THE BIG UNEASY

Defense, Injuries and Drew Brees Sink Pack

The script was written and ready to be published. The Detroit Lions were down by a 21 – 0 count and the Packers took a 7-0 lead on an Aaron Rodgers bomb to Randall Cobb to open the Packers’ Sunday Night game in New Orleans. The bullet the Lions have dodged would finally find its’ mark and Rodgers and Cobb and Jordy Nelson would keep on posting off the chart numbers. The Pack would claim first place alone and the Lions would sink away like they usually do. While it wasn’t simultaneous it was all in place nonetheless.

Then…

Courtesy of some of the dumbest football seen this season the Atlanta Falcons melted down in the second half and those pesky Lions took not one but two shots at a game winning field goal with 4 seconds left, the second coming after the Lions were flagged for delay of game and a miss. The penalty and extra yards gave them extra life. After the Falcons inexplicably kept passing – with a lead – in the last minutes of the game – and kept missing the passes – the Lions roared back to grab another nail biter as time expired. The Falcons meltdown forced Green Bay into a keep pace with a win game in New Orleans. That didn’t follow the script at all as New Orleans upended the Pack in a wild 44-23 game that was no upset. New Orleans’ record of 2-4 is incredibly deceptive and they continued their mastery of the Packers at home in a boisterous Superdome Sunday night.

The loss on the field was made far more ominous when in another “Uh oh” moment Rodgers pulled up lame on a scramble as he grabbed the back of his left leg indicating a hamstring injury of some type. After Rodgers pulled up short the Packers pulled up stakes as Brees was relentless and perfect the remainder of the game. Brees truly owns the Packers D as he went yet another game with 32 attempts and no picks against Green Bay.  In the process Rodgers’ non-interception streak was broken not by one but two passes that bounced off receivers’ hands into the hands of the Saints opportunistic defense. For the year all 3 of Rodgers’ interceptions have come from deflections off the hands of the Packers’ intended targets. And from the point of Rodgers injury the Packers were never the same.

In a first period that saw Rodgers throw for over 200 yards and Eddie Lacy returning to his rookie of the year form the Pack could not punch the ball in from close range, settling for 3 Mason Crosby field goals instead. The expected point explosion and passing duel materialized on Sunday night. Forget about defense in this game; the official scorer needed a shorthand stenographer to keep up with the dizzying pace of the scoring. Drew Brees and Rodgers have had their own personal ‘anything you can do I can do better’ battle for some 5 years now and Brees is holding a decided edge.

After Rodgers led a scoring strike in the first minute Brees countered with one of his own. It took Rodgers 5 plays and 2 minutes to hit Cobb for a 70 yard catch and run and Brees took but 3:37 to drive the same 80 yards that ended with a TD run off a jet sweep by rookie Brandin Cooks to knot the score. After that it became a battle of missed opportunities and 3 pointers between Crosby and Saints K Shayne Graham. And there were chances aplenty for both teams in a game that featured gadgets and gimmicks most of which blew up in Mike McCarthy’s face.

Want gadgets? Try the Pack lining up with DE/ OLB Julius Peppers as a fullback and then sent in motion to the left where he was matched the height challenged Corey White. Up in the nosebleed sections everyone expected a jump ball toss from Rodgers to exploit Peppers 6’5” height and basketball background. But Peppers instead took a hard slant in and Rodgers fired an Aaron Rodgers dart. Rodgers’ receivers have grown accustomed to Rodgers’ fastballs. Peppers was not. “We practiced that (play) all week” said McCarthy. “He’s (Peppers) got to catch it.”

The ball clanked off his hands and the Packers were forced to settle for 3 in a head scratching end to the drive.

Want gimmicks? No sooner had the cigar blown up in McCarthy’s face an ill-timed and poorly executed onside kick attempt was trotted out on the ensuing kickoff. For those scoring at home what could have been a 14-7 Packer lead became a tie at 10 with Saints starting from near midfield after Crosby’s kick went out of bounds. Both McCarthy and Saints Head Coach Sean Payton have never been shy about trying the unexpected. Remember when Payton dialed up and onside kick to start a second half… in the Super Bowl? In the botched attempt to one-up Payton the Saints and Brees took the gift but the drive stalled inside the red zone as the Saints knotted the score.

In our previous edition we asked the question “Is the Packers defense better than their stats?” The definitive answer after Sunday’s game was a resounding “No.” Mark Ingram ran wild as he rolled to 172 yards on 24 carries. Most disturbing was Green Bay’s inability to hold the point of attack. The Packers’ run defense looked like a last place defense as not only was the defensive line overmatched the linebackers and DB’s put a clinic on of how not to tackle.

Ha Ha Clinton- Dix earned a starters role when S Morgan Burnett was scratched due to a calf injury. Clinton-Dix has steadily improved since his now comically feeble attempt and whiff on the Seahawks Ricardo Lockette in the season opener. But it was the Saints who were laughing as Ha Ha was credited with a generous “only” 3 missed tackles. Burnett’s absence also exposed the reliable Micah Hyde at the other S slot as Hyde and Tramon Williams were beaten terribly over the middle on a key 4^th down TD toss from Brees to TE Jimmy Graham in the 2^nd quarter.

Rodgers managed to gingerly take the ball in for a TD that gave the Packers the faintest of hope. But as soon as his injury became obvious the Saints ignored his ability to run and took the game to the Packers. There will be plenty of red faces in the film room this week. Rookie WR Davante Adams has grown immensely but had a rookie mistake when he caught a Rodgers toss for a first down but instead of securing the first down he moved backwards. When Payton challenged the spot of the ball he was rewarded and Adams was embarrassed. Perhaps nothing was more embarrassing that rookie center Corey Linsley absorbing an on field tongue lashing from an irate Rodgers after the Pack called for delay of game as Rodgers stood helplessly screaming and clapping for the ball in the Superloud Superdome. As soon as referee Ed Hochuli blew the whistle Rodgers literally crawled up his canter’s backside in an explicit tirade of frustration.

Rodgers hamstring was also compounded by the loss of RG T.J. Lang who left in the 2^nd quarter and did not return. His replacement Lane Taylor surrendered a sack on his first play. Lacy played like the Eddie Lacy most expected him to be but when Lang went out the Packers’ thinness in depth on the OLine was exposed. The Saints were able to collapse the pocket and load the left side when it became apparent the Packers had to run to the left side. LT David Bahktiari added to his disturbing league leading holding penalty total with 2 more in a game where only LG Josh Sitton stood out.

The Saints were very effective in taking Jordy Nelson out of the game. Matched against Saints CB Keenan Lewis Nelson was not able to shake the coverage enough to become a factor. The Saints were also aided in the fact that Rodgers could not step into and drive the ball off his left leg as he usually does.

Rodgers and Brees both passed for a staggering count to 418 and 311 yards respectively. Combined both teams amassed just short of 1,000 yards for the contest. The bye week hits the Packers at the right time. There is no help in the form of additional players coming. The woes of the run defense will be trumpeted often in the next two weeks and Rodgers health will turn many into arm chair physicians. To wit how much more does everyone know this year about how long a broken collarbone heals and how does it affect a franchise QB long term?

Rodgers insists he’ll be fine. No word on Lang yet. The biggest question is how to repair a defense that cannot stop the running game. Unless and until the Packers stop the run consistently they will face an uphill struggle as the season grinds on. With the Lions now sitting a game ahead of the Packers will have their work cut out for them.

The hope is Rodgers will be back in top form. The defense, on the other hand, still has far more questions.