Green Bay Packers
Three to Focus on: Bears @ Packers, Week 16
The only game on Christmas Day is an ancient rivalry as well as a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship and a close Week 3 battle. This game could have been a lot more interesting had Jay Cutler and Matt Forte not been injured earlier in the year, but the Chicago Bears, who are still fighting to keep their slim postseason hopes alive, will have to go on without them. In the midst of a four game losing streak, they are coming off a 38-14 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, who they beat there last January in a playoff game.
The Green Bay Packers are coming off a much more shocking loss to the Kyle Orton-led Kansas City Chiefs, their first loss of the season. The injuries the defending champs have endured haven’t been as devastating as the Bears’ injuries (starting QB and starting RB), but they have made QB Aaron Rodgers’ health going forward a concern; they lost two right tackles just last week, are currently on a backup left tackle, and Rodgers suffered two concussions last season. So neither squad is anywhere near 100% healthy.
Re-Focused: Packers @ Chiefs, Week 15
Green Bay’s quest for an undefeated season skidded right off the rails and buried itself into the scenery at Arrowhead Stadium this week. While everybody else was talking about what point in the game the Packers were going to pull their starters for a well-earned rest, Kyle Orton was out to remind everybody that he can play football pretty well at times.
The Chiefs really dominated this game and should have been well ahead at the half, but for their complete inability to convert on three trips into the red zone. In the end, they survived a brief comeback by the Packers to get their first win without Todd Haley at the controls. Orton also had a nice advantage of this being his second time around against the Packers, having faced them when he led the Broncos back in Week 4.
For the Packers things simply just weren’t firing. Aaron Rodgers seemed strangely off target, and then his O-line started to drop like flies and leak pressure badly, making his job even harder. Let’s find out what else went on in one of the biggest surprise games of Week 15.
Three to Focus on: Packers @ Chiefs, Week 15
As the Green Bay Packers enter their final road game of the season, coaches and players are starting to embrace the pursuit of perfection. With home field advantage all but sewn up, it could prove hard to maintain an edge over these final three games. So suddenly, the push for 16-0 now becomes a motivator–instead of a distraction.
The Chiefs officially ended the Todd Haley experiment and have installed defensive coordinator and former Browns head coach, Romeo Crennel as the interim. Last year, many teams saw a resurgence after mid-season coaching changes. The Chiefs could be next. Now a longshot for the NFC West division title and a playoff berth, Kansas City could certainly be finding their own motivation in the Packers’ current win streak, as in being the team that ends it.
Re-Focused: Raiders @ Packers, Week 14
Green Bay’s quest for the perfect season remains on course. The latest team to step up to the plate and try to derail their season was the Oakland Raiders. At 46-16, it’s safe to say they didn’t pose too much of a threat.
The Packers were rolling early in the game and Carson Palmer showed some of the poor play that he showed in his later time in Cincinnati, as if the three-week warranty had worn off on his resurgence in Oakland.
Green Bay led 31-0 at the half and was really just on cruise control in the second half, and Oakland rolled over for the second week on the bounce, threatening to limp their way out of playoff contention in the AFC West
Three to Focus on: Raiders @ Packers, Week 14
The Raiders started the season with high hopes and, with the Chargers and Chiefs slumping, the division looked like it was theirs for the taking. Then in Week 6, quarterback Jason Campbell was lost for the season. In a move that looked like desperation, the Raiders traded a pair of high future draft picks to acquire Carson Palmer.
Things started to look like they would work out for the Radiers, and then Tim Tebow and the Broncos decided it was their turn to make a run for the division. A loss last week to the Dolphins didn’t help matters, and now they have the undefeated Packers on the schedule. Green Bay looked almost beatable last week against the Giants, but a two minute drill worked to perfection to keep the Packers perfect.
While things might not look good for the Raiders, the Packers are beatable. If Oakland is going to do it, this is how they are going to get it done.
Re-Focused: Packers @ Giants, Week 13
I wasn’t confident enough about it to actually pick them, but I did have a feeling all along that this game could have ended up an upset, with the Giants coming out on top.
As it turns out, it wasn’t quite to be as the Packers escaped with their perfect record intact but the Giants made it tough for them, and could well have ended up on the winning side had any one of three major reviews gone in their favor.
The Giants opened the scoring, putting the Packers behind for the first time in a month, but in the end Aaron Rodgers was able to show his class and drive down the field effortless with the win on the line and put them in position for a comfortable field goal attempt. Let’s look at that special player and more in our performances of note.
Three to Focus on: Packers @ Giants, Week 13
It was 17-straight wins ago that a desperate Packers team hosted the Giants on a cold, late December afternoon at Lambeau Field. Green Bay had just come off two close losses and their playoff hopes were hanging by a thread. The Packers’ 45-17 victory would mark the start of a winning streak that would eventually crown them World Champions, and almost a year later, put them in a position to clinch a playoff berth with another win.
The Giants are in the midst of what is seems to be their perennial late-season collapse. They’ve lost three in a row, including last Monday’s disheartening defensive meltdown against the Saints. They appeared out of sorts trying to keep up with New Orleans’ pre-snap looks — and after the snap, things got much worse. New York gave up a humiliating 577 yards of total offense to go along with 31 first downs. There’s no doubt the Packers could post similar numbers if the Giants can’t right the ship. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Packers @ Lions, Week 12
Wasn’t this meant to be the Turkey Day where Detroit held their own? Showed the world they were no pushovers?
Instead, they ended up as the 11th victim for the Green Bay Packers in 2011, with the headlines ‘earned’ by Ndamukong Suh for his antics, as opposed to an encouraging defensive display that kept the Packers in check for large portions of the game. It’s something of a shame that won’t be mentioned more, but an inept offensive display meant the Lions never capitalized on a golden opportunity to pick up a Thanksgiving win.
The Packers secured the win, but at what cost? By the end of the game they were down three starters, losing both inside linebackers and star right guard Josh Sitton. The severity of the injuries are unknown, but any long lasting damage to any of the three, especially Sitton and Desmond Bishop, could have huge implications down the road. Let’s look at some of their replacements and more in our performances of note.
Three to Focus on: Packers @ Lions, Week 12
For weeks, fans have been looking forward to the Thanksgiving matchup between the Packers and Lions as the potential matchup where Green Bay could get their first loss. While Detroit has lost three of their last five (to the 49ers, Falcons, and Bears), this is the first Thanksgiving in ages where they have been relevant in their national spotlight game. This is also the third time in six years the Packers have faced Detroit on Thanksgiving and head coach Mike McCarthy noted that they had a developed a much better grasp of the logistics for a game like this.
While everything the Packers have been doing on offense points to them ending up 11-0 at the end of the day, the last time Aaron Rodgers lost was actually to the Lions. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Buccaneers @ Packers, Week 11
When Green Bay raced away to a 14 point lead at the start of the second quarter, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was going to be another routine for the defending Super Bowl champions. Instead a resilient Tampa Bay fought back and managed to keep this surprisingly competitive before the Packers put their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter. Not perfect by any means, but these kind of performances are why they remain the class of the NFL.
Indeed even with Aaron Rodgers off form, (by his standards if not anyone else’s) they made enough plays on both sides of the ball to always keep the Bucs out of striking range. A shame for Tampa Bay as after two pitiful performances they actually showed what they were capable of this one, with Josh Freeman finally starting to look like the QB we saw last year.
Ultimately though it was another defeat for TB, and another victory for GB, so let’s see how it played out.
 |
|