CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Panthers Maul Pack; Vikes Tie for North Lead

 

 

It couldn’t have started much worse for the Green Bay Packers as they squared off with the NFC’s last unbeaten team in Carolina against Cam Newton and the Panthers.  It hasn’t been a secret that the Packs offense has been in a funk of late but in the first half that funk took on a stench that filled the Bank of America Stadium. Once again the Packer’s offense stalled and sputtered, facing repeated 3^rd and longs and not finishing. Eddie Lacy continued his poor showing thus far and the defense couldn’t contain Cam Newton. Now throw in the defenses’ inability to stop the big play and a recipe for disaster was brewing and it couldn’t have had a much worse ending. Although Rodgers brought the Pack back and finished the day with 331 yards passing, 4 TD’s and 1 INT it was a case of too little too late.

In stunning fashion Newton outdueled Aaron Rodgers and it was Newton, not Rodgers that was

hitting the big bombs. Newton’s big heave found rookie Devin Funchess for 52 yards that set up a Carolina TD. Newton’s first half alone saw him throw for 209 yards and 2 TD’s and also pick up another 37 in the ground. Had it not been for James Starks who picked up 29 yards on 6 carries the first half for the Packers could have only been worse. Lacy’s woes running the ball continued as he turned it over with a fumble despite bulling his way in for Pack’s only score of the first half

The defense wasn’t exempt form criticism as they had no answers at all for Newton. Newton led a thorough domination of the first half that threatened to make the game a laugher as they took a 27 – 7 lead into the locker room at the half. Before a national audience the Packers put every facet of poor play on display. Penalties, big plays, sacks, dropped balls and Rodgers’ uncharacteristic off target throws had to give the young Panthers a sense they had the game in the bag. The commentary about the Panthers is they really haven’t beaten anybody yet. With only the second biggest deficit Rodgers has seen since the Pack trailed the Cowboys in ’13 by 23 that saw the Pack come storming back for a huge win Rodgers had the unenviable task of trying to make s game of a 20 point hole the Pack had dug for themselves..

Down by 20 at the half the Packers came roaring out in the 2^nd half and looked like the dominant

team they looked like through the first 6 games of the year. It took Rodgers only 1 minute to hit Cobb on a bomb that closed the gap to 27- 14. But after a 3 and out penalties and sacks kept the Pack looking like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. Green Bay was forced to abandon its’ running game altogether as Rodgers faced a daunting task of trying to pull the Packers back into the game.

Carolina would have none if it. The staunch Panther D led by Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis kept the pressure on Rodgers as they continually harassed and hurried him into poor positional throws. By the middle of the 3^rd quarter Lacy’s stat line was an embarrassing 3 yards on 4 carries with one lone TD and one fumble. Mike McCarthy has been very vocal about Lacy’s lack of production and a game like this may land Lacy in McCarthy’s doghouse. He won’t be alone. TE Richard Rodger’ drops and poor route running has left a hole that becomes more obvious every week. With TE Andrew Quarless on the IR Designated to Return list the lack of production from the TE spot has left a burden on the wideouts they have not been able to shoulder.

Take nothing away from Carolina. They came prepared to play and for the second straight week a

playoff caliber opponent has taken the Pack to the woodshed. Green Bay has not played up to a playoff- caliber level. Early in the 4^th quarter McCarthy was forced to make a dicey challenge of the spot when Newton scrambled for a first down. The Pack had already wasted a timeout on a clock that ran down and being down 16 in the 4^th the gamble paid off as the ball was moved back enough inches to overturn the call. It went for naught as the Packers offense fizzled. One noticeable change was seldom used TE Justin Perillo replaced the struggling Richard Rodgers.

He won’t be alone. The Packers defense has been awful in the past 3 games surrendering all but 500 yards per game to San Diego and Philip Rivers career day of 500+ passing yards, Denver and now Newton and the Panthers who made a statement they are to be taken for real. A Packers defense that was a swarming, ballhawking D has suddenly become a bumbling band of bozos that can’t make a play, force a turnover or get a sack. To illustrate the frustration of their poor play with 9 minutes left S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was seen popping off to Julius Peppers on the sidelines that quickly denigrated into a full blown ugly confrontation when B.J. Raji came over into the argument and escalated it with an embarrassing shove of the young safety, a scene that was hardly the embodiment of a championship team. Peppers had been giving the overworked secondary a tongue lashing and Clinton-Dix jumped back in the face of Peppers that led to Raji and DE Mike Pennel yelling right back and a scene that will play out on Sportscenter all week.

Clinton-Dix may have picked a horribly inopportune spot to blow off to the esteemed Peppers;

Clinton-Dix had been victimized by Funchess and TE Greg Olsen for long completions and TD’s that should have kept his mouth shut. The Packers D has plummeted in every category statistically and there should be some red faces this week. The only Packers player who may be exempt from criticism is RB James Starks who provided a late spark with his dynamic cutback TD run after he grabbed a short toss from Rodgers.

Rodgers made a late bid as he hit James Jones over the middle for a huge first down in 4^th and long. Jones took the ball away from Josh Norman who came into the game as the NFL’s highest rated CB. Starks helped to key the drive that closed the gap to 37 – 29 when rookie Damarious Randall came up with a huge pick that gave the Pack life in spite of themselves on the Panther 22. As Newton tried to hit Ted Ginn Jr. on the sideline Randall alertly jumped the route and while he bobbled the ball that gave the Packer faithful a few more grey hairs during the review the call was confirmed giving Rodgers another shot late to try and knot the game. Carolina dominated the game but somehow the Packers came back in spite of their poor play and in fighting.

Despite their erratic play the Pack still had a shot with 2 minutes left facing 4^th down from the

Panther 4 yard line. The Packers not only had closed the gap they had also narrowed the yardage totals of both teams as they posted over 400 yards as did Carolina.

But it was not to be. As he was all game Rodgers was hounded by Kawaan Short and did not have enough time to spot a wide open and alone Randall Cobb in the end zone. Perhaps fittingly for this disjoint, uneven game Rodgers threw a desperation duck up that was picked off by LB Thomas Davis to seal the important win for the Panthers. The shot of Rodgers disgustedly throwing his tablet to the ground when he saw how wide open Cobb really was spoke volumes and summed up the game in one moment.

McCarthy has his work cut out for him. With Minnesota winning to tie the Pack at the top of the NFC North the Packers have a 2 game losing streak and have fallen from the league’s elite. The Pack will deservedly come under the heat of the microscope and now will have to scramble to just regain their footing. The mistakes committed by the Packers – penalties, sacks, lack of sacks and pressure, poor execution, turnovers, dropped balls and missed tackles are among the issues facing McCarthy and Dom Capers this week.

Green Bay has frittered away a big lead to Minnesota in the standings and with the loss and the

Vikings win over the Rams the Packers cannot afford to look beyond Detroit next week to their matchup against Minnesota in 2 weeks. Carolina has solidified their status as the best in the NFC. Green Bay has opened themselves to intense scrutiny. While the comeback fell just short nothing and no one on the Packers is above reproach at the moment.

After two straight games of not only poor play the Packers are now fighting among themselves. The Vikings are coming while the Pack is falling. And the moment of truth is at hand.