This felt a lot like the games when AR12 broke his collarbone and you could just see the promise of the season evaporate as the training staff walked onto the field. Did you feel some of that as well when they lost Watson to start the third quarter? We watched GB pull the biggest comeback in Packer history in Dallas one of those seasons, but who can be Matt Flynn and Eddie Lacy for this crew?
There are plenty of candidates. Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks – we all saw what he did on Thanksgiving. Josh Jacobs can still anchor this offense. No, it won’t be the same, and yes, the offense really struggled in the second half without Watson, but that defense is the best one the Packers have faced or will face all season, playoffs included. Now they will practice and work on game plans without Watson, and prepare accordingly. On defense, there’s Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, maybe Brenton Cox Jr.. As always, it’ll be a collective effort. This season just got a lot more difficult for the Packers. No denying that. But there’s a lot to play for and a lot of players who will get a chance to shine. Let’s see what happens.
Absolutely brutal loss, and I’m not talking about the game. We are going to need guys to step up, and that starts with Love.
The Packers still have their QB, and one rough half of football won’t deter him. Love is the least of my worries as this team goes into rebound and readjustment mode.
Crushing injuries. Crushing loss. Too much to overcome?
We’ll find out. The timing here is really tough. It took the offense a little while to find itself after the Tucker Kraft and Elgton Jenkins injuries. There’s no time for a lull as adjustments are made again. Defensively, Hafley may have to summon his creativity from last year as far as dialing up pressures. But again, time is of the essence in figuring it out.
Are the Packers one of the top 10 teams in the League? Yes, of course they are. But, there are a couple of things that keep them from being elite. Two things I see happening repeatedly. One, is that the linebacker pass coverage is poor, or whatever it is we’re doing (not doing?) in the middle of the field between the line of scrimmage and 10-15 yards downfield. And, the other is that we don’t take advantage of the turnover plays when they are presented to us. The elite teams make those plays!
I don’t know enough about X’s and O’s to know what’s going on with those coverages. All I know is I saw the Packers in zone and man and it didn’t matter to Nix. He carved them up. As for the turnover plays, the opportunities have been there all season. Not cashing in on those chances alters everything about how a defense looks.
Sue from Libertyville, IL
Heartbreaking injury for Parsons and Packers going forward. Any clues why the pass defense in zone or man-to-man played so poorly? Was it LaFleur’s play calling or Denver’s top defense that resulted in lack of crosser routes over the middle?
Lack of crosser routes? The second INT was a crosser that was thrown behind Wicks. It’s also tough to hit crossers when the QB is constantly moving in the pocket anyway. Love was getting the ball out lickety-split in the first half. When the Broncos tightened up and he had to hold the ball longer, their pass rush took over.
Looking back on the fourth quarter, it seemed that all four of Denver’s defensive linemen were unblockable. I didn’t see many blitzes either. How did our offensive line suddenly completely fall apart? Yes, Z. Tom got hurt, but seriously? We were manhandled up front.
That bunch has 58 sacks for a reason. You have to block them for 60 minutes, and the Packers didn’t get to the finish line. That’s what’s so hard about a pass rush that doesn’t allow the protection unit to key on one guy. They weren’t going to just give up because they weren’t getting the pressure they were accustomed to early on. They kept attacking, all the way to the end, and on the last three drives, they knew the Packers had to throw.
Who will win the Super Bowl this year? Every time when we play the Broncos we think about Super Bowl 32 defeat to the Broncos. Bo Nix looks like younger version of John Elway.
Nix was outstanding Sunday. I knew he was pretty good but I was super impressed. I think the Broncos will be really tough to beat in the AFC playoffs at home. New England is very good, Houston’s defense is for real, and Buffalo will have the most playoff experience in that field, but Denver is headed for the No. 1 seed and will be a very tough out at home.
