Packers 36 Rams 28: Game Balls and Lame Calls

A most satisfying way to head into a bye week.

These Packers can make you a nervous wreck.  They make just enough mistakes to keep their opponents in the game, and just enough clutch plays to win.  Sunday’s victory over the Rams is a perfect example.  When your team goes into the fourth quarter with a nineteen point lead, you should be able to sit back, take a deep breath and relax. 

 

Not with this bunch.  Those young cornerbacks take you on a roller coaster ride throughout the game.  One moment they are getting beaten badly for a long ball score.  The next moment they are pulling off a pick six, or diving to make an acrobatic pass break-up.  The patchwork offensive line is getting bulldozed, stoning the run game and forcing Aaron Rodgers to run for his life.  But then bows up and paves the way for AJ Dillon to pound for critical, time-eating first downs. 

 

In a game that felt like it was dominated by Green Bay, it still took Adrian Amos falling on an onside kick with less than twenty seconds left to play to lock it down.  So be it.  I’ll take the stress gladly in exchange for a crucial Packer victory that sends them into a much-needed bye at 9-3 and, combined with the Vikings loss to the 49ers, restores Green Bay’s three and a half game lead in the division, and keeps them on the heels of Arizona for the number one seed.   

 

GAME BALLS 

AJ Dillon 

With Aaron Jones on an obvious pitch count, it fell to Dillon to pound the ball on one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.  It took three quarters to soften them up, but the second year pile driver had several key runs down the stretch and finished with 69 of the hardest-earned yards you’ll ever see.  He also caught a short pass and turned it into a five yard touchdown.   

 

Davante Adams 

Somehow it feels like Davante had a somewhat quiet eight catches for 104 yards.  But, as usual, nearly every one of them came at a critical point in the game.  He almost made a spectacular catch to effectively end the game while being sandwiched  between two defenders late in the fourth quarter.   

 

Aaron Rodgers 

It wasn’t his best game.  At times he struggled with accuracy, and the fierce second half pass rush rattled him , but how many quarterbacks can throw for 307 yards and two scores without even practicing all week?  The fact he’s dealing with a painful toe injury makes it all the more impressive. 

 

Rasul Douglas 

A game ball to a corner who got embarrassed on a 54 yard bomb to Odell Beckham?  Who had a potential game clinching pick go right through his hands?  Well yeah, because for every bad play he makes, he seems to more than compensate with a huge one.  How about a pick six by jumping Cooper Kupp, one of the best receivers on the planet?  Or a diving pass break-up to prevent a big gainer in the 4th quarter?  Or a clutch tackle on a promising screen pass to Tyler Higbee, holding it to just three yards?  Challenge him at your own risk.  You may burn him, but he may also stick a dagger in you. 

 

Adrian Amos 

Mr. Steady amidst the chaos on the back end.  An awesome tackle behind the line on fourth and one, a hard hit to force an incompletion on third down, and having the poise to cover the onside kick to end the game. 

 

Honorable mentions to Rashan Gary who had consistent pressure and a strip sack despite a bad arm, and Randall Cobb who had a dominant first half with four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a groin injury. 

 

 

LAME CALLS 

Still forcing the deep ball 

It still drives me nuts that Rodgers will eschew the short range, open receiver in favor of throwing long to a receiver who is covered, sometimes double covered.  It ended a few drives prematurely.  I get you have to keep the secondary honest, but sometimes Rodgers needs to be more patient.  Take what’s there.  Hard to argue with his record, but it sure is rough on my blood pressure. 

 

Amari Rodgers as a kick returner 

Special teams coach Maurice Drayton loves him, but I just don’t see it.  He just doesn’t show anything on returns.  How about EQ?  MVS?  Taylor?  Somebody.  Anybody. 

 

 

AFTERTHOUGHTS 

Aaron Rodgers:  “The toe felt good most of the game.  I’m not sure at his point (if I will have surgery during the bye).  We’re going to do some testing early this week and then make a decision.” 

 

Davante Adams:  “I know his (Rodgers) injury is nagging him, but to be able to ball through it, it just shows what kind of player he is.  He doesn’t let it get in the way.” 

 

Kenny Clark:  “We’ve got a lot of confidence in our front.  We’ve got a lot of really good players.  I’m really happy about the way our front played as a whole.” 

 

Matt LaFleur:  “We talked about emptying the tank.  I think everybody is pretty exhausted, but it’s a lot better to go into the bye week with a win.  We’re really going to enjoy this.” 

 

 

THREE AND OUT 

•  After the game Aaron Rodgers was effusive in his praise of left tackle Yosh Nijman.  “I almost forgot about that side of the ball” AR said.  “I told him he did a great job”.  Nijman did, for the most part, seem to hold his own against the likes of Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd. 

 

•  Many observers believe the NFC West is the toughest division in the NFL.  Don't look now, but the Packers are 4-0 against the NFC West. 

 

•  Two unsung key plays:  Corey Bojorquez 61 yard punt downed beautifully at the one yard line by EQ, and Yosh Nijman hustling behind the play to recover a fumble by Marcedes Lewis to keep a drive alive. 

 

Get some rest guys. 

 

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.

__________________________

NFL Categories: 
18 points
 

Comments (76)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
MarkinMadison's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:01 am

You have to give a game ball to Kenny Clark. He outplayed Donald. He made plays last night that showed an agility that a man his size just should not have.

27 points
27
0
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:23 pm

His persistence paid off with a late coverage sack, and had an incredible TFL on Henderson behind the LOS late. He's been an animal most of the season.

6 points
6
0
coolhand's picture

November 29, 2021 at 02:15 pm

When got off a double team to make a tackle for a loss you had to applaud his effort!

7 points
7
0
Packer_Fan's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:08 am

Great game. Good win to go into the bye.

Special teams are still a problem. Rodgers is not very good. Perhaps that is why they had Cobb in there. That backfired but I can see why they had to swap him.

Crosby will just have to work through his slump and be ready for the playoffs. He has done it before.

11 points
11
0
Swisch's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:50 am

I agree to not give up on Crosby.
Unless the Packers see some kind of real deterioration in ability, Crosby is the guy at kicker.
He started the season with nine straight field goals, and he can get going again to finish strong.

3 points
3
0
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:24 pm

Agreed. There aren't many automatic kickers out there, and many teams are dealing with worse.

3 points
3
0
Guam's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:11 am

I would add Kenny Clark to the game ball list. He was a force all game long, both rushing the passer and stuffing the run. The Packer D-line has been rejuvenated by our new DC. Not sure why that has happened, but the D-line is playing much better with essentially the same personnel.

I thought the make-shift O-line did a creditable job against a very talented Ram front four. Nijman in particular held up better than expected against Von Miller and Patrick/Newman played okay against Aaron Donald.

(Edit: didn't mean to repeat your comment about K. Clark MarkinMadison - we were both posting at the same time. And both saw the same performance from Clark - he was a beast yesterday.)

13 points
13
0
jurp's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:22 am

"Not sure why that has happened, but the D-line is playing much better with essentially the same personnel."

I wonder if this isn't down to management style. Now, I know nothing about what's going on in the Packers organization, but I've seen something like this situation before, in the corporate world. In that case, we had an under-performing department with poor morale and a higher-than-average turnover rate. We had lost some really good people because they were bored/felt ignored by management, what have you. The Director of the department was a micro-manager who had to be involved in literally every decision and who insisted that we all work according to HIS way, with no deviation. This could've been good, but HIS way led to poor results, and anyone who challenged it was reprimanded. Eventually, the Director was allowed to fuck up another department and we got a new Director who was the exact opposite. We could set our own work rules and processes and we all thrived on that. The department did a 180 in both results and morale.

If you've read this far, then my thesis is that Pettine may have been a micro-manager who controlled what the assistant coaches taught, whereas Barry may be an open manager, letting the coaches do their thing (as long as that "thing" is to the plan) and concentrating on game planning. In other words, maybe Barry allows professionals to be professionals.

6 points
6
0
Turophile's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:42 am

I haven't seen you post here before jurp, but if this is a typical example, keep on keeping on. Good comparison.

3 points
3
0
10ve 💚's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:17 am

jurp is a regular. Not a daily dose, but a regular.

2 points
2
0
RCPackerFan's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:08 am

Jurp -

This is a great thought. While I have no clue if it is true, and it could simply be about the scheme change, I do wonder if you are right. We all know what its like to work in an environment that you didn't feel comfortable in. No different for NFL players. No different for coaches.
Players may now feel like they have more say. The coaches may feel like they can do more things that they want. They may feel better about themselves, and feel like they are a greater part of the whole. That in turn could be producing better results.

It could really be that simple.

Great thought! Something I hadn't really considered before.

1 points
1
0
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:26 pm

I think Barry is asking the DL to penetrate and play upfield more. For someone like Clark, that's playing to his strengths, and if he's dominating, he can carry Lowry and others along with him.

2 points
2
0
PeteK's picture

November 30, 2021 at 09:56 am

Yes, it seems like there was more slanting last year. However, having two solid ILbs might be the main reason.

2 points
2
0
Guam's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:18 pm

Good thought jurp! Clearly something has changed other than the personnel. Could be management style or it could be the D-line assignment has changed. The D-line seems to be more aggressive and allowed to penetrate and disrupt whereas under Pettine they seemed to eat blocks and hold the line. Whatever the reasons for the change, I like the improvement.

1 points
1
0
jannes bjornson's picture

November 29, 2021 at 06:48 pm

They penetrate and attack the Gap, instead of reading and tying up people for the ILBs not to finish. He uses a more heavy front and eschews the two-man rush. Mandates the OLBs to hold the Edge.

1 points
2
1
albert999's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:10 am

Great article
Excellent overview

3 points
3
0
Lphill's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:10 am

I agree about Clark I wish he could get a few more plays rest , Slaton seems like a good option , how much was Gary missed against the Vikings, Mercedes Lewis looked slow on a few plays , probably last season for him .

3 points
4
1
jurp's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:25 am

I love Marcedes' effort and selflessness. The man has great hands and could be a huge asset catching the ball, but has been content to slog away in the trenches most of the time because that's his role. And he does this with absolutely no complaints because he is a true professional. I think you're right about the speed issues, but then again he's mostly asked to block.

I'd love for us to win the SB and hear Marcedes announce his retirement while on the podium. To go out a champion would be a fitting end to his career.

12 points
12
0
Turophile's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:45 am

Marcedes did look stiff last night...........but he has been so valuable for this team. It probably will be his last season (him being 38 next year) but Packers fans love him.

4 points
4
0
Swisch's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:53 am

I'm a huge fan of Marcedes, but it was shocking to see a venerable veteran like him carrying the ball so carelessly on the play that he fumbled.

6 points
6
0
10ve 💚's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:22 am

I agree that Lewis was a tad careless on his fumble. You cannot assume that there are no defenders behind you trying to punch out the ball.

Rams made it a mission to punch out the ball. There was one on Adams, I was amazed that the ball did not pop out. But then, that's Adams. A few other incidents too, of them trying. Lucky for Packers that the only one that succeeded ended up back in Packers' hands courtesy Nijman.

1 points
1
0
mrtundra's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:29 am

Lame call on the refs for not throwing a flag when Donald was choking Patrick, right in front of an official. Our entire O Line gets a game ball for their play vs the Rams' defensive front. A bunch of rookies, 2nd and 3rd stringers stopping one of the best defensive fronts,in the NFL! I love this team! So much heart and grittiness on display, all game and all season long!

25 points
25
0
Turophile's picture

November 29, 2021 at 02:40 pm

A great effort when you are facing von Miller and Donald (and Leonard Floyd who has 7.5 sacks this year). Rams were coming off a bye week as well.

Packers started:
a 3rd string undrafted LT,
a 6th round, 2nd string LG,
an undrafted 2nd/3rd string C,
a rookie 4th rounder RG
a 1st string vet RT.

When Bakhtiari AND Jenkins AND Myers come back, the Packers will own possibly the deepest O line in football - all done while spending a very modest amount of draft capital to get this good.

9 points
9
0
Starrbrite's picture

November 29, 2021 at 07:28 pm

Great post Turophile.

-1 points
0
1
lebowski's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:04 am

Seriously, what the hell was up with that choke hold and the ref does nothing???!!

13 points
13
0
croatpackfan's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:35 am

mrtundra

I expect NFL to announce huge fine to Donald for that pathetic move. But, I will be glad if the referee get same fine as well. Dear Mr Referee, you have to pay $10K for missing to throw the flag on that move. Thank you!

11 points
12
1
jurp's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:27 pm

That's an excellent idea - fining the refs for terrible calls! Not every call should be fined, of course, but if a ref misses something so freaking obvious then yes, he should be fined. Because of their salaries, though, the fine would have to be something like $1500 rather than $15,000.

The refs are unionized, however, so I don't expect to see anything like this until the IMO-inevitable scandal connecting terrible calls/no-calls to organized gambling.

2 points
3
1
bjkdad44's picture

November 30, 2021 at 08:48 am

Awesome idea!!!

0 points
0
0
murf7777's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:36 am

AJ Dillion had a great game even thou the stats don’t show it. Time and time again he got the tough yards when needed and he has, not good, but great hands. Agility, oh my, did you see him duke the defender on the sideline pass. These cold weather games are made for him. Other than the better record, this team is so reminiscent to the 2010 season. Now let’s get Bak, Alexander, Myers, Smith and King back for the stretch run.

10 points
10
0
RCPackerFan's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:56 am

Game Balls:

Rodgers - Sure his deep balls weren't perfect. But how damn accurate is he? Lazard should have caught the TD. Perfect throw. The one to Adams that he bobbled, perfect throw. The one to Cobb on the 54 yard play. Perfect throw. His accuracy is back. These last 2 games he has gotten back to where he left off last year. Hopefully the bye will allow his foot to get better.

Dillon - He is just a beast. He only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. But it was the important carries that he had. Getting first downs. Wearing the defense out with his hard running. The one run, he gained like 2-3 yards on. But it took 5-6 guys to bring him down.

Douglas - Tell me why King is playing ahead of Douglas. He should have had 2 interceptions. He had i think 4 pbu's? The pick 6 was awesome! Those are the plays needed to make to make a championship level defense. And if that isn't enough, he made some great stops on screens. He knifed through and made stops.

Stokes - He isn't getting much attention for defensive rookie of the year or anything, but he has been damn good! I don't know what his stats were yesterday, but he gave up almost nothing.

Amos - that 4th down stop was a thing of beauty! He does not get enough love for what he does. But man has been great for our defense. Especially in this defense! He also got the onside kick to end the game.

OL - They weren't perfect. But going against a good front by the Rams they did not allow them to control the game.

Lame Calls:

2 deep balls allowed - All year they had been very good against deep balls. Yesterday they gave up 2.

Refs - (i will always post something about the refs in lame calls). They called 2-3? holding calls against GB. Nothing against the rams? When a guy has Gary by the throat as he is running by, that doesn't warrant a holding penalty? Also, in this league if you point at a guy that is a penalty, but grabbing a guy by the throat right in front of a ref isn't a penalty?

Injuries - Cobb was the biggest injury from the game. outside of the muffed punt, he was having his best game of the year until then.

Notes:
Did the Rams really trade Bojo to GB? If you picked the best punter from yesterday, no question it was Bojo.

What has happened to Lazard's hands? He has dropped some very catchable passes lately. Not sure what is going on with him. Hopefully the bye week helps.

EQ - He has really been stepping up lately. He only had 1 catch, but that was a big catch! Look for him to keep earning more playing time.

Bye week - This team Needs a bye! This is much deserved and needed. Getting the win over a very good team definitely helps the team though. Hopefully the team can heal up. Rodgers and Jones hopefully can come back very strong in 2 weeks. Everyone else is banged up too.
Hopefully after the bye we can start getting some players back. Bakhtiari, Alexander, Smith just to name a few. I'm curious about Josh Myers.

Lasting thought:

9-3, going into the bye week. Things are looking up!

Lets enjoy some Victory Monday!

3 points
5
2
Bitternotsour's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:19 pm

Adrian Amos was a free agent signing. Not only did it greatly improve the packers secondary, it HURT the bears. Gutekunst gets double points.

7 points
7
0
dblbogey's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:14 pm

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Amos? Easy call.

4 points
4
0
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:33 pm

The Bears were in a financial situation where they couldn't commit big bucks to two S, and they were gaga over Jackson at that point. Jackson is a flashier guy, but Amos is what the Packers needed: a steady, smart guy at the S position. Flashy safeties don't flash nearly as much when they don't have a steady guy like Amos playing next to them.

3 points
3
0
joejetson's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:22 am

Game Ball- The overall depth on this team. Multiple injuries to some of the best players, and the backups come in and do their jobs. Compare that to the 49'ers last year. They got hit with the injury bug, and they just fell apart. Chalk it up to good talent acquisition by Gutekunst, and good coaching to get the backups ready.

9 points
9
0
Handsback's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:26 am

Going into the that tough 5 game span, how the Packers played would tell us more than the record. It was something I wrote before that stretch and now that they have completed it, they have showed the world that they will be a contender in the playoffs.

This year the team is different in their toughness. Losing as many key players to injuries and playing as a team to compensate for their lack of perceived talent is quite remarkable. This years Packer team reminds me of some of Belicheck's Patriot teams that went on to win SBs while patching together their offensive line or defensive backfield.

The bye seems to hit at the perfect time. The team gets a break before the big push and maybe some of their playmakers will make it back for the playoffs. Unlike past years, this team has the mindset and toughness to go all the way, and Rodger's broken toe will have an opportunity to heal.

5 points
5
0
relleum61's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:39 am

Rodgers fell in love with the deep ball when he had the crew of Jennings, Driver, Nelson and Jones to work with. Perhaps he thinks his current guys will catch the ball like they did. The one big difference between Rodgers and Brady (besides the number of rings) was that Brady (in his Patriot days) was relentless in moving the chains by taking the easy yardage. That often set up the big plays. MLF's offense is designed to to that as well but Rodgers does not have a "relentless" move the chains mindset.

Dillon is a huge upgrade over JWilliams. That ability to get the tough yards when needed, when there is nothing there is going to be a huge key to a successful playoff run...if it gets used.

Here is to reading about healthy Packers coming back after the bye!

12 points
12
0
fordguy's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:25 pm

You have no idea what play calls are called and where they're thrown too. And you answered your assessment in the receivers that are playing now are taller and should be making throws that hits their hands. The former players almost made all the catches and could high point the catch.

-1 points
1
2
Since'61's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:14 pm

relleum61, you posted that "Rodgers does not have a relentless move the chains mindset." Yet the Packers rank #2 in the NFL with an average TOP of 32:29 per game through 12 games in 2021. Over their last 3 games the Packers average TOP is 35:56. Against the Rams the Packers TOP was 39:40.

I'm not sure how much better of a move the chains mindset Rodgers needs to have. Perhaps you could share your criteria for a "move the chains mindset." Thanks, Since '61

1 points
2
1
LambeauPlain's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:49 am

Game ball for Yosh! I made it a point to watch him most of the game and he was outstanding at LT facing one of, if not the best fronts in football. When (if) Bakht gets back, IMO, Yosh needs to move to RT, Turner to RG and Newman to the bench (he needs more time). Then when Myers gets back the Pack will have quite the OL for the playoff push.

Lame calls...in addition to Rodgers forcing too many passes deep, still too much running the ball out of the shotgun. It shows the D where the runner is going and pretty much discards the "illusion of complexity" Matt talks about. More play action, motion, rollouts, screens, jet sweeps to help set up runs, please! Just a second of hesitation by the D will give AJ and especially AJD an edge to get to the second level.

Game ball for the coaches. They had the men ready to play, expecting to win. I expect many fans checked the game as a "L'.

Lame calls...A. Rodgers is consistently a mess as a returner. I have been advocating ESB return the last few weeks. A. Rodgers is looking like he was a reach in the draft. He's a rookie, but you'd expect at least a sizzle play here or there. Very disappointing.

6 points
8
2
bjkdad44's picture

November 30, 2021 at 08:55 am

Did we see a Green Bay screen play?

0 points
0
0
Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:50 am

Re: Rodger’s toe. It’s just the little one and you don’t need it. Snip that thing off, rub some dirt on it. You’ll be 100% after the bye.

5 points
7
2
Starrbrite's picture

November 29, 2021 at 07:34 pm

Lol—-that was good Doug—-you go first, tsk tsk.

0 points
0
0
HarryHodag's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:55 am

I guess I don't know what game the author was watching. Not the one where a very beat up Packers team laid a whoopin' on a pretty good team.

Criticizing Aaron Rodgers in any context concerning his play on the field is really wrong. The man is playing with a broken toe. I've had one and it was hard to walk much less play at a high-level NFL speed. Plus he throws for over 300 yards, RUNS for a TD, throws others. Criticize him, really?

The author must think that the Packers can do whatever they want whenever they want and there's not another highly-skilled and schooled team across the line of scrimmage. Rodgers can accurately throw the long ball. He also throws the short pass.

Game ball goes to Gute. As the Fox announcers pointed out the depth on this team and finding good players on the scrap heap says much about 9-3 and anything else.
Ted Thompson found enough front line players to keep the Packers competitive, but the depth behind the starters left Mike McCarthy holding the bag. This team is different. The number of injuries certainly would have beached many other teams, but this team is tied for the most wins in the league. Think that happens by accident?

Amari Rodgers: like many rookies, give him a break. Like the backup QB, there's always someone better just hanging around. Along the lines of the 'fire everybody' crowd who thinks firing people leads to victories. Just ask the Lions, or the Jaguars.

5 points
9
4
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:37 pm

"The author must think that the Packers can do whatever they want whenever they want and there's not another highly-skilled and schooled team across the line of scrimmage."

I think that we as fans too often forget that there's another team on the field that's taken the last week trying to figure out how to best attack your weaknesses. It's all about execution: who does it better on that day.

2 points
3
1
PackBacker's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:05 am

Apparently Rasul Douglas has been one of the best kept secrets in the NFL. But not anymore. A smart move by Gute.

8 points
8
0
jurp's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:31 pm

Wonder what the brain trust in Arizona think about Douglas now. Maybe "Oops, we missed a good one!" ?

2 points
2
0
PackBacker's picture

November 29, 2021 at 04:40 pm

You're sooooooo right. But I'm guessing they're maybe using a stronger four letter word than "oops".

0 points
0
0
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:40 pm

He's made himself some future money this season. I think he'll be on someone's 53 next fall with a 2-3 year commitment...maybe even in GB.

4 points
4
0
jhtobias's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:09 am

Game Balls : O line basically 2 preferred starters Turner and Runyan and while not perfect but no one ever is they gave one of the gret performances of the year considering the competition awesome job !

Kenny Clark : wrecked the game up front and Gary and Smith set the edges and brought the heat

Not gonna rag on Amari Cooper he is a rookie third round pick

Lame Calls : going for two burning a timeout and not converting this is being petty but oh well gotta find something .

As Nagler states : if Jaire , Bak, Meyers, and Zadarious come back look out

Lame Call of the Year : Lafluer still get's no respect

3 points
3
0
Swisch's picture

November 29, 2021 at 06:32 pm

I hated the Packers going for the two-point conversion in the third quarter.
The lost extra point allowed the Rams to soon close their deficit to 11 points, and then to close to 8 points late.
If the Rams had recovered that onside kick near the end, it would have been an opportunity for them to tie.
The Rams had a good reason to go for two-pointers after touchdowns because they were down so far, but the Packers should have kicked the one-pointer after scoring that TD late in the 3rd quarter.
Please, MLF, when the Packers are ahead or the game is close, wait until the 4th quarter to try for two points after a touchdown, preferably late in the 4th quarter.
That untaken extra point bothered me even at the time. It was haunting me from the time of the OBJ touchdown (with a two-point conversion) until the onside kick (when I had to endure Savage taking a shot to the head). It's still bothering me.

3 points
3
0
mrtundra's picture

November 30, 2021 at 08:02 am

Won't rag on Amari Rodgers? Okay, Let me rag on Kylin Hill, then. Why in hell did he run that kick out of the end zone, only to get severely injured. Hill is the guy we want returning kicks, not AmRod, but now we are stuck with AmRod after Hill went down. Maybe try Patrick Taylor, or Reggie Begelton, in that role while Hill is on IR?

0 points
0
0
Since'61's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:36 am

Agree with the game balls but like others who have posted before me Kenny Clark needs to be added to the game ball list. I would also add Gary. His strip sack of Gary in the first quarter set the tone for the game.

I would add Lazard to the Lame Calls. He dropped a perfect TD pass and has not played well lately. Our FG unit needs to figure out what's wrong. They should spend the bye week working on their problems.

In spite of everything, injuries, some questionable play calls, and mediocre STs, we're 9-3 going into our bye week with a shot for the #1 seed in the NFC. Jones should be back after the bye, followed by Bak, Alexander, and Myers preferably in that order. If we get our players back this team can play even better than we. have until this point. We need Bak and Alexander the most. GPG! Thanks, Since '61

5 points
5
0
Leatherhead's picture

November 29, 2021 at 01:57 pm

You say Lazard dropped a perfect TD pass.
I’d say he didn’t make a closely contested catch.

You say he hasn’t played well.
I say he’s getting his guy blocked, isn’t committing penalties, and is doing his job.

Potato, pohtahto, maybe.

0 points
2.5
2.5
Coldworld's picture

November 29, 2021 at 05:27 pm

Lazard looked less flexible than usual. He just came back off injury and I think hit still restricted him. Let’s see if the two weeks makes a difference.

0 points
0
0
Leatherhead's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:16 pm

Here’s the thing about Lazard…..

Remember back in the day when teams had fullbacks, like William Henderson? He’d block on most plays, and maybe get a couple of touches? Well, thats what Lazard does.

When we have Lazard and Lewis on the field, that’s two more good blockers who are also receiving threats that need to be covered , usually by a smaller guy. Two guys have to guard Adams, you’d better keep MVS covered. You’re running out of defenders to deal with our RB.

1 points
1
0
Since'61's picture

November 29, 2021 at 09:05 pm

Lazard is a professional NFL receiver. He dropped a perfectly thrown TD pass. The defender was close but never touched the ball. He should have caught the pass, that would be doing his job. No excuses.

He has not played well since his injury. Thanks, Since '61

-1 points
0
1
Leatherhead's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:17 pm

Rodgers is a professional NFL QB. I have seen him throw imperfect passes. He should throw accurate passes, that would be doing his job.

Injured or not, Lazard does his job pretty well on most plays, just like Rodgers and everybody else on this 9-3 team. You are never as good, or as bad, as you look on one play.

Speaking of which, I’m a little confused about the play you’re talking about. You’re not talking about the long sideline shot where the defender was holding his arm down , are you?

0 points
0
0
Starrbrite's picture

November 30, 2021 at 02:34 pm

Right on ‘61

-1 points
0
1
Swisch's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:38 am

With the all of the talent and ingenuity of Aaron Rodgers, I want to give him some leeway to go deep, and in general to improvise -- but I agree with Ken that he does seem to make some really bad decisions at times.
I don't expect Rodgers to be perfect -- especially when he is already so excellent -- but at the same time I hope he is still trying to improve each game with his decision making and all-around game.
As excellent as he is, we still need Rodgers to hone his craftsmanship at QB to help the Packers seize another Super Bowl.
***
Maybe other fans can help me out here: Is there any reason Rodgers has to throw the deep ball when the receiver is well covered, especially when he has an outlet receiver that is open?
Sincere question.
In the interest of avoiding sacks, or for some other reason, does Rodgers have to make the decision to go with the deep guy right away?
I would think that he could wait and see if the deep receiver has a step or two on his defender before throwing, and if not then check down to another option.
It's so irritating to see Rodgers force the ball deep, and he seems to do it so often. It baffles me.
I like looking for the deep shots occasionally. If only Rodgers could resist when they're not open, then we could still get good yardage with him adjusting to shorter throws.
It seems like such an easy concept, but maybe I'm missing something.

-2 points
1
3
Ya_tittle's picture

November 29, 2021 at 03:27 pm

Like the short throw to Aaron Jones that would've picked up the first down instead of pushing it down the field to a TE that wasn't open.

2 points
2
0
THESZOTMAN1's picture

November 29, 2021 at 10:41 am

Like many, I've lost a little regard for AR12 this year.
But you gotta love it when he fakes the whole Ram D out of their jocks on dive play at the 1 and skirts around the end for walk-in TD---all with a bum toe. Priceless.
Now get healthy during bye for stretch run.
GPG
The Szotman

7 points
8
1
Grimbo's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:00 am

Did Douglas and Stokes switch spots this game? Seems like Stokes was playing right corner exclusively up until this game and Douglas left.

0 points
0
0
jont's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:03 am

An offensive line plays as a unit, and this one deserves a game ball.
Last week all we read was how good the Ram's D-line is and how they could/would tip this game. Wrong. GB's patchwork group did a very good job.

And what is it with Aaron Donald? He's all world according to everything I read, but in two games against the Pack he left the field crying after the first one and should've been ejected for choking a guy yesterday (another low point in 2021 officiating, by the way) so... what, he's Suh with a better press agent?

6 points
6
0
mnbadger's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:47 pm

Jont is dead on comparing donald to sue. talented, overly hyped and dirty. When his butt is being handed to him, he pouts and plays dirty. Luv it.
I'll take grit, teamwork and toughness in football over prima donna talent (even if it's our own qb) any day. GPG!

6 points
6
0
barutanseijin's picture

November 29, 2021 at 03:10 pm

Jenkins baited him into a personal foul penalty in last year's playoff game. He's a little hotheaded and maybe a little stupid, too. The other teams and players use his aggressiveness against him.

3 points
4
1
10ve 💚's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:29 am

For me, the most beautiful play was not any of the TDs... or the huge gains of yardage.

The most beautiful play was Aaron Donald getting his hands on Dillon and still not being able to stop him. Donald is still in his prime, but Dillon still went through him for a few feet.

The whole game, I noticed just the one play where Dillon was knocked backwards. Every other play he seemed to be breaking tackles or making the first guys miss, and then trampling anyone foolish enough to get in his way. The Rams defenders did make quite a few "business decisions" yesterday!

Additionally, Dillon caught every single one of his 5 targets!

6 points
6
0
cheesehead1's picture

November 29, 2021 at 11:44 am

Cobb played great except for the muffed punt. Good to see EQ step up, but wonder what’s up with Lazzard, far too many drops. Great win, now we can rest up and heal. GPG!

3 points
3
0
Coldworld's picture

November 29, 2021 at 05:33 pm

EQ had a good ST play but caught one pass for seven yards. He has, as before, flashed with ball in hand, but yesterday very clearly showed us the difference between having him and Cobb on the field. His attitude does seem more focused, but this far he’s not been a major factor in any game.

-1 points
0
1
Packers0808's picture

November 29, 2021 at 02:40 pm

Campbell not mentioned here Talk about Steady Eddie! Has contributed more to this team I think that he has been credited for!

7 points
7
0
LambeauPlain's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:06 pm

Game ball to fans here who stood by Gutey as he built a deep team with quality depth....and let a talented coaching staff coach them up.

Lame calls to fans who were fine with trading #12 for a bevy of draft picks and opposed to the FO appeasing him to play in GB this season . (I am one of those fans....I was wrong.)

Colin Cowherd who gets both game balls and lame calls in his analysis, today called the Packers the best team in football.

2 points
4
2
dobber's picture

November 29, 2021 at 02:34 pm

When you look at this roster top to bottom, there's only a small number who predate the TT-->BG transition: AJones, Bakhtiari, Adams, Patrick, and ARod on offense (I don't count Cobb because he left and was reacquired by BG in trade); Clark, King and Lowry on defense; Crosby on ST . This is his team...yes, the most key player predates that change in GM, but this roster is pretty much BG's work.

3 points
3
0
Qoojo's picture

November 29, 2021 at 12:28 pm

Game ball to Dillon and Gary.

I feel like Gary changes the whole defense and makes it work. It's no surprise to me that the defense struggled last week without Gary.

Dillon is just fun to watch.

Special mention to Rodgers. Broken little toe really hurts. Plus, he played "normal" for him.

Why not a game ball for the whole offensive line? Relatively speaking, they did great considering their opponent. Think about it, at the start of the season, if someone listed out the offensive line, then the defense, and oh by the way, Rodgers has broken toe, what would have been your response?

7 points
7
0
Starrbrite's picture

November 29, 2021 at 07:46 pm

I’ve posted a couple of notes concerning my disappointment with Lazard not making the contested catches; this is what separates the average from the very good. I believe the pass catching skills are the primary ingredient required by a receiver and blocking, although important, is secondary. It is my current opinion that EQ should start before Lazard.

-2 points
0
2
Coldworld's picture

November 30, 2021 at 08:17 am

What has EQ actually done though? We lost Cobb after 95 yards and a TD. EQ as the next man up managed 7 in the second half. He’s in his 4th year. If he was good, by now he’d make more of an impact than he has when given opportunities. At this point he’s the eternal physical promise yet to be fulfilled. Could it happen? Sure, but I’ve thought his moment had come so may times that I’m through expecting it anymore.

0 points
0
0
wildbill's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:15 pm

Seems like our OL played well against a very talented DL but have read somewhere that they had 19 pressures. Haven’t rewatched the whole game yet but don’t seem to remember many screen passes or moving pockets to help the OL. I didn’t expect any draw plays as they have great middle pressure but if you just have 3/5 yards drops, or shotgun, the defense has a constant target to attack.

Maybe the Rams defense plays screens and moving pockets very well so it wasn’t part of our game plan. I know a moving pocket limits the field for most QBs but we have Aaron Freaking Rodgers!!

That being said I was pleasantly surprised at our OL success but maybe shouldn’t be at this point in the season as they have rose to the occasion almost every game

3 points
3
0
Buckywunder's picture

November 29, 2021 at 08:40 pm

Happy to be a Nags bandwagoner but… love this team.

1 points
1
0