Falcons: 33 Packers: 32 The Good, Bad and Ugly
Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Demetri Goodson (Yep)
Jordy Nelson's Dropped Passes, Knile Davis, Datone Jones
Pass Defense, Turnover On Downs In Crunch Time
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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (67)
RCPackerFan
October 30, 2016 at 08:45 pm
Good: Rodgers, Adams, Allison, Trevor Davis, Ripkowski, Gunter.
Bad: Richard Rodgers, Pass defense, Janis not finding the punt that would have pinned Atlanta at about the 1.
Ugly: injuries... this game is different if we aren't playing without 6+ starters.
Amanofthenorth
October 30, 2016 at 11:03 pm
I can't imagine why the pass d wasn't great against the lowly Falcons. Just can't imagine at all.
Up and coming Good: Gunter and Brice.
RCPackerFan
October 30, 2016 at 11:40 pm
Yeah I didn't want to put pass defense in the bad, but just felt like there wasn't much choice.
Gunter maybe our best CB even after Randall, Rollins and Shields come back.
Brice... man that guy hits! He absolutely stoned that RB at the goal line!
I have said it before but Brice needs to be on the field more.
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 09:32 am
Agree on Brice but concerned we will somehow lose him because of indifference and our stubborness to keep others on roster, say like Goodson. Guy looks like a football player to me.
croatpackfan
October 31, 2016 at 09:46 am
Do you really thinks that Brice can play for Goodson, that he can play CB? If not someone else not named Goodson should play instead of Goodson... Will that one would be guilty for possible release of Brice?
Wally Florez
October 30, 2016 at 08:48 pm
Maybe it's time to change head coach and defense coach? We're predictable offensively and defensively
stockholder
October 30, 2016 at 08:51 pm
GO Fishing!
Amanofthenorth
October 30, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Ice fishing this time of the year in his home stAte of Minnesota
Packer_Pete
October 31, 2016 at 05:57 am
"We're predictable offensively" - only when the regular starters will be back... Yesterday was as diverse and unpredictable as I've seen the Packers play in a long time...
KenEllis
October 30, 2016 at 08:49 pm
Good = MM's offensive approach, Rodgers, Adams, Allison, T. Davis, Janis, Gunter, & Goodson.
Bad = MM's usage of TOs, running game, pass rush.
Ugly = Richard Rodgers & Dom's bend-don't-break D in the final 4 minutes.
Packer_Pete
October 31, 2016 at 06:01 am
I would add Jordy Nelson's play into the ugly category - Love him to death, but his best days are behind him. Can't run away from CBs anymore. That failure to just fall down when he already had the 1st down and went backwards instead is inexplicable. Yes, he was bailed out by the 12 men on the field penalty, but man this is not the Jordy of old. Yes, he had the TD, but his overall play was beyond bad...
And I cannot put Goodson into the good category. Not sure what everyone else saw, but he can't cover anybody. And for a guy who is supposedly one of the if not the fastest guy on the team, he certainly looked very pedestrian compared to Gabriel...
stockholder
October 30, 2016 at 08:50 pm
The Good: A-rod using all his WRs! Rip! Davis punt return. The Bad: 3rd Quarter. The Ugly: Adams route at the end of the Game.
cpabandit
October 30, 2016 at 09:11 pm
I disagree with with the Ugly. Rodgers had no right throwing the ball 25 years twice when all he needed was three yards for a first down. He still had a time out and enough time to pick up the years needed for a field goal. Nope, Rodgers played like the old Rodgers but made the same mistakes the old Rodgers made.
EdsLaces
October 30, 2016 at 09:15 pm
Seriously? You still going on about the stupid 3 yards crap? There was 20 seconds left we can't be trying to pick up just 3 fn yards. And still have 40 more to get for a fg try....wake up.
johngalt
October 30, 2016 at 10:38 pm
Easy dude
NickPerry
November 01, 2016 at 06:02 am
But Ed, he didn't have a clue Rodgers was throwing, actually had thrown the ball behind and outside him. I can't recall a single pass going to Richard Rodgers either.
Amanofthenorth
October 30, 2016 at 10:45 pm
While A rod was very good, the all pass approach was resulting in a powerful pass rush. Imho he slipped a bit back to the hanging on to the ball approach as the Falcons were raging. But there are a lot of good things about this game considering the outcome.
rdent
October 31, 2016 at 03:47 pm
cpabandit,AR would have had one more TO on the last drive if he didn't have to use one in the 3rd quarter because he ran the play clock down trying to get an offsides, I would like to know how many TO's he has used so far this season trying to get 5 yards...not that it would have necessarily made a difference at the end of this game.
stockholder
November 01, 2016 at 09:26 pm
Yes he did have a right. He's your QB. The problem was he made a gesture to Adams after the pass. Game over! It was a cut sign. My point to ugly refers to the 3 yards needed. Why do we keep sending Adams down field when he can only catch short? Dude's something wrong with his vision. Keep Adams 10 yards close to A-rod. Thats why it was ugly! 3 yards keeps it going.
EdsLaces
October 30, 2016 at 08:58 pm
Good our offense...bad our secondary and pass rush. SUPA-BAD- who is our Running Back?? Don't say Rip either.
jh9
October 31, 2016 at 01:57 am
Good - 24 points in the 1st half
Bad - 0 points in the 3rd quarter
Ugly - MM's "rousing" halftime speech
Idiot Fan
October 30, 2016 at 09:34 pm
I disagree about Datone. He got some pressures, and that roughing penalty was total garbage.
ZacharyJacobson
October 30, 2016 at 09:39 pm
I've spoken so highly on Datone and his expanded position for the last few months. Today, he was so-so. In my eyes, at least, below average compared to how well he's been playing this season.
rdent
October 30, 2016 at 11:15 pm
I agree that was a total B.S.call,that late hit on AR was a lot worse.
Since'61
October 30, 2016 at 10:05 pm
Good: A. Rodgers, Rip, T. Davis, Geronimo, D. Adams. D. Gunther,
Bad: Defense, could not stop Alt running game and could not protect the lead after Packers went ahead 30-26.
Ugly: Janis on punt that should have been downed at the 1. Dix and Burnett MIA on Alt's game winning TD.
We needed Perry to have a big game and he did not come up big. Once again we have no one on defense who can step up and take over a game and wreck an opponent's game plan. Thanks, Since '61
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 12:11 am
That player that we have that can wreck offensive game plans was put in the game. Mathews is still our most explosive defensive player.
Since'61
October 31, 2016 at 09:15 am
RC - Mathews has made many great plays over the years but he has rarely taken over a game like Reggie White or Ray Nitschke would do, especially at key times in a game when the defense needs to make stops. During the Falcons final drive we had little to no pressure on Ryan. No Daniels, No Perry, etc... Now part of that I put on Capers. He needed to blitz Ryan and at least make him move around and possibly force a bad throw and a pick. But he stuck with coverage as he always does and he lost again. SMH. Thanks, Since '61
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 09:38 am
Totally agree Since 61. And that coverage approach never works and has actually gotten worse.
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 09:43 am
Mathews is kind of like how Finley was for the Packers offense. While he maybe didn't always get the big time stats, his presence is felt. He forces offenses to pay attention to where he is at, at all times.
Mathews presence in the game yesterday would have made a difference.
I agree though. Capers needed to come up with some blitzes to attack Ryan more. Try and make him more uncomfortable.
My biggest complaint about Capers is he gets to conservative if he gets beat.
croatpackfan
October 31, 2016 at 09:52 am
Since, I think that most teams are doubling Clay, and that makes Perry able to produce. When Clay is out, Perry is island. Only 2 sacks came from inside, from Daniels and Julius (when he played DE)...
PETER MAIZ
October 31, 2016 at 12:12 am
How about Mathews who didn't play?
Packer_Pete
October 31, 2016 at 06:04 am
13 tackles and 3 sacks this season - his best days are way behind him...
lebowski
October 30, 2016 at 10:23 pm
Good; Team showed great resiliency
Ugly; Rodgers has to stop calling out his receivers on the field. Yes, he was great today. He's been downright shitty for many weeks.
johngalt
October 30, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Missed him calling anyone out- fthat happened- totally agree.
lebowski
October 31, 2016 at 06:57 am
Mostly referring to the final play, when he chose to once again let the viewing world know it was Adams' fault by glaring and gesturing.
rdent
October 31, 2016 at 07:24 am
I saw that and it is very unprofessional of AR. Save it for the film room.
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 04:15 pm
Yes. Has to be the worst quality a QB and supposed team leader should have. Love Rodgers but I absolutely hate that part.
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 04:16 pm
And I might add:
It's like having a star teammate or boss thats a dick
4thand1
October 30, 2016 at 10:59 pm
We have to be able to run..............real ugly
Bearmeat
October 30, 2016 at 11:12 pm
If there is such a thing as an "encouraging" loss this was it. Down six starters.
If the pass O stays potent like it has been and we get healthy, we're going to be very very dangerous come January.
Gotta get a semblance of a running game going though.
rdent
October 30, 2016 at 11:17 pm
AR was their running game today.
PETER MAIZ
October 31, 2016 at 12:18 am
Down 6 starters not good but some of the rookies came through. Cobb out, Monty out and Mathews out. But it seemed that the O line was not protecting Rodgers enough. I think Lang was sidelined (?).
4thand1
October 31, 2016 at 12:48 am
GB was one dimensional, Atlanta didn't have to respect the run. Just pin their ears back and rush the passer.
4thand1
October 31, 2016 at 12:49 am
Well, go Bears. There, I said it.
fastmoving
October 31, 2016 at 04:35 am
good: gunter, rip, janis, davis, brice
bad: last play
ugly: no tight ends at all
lebowski
October 31, 2016 at 06:57 am
Richard Rodgers, we hardly knew ye
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 07:19 am
Who?
Did he play yesterday?
rdent
October 31, 2016 at 07:31 am
The invisible man once again, oh I did see him on one play where he whiffed on a block.
Idiot Fan
October 31, 2016 at 08:48 am
Ha, you beat me to it. The only times I saw him, he was totally whiffing on a block. I didn't think it was possible for him to get worse as a blocker...
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 09:00 am
He is terrible!
The offense slowed down when he played. When they took him off the field the offense moved the ball...
marpag1
October 31, 2016 at 05:21 am
There is "coach speak" and then there is reality.
Coach speak says, "Next man up. Injuries don't matter. We're not going to mope around and feel sorry for ourselves." Coaches say this because they have to, and it's the smart thing to do. Only an idiot would say, "Yeah, we're screwed... we may as well not even suit up."
Reality says that sometimes you actually ARE screwed, and that better players are more likely to win than lesser players. "Next man up" is all well and good, but if the "next man" were just as good or better, he would have been the "first man," not the next man.
I just have a hard time being too disappointed with the team on this one. I'm disappointed with the loss for sure, but the team did about as well as could reasonably be expected. Sure, you can question things here and there in every game. But realistically, could a team be expected to do much better on defense when facing a top ranked passing offense without their best pass rusher and their three best corners (Matthews, Shields, Randall, Rollins)? Is 32 points scored a really embarrassing number when you don't have Cobb, Monty, Cook, Lacy, Starks and TJ Lang (not to mention Linsley)? And all this when playing on the road?
It doesn't mean that you deserve to win the superbowl, but it does mean that sometimes you're just screwed. Oh, well.
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 05:18 am
I went into the game thinking they would win. That was when I heard Mathews was out. I said they have the offense. Then I heard Cobb out. I said ok, that hurts but they still have the weapons. Then I heard Montgomery was out and I said they won't win now.. way to many injuries to impactful players. I went into the game hoping for a win but expecting a loss, with the amount of injuries they had. That's why to me the game stings but doesn't hurt.
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 04:21 pm
Ditto. Stings because we had it!
NickPerry
October 31, 2016 at 05:33 am
^^^^ This ^^^^
Bearmeat mentioned it with fewer words, marpag1 broke it down. Sometimes a team is just screwed and the Packers were screwed on Sunday.
I said it in several posts leading up to the game, "I'm worried about Sanu", and it was Sanu who got us, at least at the end of the game.
In 2010 the Packers had 15 players on IR, but I don't think at ANY point they played without the number of starters the Packers were missing on Sunday. Hell MM had made the adjustments to help overcome the losses of Lacy and Starks weeks before and now they were down those players. The Packers showed up, played a hell of a game, and came out 1 point short. I was bummed, but not pissed.
MITM
October 31, 2016 at 05:27 am
I disagree with all of the moral victory posts on this one. This was a game that could have been won and should have been won, injuries and all. All I hear about is our injuries, what about the Falcons? We caught a huge break IMO that Coleman was out. Also Julio Jones was a decoy all game, he was obviously injured. The Packers will beat the Colts next week because the Colts suck, big deal. Sorry but its the truth.
marpag1
October 31, 2016 at 05:43 am
You won't hear me talking about "moral victories," MITM, so I agree with a lot of what you're saying. In the end, a loss counts against you no matter what. No one feels good about it and you certainly can't improve morale by losing. But some losses reveal that your team just sucks or that there is a fundamental flaw in the organization or construction of the roster. To me, that is not the case here with the Packers. There is nothing really broken with the system or the organization. But when one-third of your starters are out with injury, what the heck are you going to do?
I would never call a loss a victory, moral or otherwise. But some losses are just a little easier to stomach than others.
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 07:21 am
IMO there are moral victories.
No a loss is not a victory, but you can come away from some losses and simply say, our team will be better.
This team simply has to get healthy...
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 04:23 pm
Perfectly stated.
NickPerry
October 31, 2016 at 05:48 am
Offense..
Cook, Lacy, Starks, Cobb, Montgomery, Lindsey
Defense...
Randall, Shields, Rollins, Matthews
At some point friend you just run out of players. I imagine if the Falcons were missing their starting
TE, Freeman, Coleman, Alex Mack, Sanu, Gabriel
Trufant, 2nd & 3rd CB's, and Beasley
The results may have been flipped. Hopefully when the Packers play the Colts they have SOME of these guys back.
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 07:15 am
You take away any teams top 2 RB's, top 3 CB's, Top defensive player/pass rusher, top 2 receiving targets, top TE, and see how well they play.
Injuries are the reason why this team lost yesterday.
Yeah, people can talk about next man up all they want. The truth is, there is a point in which to many injuries to your key players will change your team. It happened to Green Bay.
They should honestly be happy they didn't get blown out.
The good news from this game. Rodgers got on fire!
jfajas
October 31, 2016 at 06:09 am
I think this game was lost in the third quarter when MM changed the play call. The only way to win this game was to score because it was evident from the go that our defense wasn't going to stop anyone.
Well, evident to me, not to MM...
RCPackerFan
October 31, 2016 at 07:22 am
I do agree with you... The 2 offensive drives in the 3rd quarter they had to come away with some sort of points. Instead they punted 2 times.
Those drives we saw a lot more of Rodgers and Perillo. Sorry but those 2 should not be on the field anymore. The offense moved the ball with 4-5 WR sets. Stick with what works.
jfajas
October 31, 2016 at 08:36 am
Exactly!
Tundraboy
October 31, 2016 at 04:31 pm
Exactly. Too often some lull earlier in the game leaves us in a position where we depend on the offense too much to come back to win the game, often when the defense is exhausted at the end. No wonder our D has so few turnovers. Those happen mostly when it's the other team is in a big hole trying to fight back to catch up. That has not been the case for us in a while.
fthisJack
October 31, 2016 at 09:21 am
this is not a moral victory. its a sad commentary on how to lose a football game that is yours to win. Capers "keep everything in front of you D" on the last drive that never works and MM changing scheme to start the second half. both should be in the UGLY.
al bundy
October 31, 2016 at 01:07 pm
The good - team effort to take on adversity and thrive. Good job all around. Best game of the year considering.
The bad - Offensive line was offensive. My take, they looked real good run blocking for Eddy but since he has been gone and were passing, the real O line is showing they are not so hot pass blocking. they were pushed around all game. Again
The ugly - Dom Capers thinking if he had enough dbacks in their last drive they could stop Atlanta rather than rush ferociously and take your chances.
Piss poor effort again by Dom Capers, the the Pack had this game won too.
lambeauleap
October 31, 2016 at 02:45 pm
Good: Davis, Allison, Rip, Gunter, Brice
Bad: 3rd Q offense, defense all game, once again a bone headed plays by vets (when rookie WRs know to toe tap and do the "little" things it's inexcusable that vets don't/can't-looking at you Jordy and Jeff)
Ugly: Absolutely no running game or no TE play
The Packers had opportunities to win this game but couldn't drive the nail into the coffin. We had a chance to go up by 12 coming out of the half. Instead we punted and it sort of felt like the momentum we had fell apart. Atlanta went into half time and made some adjustments and found ways to slow our offense. We had no answers once again. I kind of expected us to have little answers on defense but not sure why our offense stalled so hard in the second half.
I expected we'd be vulnerable at times on D but why in the world was Jake Ryan on Sanu during that late 4th quarter TD? I mean come on!
Davis should be playing more. He's got speed and can clearly make things happen when he has the ball in his hands.
I always hate to throw refs into the good/bad/ugly stuff because it's clearly an excuse, but I thought there were some horrible calls yesterday.