Packers 34 Lions 27: Game Balls & Lame Calls

The Green Bay Packers won their home opener against the Detroit Lions, a win the Packers really needed heading into the bye week.  It took some clock draining by the offense and a late Lions rally, but the Packer got it done and are now 2-1 on the young 2016 season.  

Green Bay entered the game without several key starters on defense and it showed after the Packers had built a 31-3 lead.  Cornerbacks Josh Hawkins and LaDarius Gunter were called to extended action as was safety Kentrell Brice.  It translated into a career day for Lions receiver Marvin Jones, who finished with six catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns.  With cornerback Sam Shields reportedly receiving good news from doctors about his latest concussion, the Packers can't get him as well as safety Morgan Burnett back soon enough.

On to the game balls and lame calls from today's game.

Game Balls

Aaron Rodgers

I'm not about to declare everything fixed, but the version of Rodgers that we saw today was much closer to what Packers fans are used to seeing.  He threw for four touchdowns, all in the first half and finished with a quarterback rating of 129.3.  Gone is the streak of sub-100 quarterback rating games.  Rodgers also ran for a key first down in the fourth quarter that helped the Packers keep the ball away from Detroit and drain the clock.  Rodgers looked more comfortable and even cracked a smile several times.  Maybe it was finally getting a home game and being surrounded by 75,000 people who want him to succeed.  This should have Rodgers heading into the bye week feeling more confident and ready to play his brand of football the rest of the way.  

Nick Perry

I have to admit, I got on Perry after his unsportsmanlike penalty and missed tackle in the backfield helped the Lions to scores on both of those drives.  Even at that point, he was having himself a nice game but sometimes it's easy for the bad to overshadow the good that we aren't keying on.  Perry finished with two sacks and a pass break up among his seven total tackles.  It's hard to believe that we're just now seeing what Perry's ceiling can be when he stays healthy and gets more snaps.  Some were calling today Perry's best regular season game of his career.  He's been a steady presence for the Packers defense so far and may become more of a priority when free agency hits after this season.

Eddie Lacy

It's almost not Lacy's fault he isn't on this list more often.  17 carries for 103 yards and a gaudy 6.1 yard-per-carry average.  It's no secret, the more carries Lacy gets, the more damage he tends to do later in games.  Lacy started out running well and then found himself on the sideline much of the second and third quarters.  The Packers have many offensive personnel packages and it seemed like head coach Mike McCarthy was going to go to heavily utilize Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery out of the backfield.  Finally, Lacy re-emerged from the shadows to pound out some key runs late.  He was running at defenders, initiating contact and running like the Lacy of old.  Against a beat up Lions front, Lacy probably could have gotten another 8-10 carries, especially with the lead the Packers had, but maybe we have to trust that the Packers want to keep him fresh for 14-straight game weeks to come.

Jordy Nelson

I mentioned Rodgers looking like what we're used to seeing from him and it was the case for Nelson as well.  He led the Packers with six catches on seven targets for over 100 yards and two touchdowns.  After last week, there were many debates about whether Nelson was as big of a factor to the Packers' offensive woes as many thought.  After today, I would say he was at least a big part of the equation.  His ability to find open spots in zone coverage and separate man to man are something the Packers don't seem to get from anyone else.  Nelson has a touchdown catch in all three games so far.  Think Rodgers missed him?

Lame Calls

Dropped Interceptions

One, OK.  Two, eh, don't love it.  Three?!  You're a lame call.  The Packers dropped three interceptions today which could have taken some of the drama out of the day.  Micah Hyde, LaDarius Gunter and Joe Thomas each got two hands on the football and none of them could haul it in.  Gunter's would have been in the end zone.  There's a reason none of those guys are receivers but the drops are becoming a recurring theme with this defense and that dates to last season in the playoff game at Arizona.  When the offense keeps the ball and scores, those are the things that have to eat away at a team.  Good teams find a way to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them.  The Packers are a good team so what's the issue?!

Secondary

I'm not going to single out one guy today as this unit was playing without both Shields and Burnett.  Damarious Randall struggled in spots but he left with an injury and returned and he had the strip/interception.  Josh Hawkins made some nice plays in his first extended action but what many will remember was his lackadaisical coverage and effort on the first long touchdown to Jones.  Hawkins stumbled just before the ball arrived and lost his awareness of Jones staying in bounds and running to daylight down the sideline.  Jones is fast so there's no guarantee that Hawkins might have caught him, but the concept of "play to the whistle" is as old as dirt.  These young players need to get back to basics and hopefully cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt drills that home during these next two weeks.  

Beyond the specifics, the Packers simply gave up WAY too many yards.  385, to be exact.  That's downright pathetic whether it was the scheme or the players themselves.  That won't get it done against many teams in the NFL, good or not.  If not for the big lead the Packers posted at the start of the game, today's secondary could have produced a different outcome.  The middle of the field was way too easy for the Lions and as far as McCarthy claiming that the middle of the field is open in today's NFL and because of the rules, yeah, that's still garbage.  It has to be accounted for by defensive coordinator Dom Capers and Co.

 

Others to mention:

  • Another nice day for the inside linebackers, Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan.  Hopefully Martinez's nose stops bleeding by the next game.  He's a player.  Ryan is looking smarter by the week in this defense and Joe Thomas is improved in nickel and dime packages.  Had he come up with that interception, what a day it would have been
  • Kenny Clark looks better every week.  He seems to be benefiting from spending some time with Mike Daniels and frankly, the Packers need him to contribute now.  With Guion out for some time and with Clark's being a first-rounder, he is going to need to become a key piece of this year's defense.  The arrow is pointing up right now
  • Trevor Davis finally got to try doing something with the ball and had a bad drop in his only target as a receiver.  He did draw the big pass interference early in the game that got the Packers the ball inside the five-yard line and appears to be the punt returner now so I hope to see more of Davis's speed on display as the season goes on
  • Davante Adams is coming on as a go-to on the slant route that I've been calling for more often.  Hopefully a trend as when Adams gets the ball with any space around him, he can make some things happen
  • The play calling complaints started late in the game when the Packers were stopped on two consecutive runs to Lacy that went nowhere.  It's hard to know what the initical call was vs. what they actually end up running, but sometimes the other guys just make a play or want it more.  Lacy was having a good day and calling his number twice in a row wasn't the worst idea.  It's always a case of "if it didn't work, you should have done the other thing" - Marv Levy

 

The Packers get a week off and hopefully can come out of the bye with some of their defense back intact.  Three-straight home games await starting with a Sunday Night game against the New York Giants, New York's first visit to Lambeau Field since they eliminated the Packer from the playoffs following Green Bay's 15-1 season in 2011.

 

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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

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Comments (60)

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ray nichkee's picture

September 26, 2016 at 05:27 am

Game ball to the first half play calling. It wasn't so damn predictable and I wasn't swearing at the TV.

Lame call to the second half play calling. Should not have let off the gas and instead got some more reps in with the younger receivers. I would have been more OK with 3 points then and I get that they wanted to chew the clock up so why not throw some short passes in with the runs and keep the clock going and keep the defense off the field more.

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Big_Mel_75's picture

September 26, 2016 at 10:07 am

Couldn't agree more with the Lame call. MM seems to think this is a gentleman's sport and running up the score is a bad thing. 28point leads in this day in age of NFL is not enough to stop playing at the half. Should have kept the foot on the gas till the end of the game. Both teams get paid to play.. If the game is 70-0 then so be it...

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PaulRosik's picture

September 26, 2016 at 12:26 pm

There was no conservative playcalling at all. The Packers had only one drive in the entire third quarter since the Lions were moving the ball so wel. That drive held the ball for 9 plays and was inside the red zone until a holding call put them in a long yardage situation and they had to kick a field goal. In the 4th quarter they ran for a first down and then ran again on first down and then threw two straight passes getting a sack and an incompletion and had to punt. On the next drive they only ran it once and tried two passes. On the final drive they ran out the clock. Nothing conservative there at all. You can be mad that they didn't execute in the second half, but the playcalling was far from conservative.

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rdent's picture

September 26, 2016 at 05:39 am

Offense looked better and run defense still looking good but secondary is becoming a concern,opposing teams don't need to run when they can pass all day,would have liked to seen more of a pass rush

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Lphill's picture

September 26, 2016 at 06:14 am

Lame call for Capers, why is the middle of the field always wide open?

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TKWorldWide's picture

September 26, 2016 at 06:32 am

I think he forgot to call the "blanket all the receivers, sack the QB" play.

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dobber's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:44 am

That's my "go-to" in Madden...

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rdent's picture

September 27, 2016 at 09:57 am

991 passing yards laid on Capers defense in just the first 3 games

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Finwiz's picture

September 27, 2016 at 12:41 pm

991 yards on Capers - awful...simply AWFUL!

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Finwiz's picture

September 27, 2016 at 12:41 pm

Pretty simple damn question isn't it? Why is the middle of the field ALWAYS uncovered? Horrible defensive scheme, or completely incompetent players...take your pick. The players can't be that bad, so what's the conclusion?

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NickPerry's picture

September 26, 2016 at 06:21 am

Game ball.... How quickly the Packers were snapping the ball. For the first several scoring drives the Packers were snapping the ball with 15 to 20 seconds still left on the Play Clock. Everything on the Offense flowed really well and the Packers scored on long drives on 3 of the first 5 scoring drives in under 4 minutes. I hope MM see's the difference in his offense when he operates like that and please keep feeding Lacy the ball!!!

Our punter catching that high snap.

MM trying to involve more players.

Run DEFENSE

Lame Calls

We saw it last year, the difference in this secondary when Shields isn't on the field. Joe Whitt needs to work his magic with these kids and get em ready or we'll see more of this all year long. Gotta think having Matthews, Guion, and Jones would have helped in the pass rush and perhaps improved the DB play. But even with the players missing from yesterdays game, it hasn't seemed to help the Packers ability to cover the middle of the field. They HAVE to fix that, and quick!

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staffordsneckfat's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:55 am

Regarding the secondary, they were missing their top CB and starting safety.

The Lions had success largely with the one route combination where the outside receiver dragged across and the inside guy ran the wheel. This was partly just good scheme versus the zone by Cooter, but also a lack of awareness by Hyde who was the safety over the top.

I'd be curious to see if the Lions would have had the same success on that play with Burnett over the top.

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rdent's picture

September 27, 2016 at 09:58 am

Hyde can look so good some games and two steps too slow the next,Hawkins has been nursing a hamstring and hasn't even been practicing so it's understandable to see that from him but Randall is TERRIBLE so far, look for him to get the hook if he continues to give up plays like he has,Brice may see more snaps at safety

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PaulRosik's picture

September 26, 2016 at 12:29 pm

I'd been hoping to see the Packers go fast and keep up the tempo on offense. The first quarter drives were hopeful they may do more of that.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:01 am

Game Balls -

Rodgers- Playing like the Rodgers we know. He was getting the ball out on time and on target. He spread the ball around and didn't just target 1 or 2 players all game. He targeted 9 different players. The most he targeted a player was Nelson with 7 targets. The next most he targeted Rodgers, Cobb and Cook 3 times each.
When Rodgers spreads the ball around he always plays better.

McCarthy- This game plan was much better. Just getting the offense to be less predictable was a huge thing that we haven't seen in a while. Using different formations and personnel really helped the offense. This was the first time it felt like they were trying to get the TE's involved Also the decision to use Davis and Montgomery more was a good one. Getting more speed on the field was an emphasis and it paid off.

Nick Perry - A healthy Nick Perry is becoming a beast. He has 3.5 sacks in 3 games. He has been extremely stout in the run game.

Mike Daniels - The MVP of the defense right now. He has been a beast in the middle of the DL. When you talk about the Packers having a stout run Defense it all starts with Daniels.

Lame Calls -

Injuries - I know its apart of the game, but the defense playing without 5 starters on defense - Mathews, Shields, Guion, Jones and Burnett didn't help the defense at all. Losing Ripkowski, Cook in the game wasn't ideal either.
The bye week is at a good time right now to try and get these guys all healthy. I hate the early bye but hopefully this will get these guys healthy.

Josh Hawkins - I thought he played well until his lackadaisical attempt right before half time. If he just tackles Jones, it prevents a TD. Who knows what the game is like after that, but that play jump started the Lions.

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dobber's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:34 am

"Nick Perry - A healthy Nick Perry is becoming a beast. He has 3.5 sacks in 3 games. He has been extremely stout in the run game."

As the season progresses and teams start paying attention to #53, you can't help but think that will open things up for CMIII on the other side. I think this has the opportunity to blossom into a very good pass rush, which will take some of the heat off the secondary. Not only this, but Perry had some very nice plays setting the edge in run support. He's a complete player right now.

"Mike Daniels - The MVP of the defense right now. He has been a beast in the middle of the DL. When you talk about the Packers having a stout run Defense it all starts with Daniels."

Worth every dollar they pay him and then some. Consistently plays with fire and a vocal leader for the defense. Let me ask you this: when was the last time the Packers run D was so consistently playing on the other side of the LOS?

If you can consistently shut down the run AND get after the passer, the defense has the chance to be special...even if the secondary is struggling.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:50 am

'As the season progresses and teams start paying attention to #53, you can't help but think that will open things up for CMIII on the other side.'

This is exactly what I love about Perry's play. If he keeps playing like he has been, they will not be able to double team Mathews consistently, and if they do Perry will be taking advantage of it.

And to be honest, its not even just Perry's play that has been good. Fackrell has surprised me with his snaps that he has given us. He has some good speed off the corner. Also Elliott made another huge play. They have a really nice rotation at OLB right now.

Daniels has been a beast. And Clark I think is benefiting from playing next to him. Clark seems to be getting better each week. When we get Pennel and Guion back we could have a really good DL rotation.

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Bearmeat's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:50 am

Although the jury is still out on Datone, I will eat my words about Perry. And gladly.

beast on, Nick.

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NickPerry's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:42 am

Hope Thompson signs Perry to an extension before he prices himself right out of Green Bay. The guy has been really, really good since he finally got healthy at the end of last year.

Perry's last 5 games.... 7 Sacks.. 4 TFL (Though it seems like more)..1 FF.

Sign him up Ted!

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:03 am

Completely agree.
This is the first time that Perry has been completely healthy and we are seeing it on the field.

I don't think the stats show how well he has played.

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rdent's picture

September 27, 2016 at 10:04 am

Didn't Teddy decline picking up Perry's 5 yr option this off season?bet he wishes he did now

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rdent's picture

September 27, 2016 at 10:05 am

Hope he stays healthy

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Hematite's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:22 am

I was very happy having my family cheering and clapping with me during the first half. I need to see more of that kind of play for a full 60 minutes.
The second half was disheartening once again.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:32 am

Is the resurgence of our offense a coincidence of the resurgence of Nelson? Not entirely; how much is the question. We need receivers not named Nelson to step up.

Still, agree that AR played more within the structure of the offense, fired some passes right after taking a 3 or 5 step drop, snapped the ball at a variety of times, and went over the middle more.

I'm not going to draw too many wide generalizations due to the injury depleted Lions, and because Detroit isn't all that good with all of their players. Arrow is up, though.

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dobber's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:37 am

I would argue that this Lions defense -- injury depleted and all -- is almost exactly what the Packer offense needed right now. They needed an opponent that was going to allow the offense to play its game and be successful at it. A confidence-builder going into the bye, and MM teams usually play well coming out of the bye. The Giants are no defensive juggernaut, but they'll be a much firmer test than these LOLions.

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NickPerry's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:55 am

Plus Rodgers should have a GIANT sized "Chip" on his shoulder. The Packers are 0-3 in their last 3 games against them and Rodgers is 0-2.

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cuervo's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:38 am

Well there were two great quarters of football...nice to see. The second half was a reply of what we've all seen too often, McCarthy playing not to lose, which was especially stupid considering the injuries on the defensive side of the ball. We were one bad punt snap away from blowing this one, and got away with it against a poor team. We won't against better teams...McCarthy just never learns from past mistakes.

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WKUPackFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:58 am

Burning the clock with a 21 point lead, both with your own running game and forcing the opposing offensive into time consuming drives, is playing to win the game.

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cuervo's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:07 am

I would agree if we actually burned the clock. He effectively took the ball out of our best players hands (who was finally playing like our best player). That's not playing to win, that's playing not to lose....big difference.

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WKUPackFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 10:14 am

Obviously you missed Detroit's opening second half drive burning half of the third quarter, followed by the Packers first second half drive that used up an additional five minutes.

But why bother? If AR had aired it out in the second half, the same people complaining about being "conservative" would instead be saying "what kind of idiot doesn't use Lacy to kill the clock".

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dschwalm's picture

September 26, 2016 at 11:41 am

Ya, that really worked well. I am surprised more teams don't employ that strategy.

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PaulRosik's picture

September 26, 2016 at 12:37 pm

There was no conservative playcalling in this game. The Packers one drive in the third quarter moved to the red zone til a penalty derailed it into a field goal. After running for a first down on the next drive, they threw it on 2nd and third down and had to punt. Same for the next drive, one run and two passes forced a punt. Then they ran out the clock to end the game. The execution in the second half was poor but the playcalling was far from conservative.

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dobber's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:42 am

"Kenny Clark looks better every week."

It helps that this extended playing time he has been getting was against what might be two of the poorer OLs -- or at least, OLs playing poorly at the time -- they're going to see this year (Vikings and Lions). He's going to keep getting significant reps at this rate, and it will take Pennell a couple of weeks to get into game shape, so it will continue.

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Rossonero's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:06 am

I'm just thankful and excited that a 1st round pick is producing already. We've waited what, 5 years for Perry and 3 years for Datone Jones to start showing us signs? Instant dividends!

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al bundy's picture

September 26, 2016 at 06:17 pm

Datone is hurt again for the umteenth time and Perry is a slob but clearly understands his agent saying, this is a contract year pal better light it up for that pay raise.
Personally I hate guys like this in all sports who know when its time to shine.

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Handsback's picture

September 26, 2016 at 07:58 am

The offense clicked yesterday for the first time in half a season. Yeah the 3rd qtr. was a little strain on the desire factor, but they went to Lacy to shut down the Lion's passing game which was very wise.

The run defense is outstanding. The ILBs and D-Line and tough to run against. Now if the Packers are giving up the pass to stop the run...I'm not sure that's a great idea.
I think what we saw yesterday was a team that got behind the Packers by so much they could only do one thing to catch-up, and that was to pass. I would say it looked like the DBs were playing a prevent style defense and make Detroit dink and dunk their way down the field. IMHO, it wasn't working that good.
Perry is showing the World what he can do when healthy. Matthews and Jones are showing the team what they miss when they are on the sideline.

I think this was a good game (the Packers won) where players like Hawkins and Davis got embarrassed for ugly mistakes and changes their mental outlook. They should learn from those mistakes and be better players.

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WKUPackFan's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:03 am

Thought the unsportsmanlike call against Nick Perry was borderline ridiculous. Whatever the gestures were he did, they clearly were not throat slashes. Both movements went diagonally down, away from the neck area.

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dobber's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:27 am

He has to be smart enough and conscious enough of what he's doing to not give the officials the chance to misconstrue a gesture for a penalty. Daniels gets a little overzealous at times, too. I thought it was clearly a slash (or something that could be taken that way) by Perry, but that's just me.

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Since'61's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:36 am

WKU - the problem is that there is no consistency with those excessive celebration calls. I see players all around the league making all kinds of gestures. A receiver in another game scored a TD and leapt up and wrapped his arms and legs around the goal post. No flag, how is that not excessive, never mind ridiculous. A few like Perry get penalized for being excessive but most go unpenalized. However, it's great to see the fire in Perry and most of the defense. He is becoming a force and when CM3 returns our front 7 may finally become something special. Thanks, Since '61

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PaulRosik's picture

September 26, 2016 at 12:40 pm

Perry did the throat slash gesture. That's an immediate no brainer call for the refs. You can do a hundred different goofy things to celebrate but you can not do that one.

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carusotrap's picture

September 26, 2016 at 08:28 am

Did the Lions' D adjust to our O in the 2nd half or did MM outsmart himself again? It's almost as though they started with the slants, short routes, and balanced offense long enough to get a cushion and then went right back to the 7 step drops and home run plays. Then, when it got close, they went back to Lacy late to take the win. As though MM has crafted an identity for this team in his head and he's going to stick by it no matter what...sure we can do other things if we HAVE to, but that whole completing passes and marching up and down the field at will is not nearly as important as decisions made about this team in meetings in July.

Seems to me you stay with what works until it doesn't. OTOH, you have to be hopeful after that first half!

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stockholder's picture

September 26, 2016 at 01:22 pm

I think you saw the game right. They stayed away from the short stuff and A-rod looked long. Several guys were open but A-rod wanted more. It looked like a pre - season game in the 2nd half.

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Rossonero's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:09 am

What worries me the most is not putting these teams away. Belichick would be livid -- not happy -- with eking out a win like that. The NFC championship game vs. Seattle comes to mind.

Detroit isn't even a playoff team and we let them get momentum going and bsck into the game. I know there's a lot of football left, but we can't do this against the Vikings, Cardinals, Seahawks and Panthers.

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Since'61's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:31 am

R-E-L-A-X. Thanks, Since '61

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toolkien's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:37 am

But it goes beyond just the Seattle game where it DID bite us in the behind. Back in 2010, the Packers had a comfortable lead against the Lions, but all the scoring in the second half was a pick-6 by Woodson to provide the winning margin, the offense didn't do much of anything to with the win in the second half. In the 2010 Super Bowl itself, the Packers surged out to a 21-3 lead, only to white-knuckle it down the stretch, with that great pass from Rodgers to Jennings to sustain the last drive that got three points. The Steelers outscored the Packers 22-10 after that lead was built, and it just looked like they were trying to hang on. Whether its McCarthy "taking his foot off the gas" or that pretty much every other coach in the league, mediocre or not, can adjust at half time and McCarthy's got nothing. Either way, it rests with McCarthy. The difference is whether there's "malice aforethought" in the "gas pedal" analogy, or if it's getting outwitted. The end result is WAY too many games go from blowouts to tension filled, and McCarthy is to blame.

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rdent's picture

September 28, 2016 at 12:05 pm

Seemed to me they got a little conservative in the second half, the Seattle game will never be forgotten and I thought here we go again but looking closer, penalties and poor execution were what stalled drives in the second half, still MM needs to keep the foot on the gas

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Tundraboy's picture

September 26, 2016 at 02:50 pm

Agree. We have to overcome MM more games than I can count because he just refuses to adapt. Too many momentum swings allowed to be a coincidence. I never feel like a game is over, even when we are up by 24 or more. Yes a lot of times a player f ups but I wonder how much of that comes from playing tight.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:11 am

I believe Nick Barnett was a beast yesterday.

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Since'61's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:30 am

Doug - I heard that also. Unfortunately, sports broadcasting like the officiating has been on the decline for decades. Thanks, Since '61

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Since'61's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:23 am

Jason - agree with the game balls. Lame call for either Capers, Hawkins or the safeties for the long TD at the end of the 1st half. Not sure why neither Brice nor Dix were not playing deeper on that play given the score and time remaining. Hawkins giving up the pass is one thing but no sign of safety help to make a tackle is another. Possibly Brice was out of position on the play. In any case that play gave the Lions some life for the second half. If we prevent the late first half TD, hold on to one of the dropped picks, and eliminate Bulaga's hold on Rodger's first down run we're looking at a very different result in this game, probably something like 44-17 or 44-20. Changes the whole look of the second half and highlights the need to get our injured defenders back. Some good experience for the young players though. At some points I think the Packers had as many as 8 1st and 2nd year defenders on the field. Even then they were still stuffing the running game. Enjoy the bye. Thanks, Since '61

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NMPF's picture

September 26, 2016 at 09:44 am

Game Ball to Schum for the recovery on a horrible snap from Goode. If the snap goes over his head or he does not get off the punt, the outcome really would have been in doubt.

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scullyitsme's picture

September 26, 2016 at 11:32 am

Couple comments on observations I keep seeing repeated on the comment sites. The second half offense only got the ball 3 times in the second half, once Bulaga killed the drive with a hold, another Trevor Davis dropped a wide open third down. Too me that's players not coaches. I'm as optimistic as everyone about Kyle fackerll but he really didn't play that great yesterday, yes he got a sack but almost every time he was in early they ran right at him and he lost contain every time.. If it wasn't for him we would of gave up 2 yards total rushing. Great win, just a fact checker here.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

September 27, 2016 at 02:33 am

Again, we got the ball 4 times in the second half, not three times. check your facts. Detroit got the ball 4 times as well in the second half.

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PaulRosik's picture

September 26, 2016 at 12:45 pm

There seems to be a lot of people "feeling" like the Packers got conservative in the second half. Its not true, What they got was unsuccessful at moving the ball.

One drive moved to the red zone and a penalty stopped it. On the next two drives when they had to punt, both times they ran the ball once and passed it twice before punting. It was a penalty and a dropped pass that stopped the Packers, not any conservative playcalls.

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Tundraboy's picture

September 26, 2016 at 02:41 pm

So now choosing Perry over Neil looks pretty good huh. End of last year was not a fluke. Stay healthy Nick.

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chugwater's picture

September 26, 2016 at 02:45 pm

Schum should get a game ball for his snap catching prowess. He looked like a wide receiver on the one snap Goode put a little extra mustard on.

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al bundy's picture

September 26, 2016 at 06:20 pm

I'm holding off comment. It was the Lions who were missing key pass rushers, and three top linebackers that Lacy would not have gotten buy each time.

For me and the thing that determines if this team is even playoff bound is the Giants game. Eli and his coaches will be focusing on Randall, Rollins and TE's in the middle of the field that Mike says is always open.

Hey Mike, the Vikes had their safeties, the ones that can tackle and cover both, playing in the short middle, not standing way back like HA HA HA HA Dix watching the action. What a dork he is.

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WinUSA's picture

September 27, 2016 at 10:41 am

Game Ball: In a class by itself...MONTGOMERY: I have watched football for over 60 years...and I have NEVER seen a heads up play like Montgomery did when he put his feet out of bounds and downed that kickoff.

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Norm's picture

September 27, 2016 at 09:03 pm

You must have missed the game where Cobb did that a couple of years ago. I agree though, that was a heads-up play, especially when you consider that the ball bounced back in play from in the end zone (THAT I've never seen before on a kick-off). The game would have taken on a very different complexion if he just falls on it at the 5 (or worse yet lets a Lion fall on it).

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WinUSA's picture

September 29, 2016 at 09:41 am

Hey Norm...How's it going? Yeah, now that you mention it I do remember Cobb doing something like that... Montgomery under pressure with a "live" ball that has gone over 10 yards on a kickoff...damn amazing!.

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