaron Rodgers had perhaps his worst game of his 17 year career against Detroit back in November. Honorable mention goes to the turd he pinched off last January in the playoffs. That of course was his MVP season which just goes to show stats are useless in big games. It’s time for redemption. It’s time to play like a 50 million dollar man. If Rodgers can’t beat Detroit, a dome team playing in the bitter cold with the very average Jarod Goff, and a subpar defensive, then there’s no reason to prolong the agony to play one more week only to lose in the playoffs. Rodgers will have superior players at every position. No excuses. He needs a big game. The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is why Rodgers hasn’t had a big game in over a year. And more importantly, at 39, will he ever consistently have them again? It seems Gutekunst’s team, defense, special teams, and running the ball will have to carry the team yet again. While the old man is just along for the ride….
Hot Diggity!!
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Well fuck me Shannon Spake, a new article!
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So it dawned on me, where do the Packers receivers sit, compared to their peers.
It seems there are 17 1,000 plus yard receivers around the league.
The Packers #1 receiver has tallied an eye popping 747 yards.
A career year for the young man in yards and targets.
The Packers leading receiver ranks 38th in the NFL
But then again, we all knew receivers were going to be a problem, before the season started.
I’m wondering, did Gute know?
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Why is it, we’ve been talking about receivers since 2018? It’s 2023 for Christ sake.
How many years does our GM need?
Then some people wonder why Rodgers was pissed they didn’t take a receiver in 2020.
Not just in the 1st round….but they didn’t take one in the whole draft!
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Coming in at receiver #2 for the Packers, is Christian Watson at 507 yards.
Largely ineffective his first 9 games…87 yards, 0 TD’s, some drops, some injuries.
Watson had a nice 4 game stretch, plus a really nice game against the Eagles.
Watson did what he was supposed to do, show flashes his rookie year
Currently ranked 75th in the NFL
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He’s a rookie, he shouldn’t be expected to be our #1 or #2 receiver by anyone, unless they are learning disabled.
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Coming in 3rd is Tight end Robert Tonyan at 441 yards.
Currently ranking 95th amongst TE’s and WR’s.
Tonyan, for whatever reason has never got back to his one standout year of catching red zone TD’s of 2020, even though he’s gotten more targets this season.
His catch rate however, is still the Packers gold standard at 78%.
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But i just remembered hearing, that we don’t need receivers, so who GAF right?
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I’m not saying Gute sabotaged the receiver room to make Rodgers look bad (before 2022)
But i’m not saying he didn’t.
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Thompson or Wolf would NEVER have let the receiver room get that bare.
But then again, Those two are SB winning GM’s.
Looks like the bears were on the rise, after all.
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They went from the 2nd pick to the first overall pick of the draft, finishing the season at 3-14.
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Our on again, off again viking/Packerfan…..nailing it again!!
When Quay Walker scored a NINE on his Wonderlic, he over-performed. He way over performed. High athletic potential, low impulse control = idiot. If there is some sort of award for epic dumbassery in the NFL, getting ejected from two games in your rookie year, well then #7 has it all locked up. Just plain stooooopid.
You beat me to it Mitch, i’ve brought this up before on his last dunce move when he got ejected for stupidity.
There is a reason teams want a wonderlic score.
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If you watched the replays close, after the shove by Walker, Devonte Wyatt showed his intelligence by giving that same trainer a body shove. as if to say “don’t mess with us”
Interesting to note, Wyatt’s wonderlic score was lower than Walkers.
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Some of you noticed Nijman get pulled out for Zach Tom, problem is, Tom is playing as bad or worse than Nijman.
I saw that too. Both rookie first round picks pushing around a trainer from the opposing team. Brilliant.
16 offensive points. Another choke job for the offense when it counts.
We’ve seen this movie before. Key jon3s fumble…lack of red zone execution….up 16-13 in the 4th with the ball and don’t put them away…undisciplined play and the d folding when it counts.
I’m not mad at Rodgers…he’s the best packers player to ever lace em up. He’s not completely washed but I’m afraid if he comes back (which he probably will for that $$) he’s going to look like Brees on his farewell tour.
Everyone knew the offense wasn’t what it needed to be, before the season ever started.
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But it was ok because our running game and top 5 elite defense were going to carry the team. (i kept hearing).
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Rodgers got his ass kicked today. Is Billy Turner still available?
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Rodgers is going to come back Stigg, the questions are, will Jones?
Will we have this many rookies in the starting line up at one time again?
Will the team have any consistent receivers?
Are they going to push more money down the road?
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Do we have to rely on another draft class to determine the Packers success next season?
I mean…that seems to be a winning formula amirite?
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I remember some fool kept saying…”if you have to rely on a rookie draft class for success, you may have already lost.”
Can’t recall who said that.
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Call me crazy, but i’m not so sure having a 1st round pick sitting on the sideline for 4 years is in the best interest of the Green Bay Packers, or the best strategy to improve the talent and outcomes…on the field, where it actually counts.
If that’s going all in, then i’m too stupid to understand it.
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I love Jamaal Williams…God Bless your heart, be proud!!
Sorry for the double, this joint is going to shit and apparently, he doesn’t care.
I agree with your assesement of their strategy (or lack thereof) along with your critique of the pundits and Kool aid drinkers who thought this would be an all world defense based on 1 game against Jimmy g as qb. I could post at length why I wouldn’t be upset if the packers moved on from their entire coaching staff.
That being said..Rodgers isn’t Tom Brady…and I’m not talking about wins or being part of a perfect storm that was the patriots. I’m talking about that 100% tb12/ped obsession and lifestyle it takes to continue playing at this age. Rodgers passes have steadily been hanging in the air a little bit more and taking longer to get there…hes missed a lot of theows he used to arm flick with ease and he no longer has the quickness and movement to slip rushers and buy time (which is what truly made him magical).
I see him possibly succeeding if he play elsewhere in the right system but I fear he completely falls off the cliff if he sticks around gb next year
Everyone knew the offense wasn’t what it needed to be, before the season ever started.
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But it was ok because our running game and top 5 elite defense were going to carry the team. (i kept hearing).
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Rodgers got his ass kicked today. Is Billy Turner still available?
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Rodgers is going to come back Stigg, the questions are, will Jones?
Will we have this many rookies in the starting line up at one time again?
Will the team have any consistent receivers?
Are they going to push more money down the road?
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Do we have to rely on another draft class to determine the Packers success next season?
I mean…that seems to be a winning formula, amirite?
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I remember some damn fool kept saying…”if you have to rely on a rookie draft class for success, you may have already lost.”
Can’t recall who said that.
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Call me crazy, but i’m not so sure having a 1st round pick sitting on the sideline for 4 years is in the best interest of the Green Bay Packers, or the best strategy to improve the talent and outcomes…on the field, where it actually counts.
If that’s going all in, then i’m too stupid to understand it.
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Here’s the bottom line, Gute’s Jordan Love obsession, was short lived, thus woefully mismanaged.
The reality Packer Nation is looking at today…..
Under Gute/Murphy…this team, as we speak, has no direction.
BROKEN
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I love Jamaal Williams…Congrats on breaking Barry Sanders record.
God Bless your heart, be proud!!
Hard to be disappointed when most of us have been calling it all year. Whatever your complaint was we’ve seen it before with this team and when it counts it all merges together in the perfect shit show. Plenty of fault and blame to go around, but to even be in this position I still say we overachieved.
I know some people want to act like Matt LaFleur is a playcalling god because he did it for one year in Tennessee, but who the fuck thought it was a good idea to go for it on fourth down on their own 30 yard line in the first quarter? Not to mention a lateral run play to a WR. The Lions were instantly in FG range. They are also lucky that the defense held the Lions to a FG. Just dumb. Almost as dumb as Quay Walker.
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Can this team have a big time game without Aaron Jones fumbling the ball? How about Jamal Williams breaking Barry Sanders’ TD record and playing with a ton of drive. While impressive, I bet he wishes people talked about the size of his legs more often.
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This team needs to do better. Yes, Rodgers is a part of this team and that applies to him too. Rodgers didn’t want to give up his jersey at the end of the game and then he walks out arm in arm with Cobb. Who knows what next year looks like for this team but the are definitely some decisions that need to be made.
Funny you say that, a couple weeks ago an announcer called LaFleur a “genius play caller”.
I remember thinking….when did this happen, i musta missed it.
Collinsworth last night lauded Zach Tom for his play after replacing Nijman, then played like total dog shit the rest of the game.
Of course, brown noser Collinsworth said nothing.
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As far as Rodgers with the Jersey, and walk out with Cobb.
The end of the game is a pretty raw time for players
I think that’s just Rodgers, and i think that he may even want to walk away.
Maybe he kept the Jersey…just in case…
Like, IF the Packers cut him a big fat check to leave, and cut him
But i don’t know anyone who would turn down 59 million dollars to work for 6 months.
And come Sept, i still don’t think i’ll know anyone who would do that.
I wish I could quit this team and the NFL and do something else with my entertainment.
Although I will say that it was nice to see a playoff push. I had written off the Packers back in October as did most people. That being said, there isn’t much excitement ahead for next year.
Quay Walker is a bust who has two ejections in primetime games. Wyatt got his FIRST sack tonight. It only took 17 games. Campbell did nothing. And Douglas attempted to touch ball pre-snap on a Lion’s field goal which made no sense and was the weirdest thing I’ve seen all season.
The defensive rookies didn’t show enough for me to get hyped about the future. The team is kind of a mess regardless of Rodgers status for 2023, and I think he plays.
The Packers don’t have the culture to do what the Rams did to get their team to contention. So I expect another mediocre off-season with minimal personnel upgrades. Of course, the off season will consist of nothing else except Rodgers retirement rumors which ignores the fact that the Packers can’t build a good team. Meanwhile, you can watch the 49ers with the number 1 defense and Christian MacCafrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle get the number 2 seed even though they lost TWO Qbs to injuries. Would there be any team during the Rodgers era that could win over ten games without Rodgers? So who cares if Rodgers or Love plays? You’re going to get the same failure.
Nailin it!!
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You bring up McCaffrey, Samuel, Kittle, i’ll add in Aiyuk.
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Can you imagine Rodgers with these guys and that defense, i highly doubt they’d be 8-9
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What might have been for the 9’ers, if Gute traded Rodgers when San Fran came calling.
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Hell, it will be fun to watch that team with rookie 7th round pick leading the team.
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Joefan….you forgot one player who did, not a damn thing in that game.
13.9 million dollar Preston Smith.
You’re right I forgot about Preston Smith, although he doesn’t bother me as much. He still got close to 10 sacks this year and was the only pass rushing threat after Gary got hurt.
But you could make a long list of all the players who under perform. I just learned that Dean Lowry was hurt for this game but I didn’t even notice his play this year. Savage is another under performer, although since he moved to slot he looked better? The only problem now is that I don’t think they will need Savage at slot next year with Stokes returning from injury.
I think that the Packers should move on from Savage but I’m afraid we’re in another situation where the Packers choose the younger but worse player like when they released Micah Hyde because HaHa Clinton-Dix was still under contract. But I think that decision was already made. Adrian Amos is a free agent and the Packers exercised Savage’s fifth year option. Amos is better though. So the Packers will be worse at safety next year and just spend another year hoping that Savage develops.
The defense is still a mess though. They have to figure out safety, defensive line, and what to do with Preston Smith. I still think that they need to move on from Joe barry too. He isn’t the guy to maximize whatever potential this defense has.
add Stone hands, cooking Mits Dillon to the list
Not sure how the FK LaPew, Joe Barry & Gutekunst keep there jobs the week? Oh Yea its Packers thumb up the ass philosophy. Off season tumbleweeds getting ready to blow thru Lambeau. Titletown LMAO, should re-name it “Every 30 years”
Awe…someone is having fun with my username.
I’ll say it again…..
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PF4L 5 hours ago
“………..this joint is going to shit and apparently, he doesn’t care.
I love Jones but I just cant tolerate the fumbles in every big game hes been a part of that last 3 years.
Rodgers was VERY average yesterday, however our offensive live SUCKED major ass. What the hell happened? Can you imagine what San Frans dline would have done to us this weekend? Holy crap!
Joe Berry has to go; period.
Matt Laflunk is gonna get a pass this year; but like Bill Michels said today on the radio, the passes are all used up going forward. Another season like this one and we need to make a run at a veteran coach who can motivate guys and hold them accountable.