Well I wouldn’t jump to conclusions quite yet. But let’s be honest…Saturday night’s game against the 49ers was tough to watch with mistake after mistake leaving the Packers in the dust with a 34-6 loss.
Even with some well placed passes by Rodgers, and a surprising performance by rookie Jordy Nelson (I think we’ve found our kickoff returner), the team as a whole just seemed out of sync all night long.
With less than 200 yards of total offense, 3 turnovers, and 6 sacks (which ties us for 1st place in the league for highest number), the offense just couldn’t seem to get into any type of rhythm. Not to mention that they converted only 2 of 14 third downs.
The worst part is that it would have been a much closer game if the Packers had at least delivered on the fundamentals. If you are an NFL receiver and a pass is thrown that you are able to get 2 hands on, you need to catch it! I might expect it from a rookie in the preseason, even though they are competing for their careers…but not the veterans. Both Driver and Lee, with 10 and 6 years under their belts, dropped what would have been touchdown passes. And do I even need to say anything about the number of sacks? Maybe the QB could have gotten the ball off quicker, or scrambled more…or maybe the O-line could have stuck their blocks a little better. The 49ers defense was just hitting harder than the Pack was.
Things were looking up for the defense when Woodson pulled down that interception, and for the majority of the first half with a consistently solid secondary. But again they lost it in the 2nd half. Jarrett Bush seemed like he just couldn’t stick with his receiver, and the defense as a whole just couldn’t seem to make a solid hit. Wrap up! Hit lower! Do not arm tackle! You might as well have asked if he would like a glass of champagne on his way past you. But these are all things that are easy to fix and that I’m sure will be embedded in their brains come Monday.
Possibly the worst part of the whole game was when they kept showing us highlights of the Jets game and Favre was killing it, as usual. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy for both Favre and Rodgers and I am confidant that Rodgers will have a good season this year…but it stung to see since the Packers were losing so bad.
So how are the Packers stacking up to the Jets right now?
According to NFL.com, after 2 preseason games, the Packers come in at #20 overall in passing yds/game with 176, and the Jets roll in at #2 with 265.5. Ouch. But on the ground we average 4.7 yds/carry while the Jets are only at 2.9.
So even though the Packers did have a rough one, keep in mind that this is what the preseason is for: making mistakes, trying people out in different areas, and to see who wants the roster spots more. Also, this is still a young team that is trying to come together under a new QB after a media circus, so do not discount them yet.
What to watch for this week?
The Packers will play the Broncos on Friday night in Denver and will have to bring the heat. This week the Broncos came out hard against the Cowboys and played an all around solid game taking down a 23-13 win.
QB Jay Cutler went 10 for 10 on their first 2 drives against a top Cowboys defense to score 2 TDs. Receivers Marshall and Royal seem to make quite the dynamic duo and will be tough to contain.
Broncos’ defense also had a great game, limiting the 1st string offense to zero points, Romo to 33 yds passing, and Barber to 22 yards on the ground. Impressive.
I feel like it’s either going to be a great game or another tough loss. We’ll have to wait and see who wants it more, and if the Packers can fix enough glitches over the next 4 days of practice.
Man Law of the Day:
#91 "At no point does any man who is cooking outdoors have to consider dietary restrictions of his guests, such as veganism, vegetarianism, South Beach diet, or any other trendy weight-loss diet we are not aware of. If you don't want to eat a juicy flame broiled burger, then don't go to a goddamn barbeque." -Man, The Book