The Packers earned a second straight win today vs. the Rams and are above .500 for the first time this year. The story today was the playmakers. Great teams find a way to make plays and it’s the playmakers who make it happen. Green Bay has to continue to find a way to get the ball into their hands each week and the results will be fruitful.
Randall Cobb was magnificent today with his first 2-TD game of his career. Many have been calling for the Pack to get the ball into Cobb’s hands and today proved why. On more than one occasion, Rodgers flipped a short pass to Cobb behind or near the line of scrimmage and he gained his yards with his feet. With Aaron Rodgers dealing with a sore calf, his mobility was limited today. Cobb made up for that when the pocket was closing in.
Jordy Nelson put together another solid outing. He was constantly open and had several catches for 7+ yards to keep drives moving and the clock rolling. He muscled his way for some extra yardage and showed, once again, that his size is an advantage for him. The TD catch was more Jordy being Jordy. Great chemistry with Rodgers on the back shoulder and just went up and got it.
James Jones had a few key catches today and continues to be very effective in the place of the injured Greg Jennings. Jones has honed in on being a primary target of late and will create a huge headache for opposing defenses when Jennings returns.
Clay Matthews just won’t quit. He had the Packers’ only true sack today and was the only defender who even sniffed Rams QB Sam Bradford. His motor is high and he is very disruptive. On one pass attempt he got a hand on a short pass by Bradford, which is something he has done many times in the past. Unfortunately the ball was still completed for a long play but Matthews gives the other defenders a chance to make plays as defenses have to account for and slide protection to him.
And last but not least, what more can be said about the play of rookie CB Casey Hayward? He had another INT today to bring his NFL-leading total to four on the season. He now has an INT in three straight games. He covered well and is playing beyond his rookie stature. Much like Jones filling in for Jennings, Hayward filled in brilliantly for the injured Sam Shields today. And with the return of CB Davon House, the Packers have some excellent depth in their secondary.
The Pack take their winning streak home to Lambeau Field next week to host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Be on the lookout for a preview of that one later this week.
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Jason Perone is an independent sports blogger writing about the Packers on AllGreenBayPackers.com
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Hmm… I kinda agree that there was only the Matthews sack, but when i checked the game stats on nfl.com, they give the Packers 3 sacks. Go figure.
The Walden sack was due to Bradford being stopped for no gain on a scramble. The Moses one was for Bradford running out of bounds for a loss of yardage on a pass play.
I believe both of these were coverage sacks which in my book is as important as “true” sacks. Hayward and the DB’s have shown great improvement over last years DB’s.
Last year the QB’s would run around a little, not be pestered by a Walden or Moses or Perry and find a receiver. This year’s team brings it and are getting respected so the coverage sacks will go up. Team D cover sacks are better in my book. (although those true sacks are fun to watch and help the DBs)
Bradford went out of bounds on one play, giving the nearest defender a sack.
Also, Hayward continues to show he is playing extremely well, despite those that doubt the ratings of profootballfocus.com. Defensive coordinators will have to start taking note of his play and think twice about going his direction. Three consecutive games is starting to show he’s not a fluke performer.
I updated the post to read “true” sack. I like that you guys and gals are reading carefully and we have some very smarts fans over here. . but wish there were more commments on the greater point of what is written. That said, thank you for reading!
Dont forget about John Kuuuuuuuuhn!
His hard nosed running,his blocking
skills, and his receiving ability
are keys to the success of the Packer
offense. He was an unsung hero today!
Kuhn was good today, no doubt but this was more about this season’s playmakers and how they emerged today vs. a “heroes of the game”. These are the guys who will make the biggest impact on the team’s success this season. I omitted Rodgers because it’s a given he is a playmaker but today’s performance was great. Probably should have added him.
Isn’t it absolutely awesome to hear his name in opposing stadiums? Don’t tell me the home team “doesn’t hear it”. Awesome!
I was so pumped to see Davon House back today, and i thought he played great. He did get burned a little bit for a TD, but left me feeling even better about our secondary.
This game just left me feeling good!
3 punts, long of 42, with 2 downed within the 20 yard line. Masthay continues to be a playmaker for the Packers.
He’s leading the league in punts inside the 20 and fair catches. Those are two important stats when the offense has been moving the ball and (sadly?) not allowing him to punt for distance. When does ESPN come out with a punter rating system?
Masthay has been great and they should give them (punters) something to rate by. . but if we’re counting on him as a true “playmaker” in terms of what this piece is about, then the issues are many. Masthay doesn’t put points on the board per se. He’s out when the offense fails to convert.
No doubt, field position is important and the Packers WILL punt the ball this year, but the playmakers who will determine this team’s fate are those mentioned and Rodgers.
I see what you’re saying, but I have to disagree as to what constitutes a “playmaker.” We have 11 men out there, each trying to make a play on every snap. Most of those individual plays do not involve bringing the ball across the goal line.
The object of the game is to have more points on the board than your opponent when time runs out. We have a lot of great players who contribute to that goal by executing and doing their jobs at a high level without necessarily having to score points to do so. Tim Masthay is definitely one of those players in my book.
By that logic, Brett Goode is a playmaker. He’s spectacular every snap he makes.
He certainly is. He does his job and he does it well every time. When’s the last time a bad snap cost us points or led to a blocked punt?
I agree he does his job very well. The fight is becoming one of semantics. Should a person be considered a play maker because he is a mistake avoider? I don’t think so. That idea starts the defense for Jay Cutler being a play maker.
You’re right, it has become a semantic argument. My point is simply that a guy can be a valuable contributor without being the one who scores the points or creates the turnover. I think we’ve got a number of guys on our squad who do an excellent job while toiling in relative anonymity.
As to your other point, I guess I need to watch some more film on Cutler. Last time I watched him he wasn’t exactly playing mistake-free football.
LOL…he’s not. However, if I were to start the “Jay Cutler is a playmaker” club, I would almost be forced to start by saying “well, he limits the number of mistakes he makes”.
Masthay does’t put points on the board? Last I checked he’s the only other Packer with a throwing TD this year
Masthay dominates special teams, which is 1/3 of the game of football. He, along with Bush, eliminate the other team’s playmakers.
I think you’re getting a bit technical, BrianD. OK, he has a throwing TD compared to how many scores over their career by the others mentioned including Matthews? I said “doesn’t put points on the board per se” because I haven’t forgotten that TD pass so I think I’m covered there. I’ll be surprised to see him throw another and will leave it at that.
We can sit here and argue every minute detail until we discover that the sky really isn’t blue. The post is about the players who will be relied on MOST week in and week out for this team to win. If Masthay falls into the “most” category, he’s on the field way too much and there are bigger issues.
I kinda liked Dezman Moses sending a message with that hard hit to Jackson on the pass to the flat. I know they’re making an emphasis of those ‘defenseless receiver’ calls this year, but St Louis, and Finnegan in particular, like to play up the bully role, nice that we could reciprocate. For once. Man, do I miss Bishop’s hitting.
Good win on the road, it will be nice to play 2 home games and go into the bye at 6-3. After the bye the Packers will be rested and healthy and ready for the home stretch. They should finish no worse then 11-5. I hope that will be enough to win the division.
Positives today…Arod, recievers, punter, young DBs, Cave-MANthews.
Negatives today, O-line, run game, D-line, kicker
No pass rush today and a high run avg by our D. The Rams D line was working our O-line pretty good. The Packers trenches need to tuffin up
I hope Benson is back at 100% by mid Dec and for the playoffs
haha, he said tuffin!!
Tuffin is slang for toughen…as in man up ..our O line was man handled to day and our D front wasn’t much better. This needs to improve during the home stretch and into the playoffs.
I want the Rams o-line coach.. They had 2 starters out and still managed to bitch slap our D-line… Is the O-line pissed at Rodgers or something or are they that bad?