Packers: 43 Falcons: 37
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Packers' win over the Falcons
By PackerAaron
Aaron Rodgers, James Starks, The Offensive Line
Micah Hyde, Tramon Williams, Brad Jones
Sam Shields
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Comments (39)
egbertsouse
December 09, 2014 at 07:58 am
Ugly: special teams. Can't even make an extra point? C'mon Slocum! And those kickoffs! What were you thinking?
barutanseijin
December 09, 2014 at 08:01 am
They were probably thinking "keep Hester from running one back". They succeeded with that.
I agree that the blocking on kicks does need to improve.
DrealynWilliams
December 09, 2014 at 10:03 am
Can we really blame Slocum for the blocked kicks?
I'm starting to think Slocum/Coach MM is trying to force the ST KO team to become better by kicking these high and short or sometimes line drives to these good-to-great kick returners. There's no other way to spin this. We all know Crosby has more than enough leg power to get touchbacks on every kick.
sonomaca
December 09, 2014 at 09:58 am
Wait a second. They blocked a field goal! Don't they get any credit for that. Crosby made his field goals, including a long one. They didn't let Hester return any for TD's, which helped to prevent Atlanta from winning the game. Also, Harris' returns are starting to get out past the 20, which is an improvement. Also, Boykin and Nelson made quick work on the onside kicks.
It's unfair to mention the extra point and ignore all the good things.
lucky953
December 09, 2014 at 10:02 am
Number 65: Lane Taylor. Could not hold his position and was driven backwards. Hope on your lucky horseshoe he doesn't have to play on offense.
barutanseijin
December 09, 2014 at 07:58 am
Not sure if Shields was truly ready to play last night. I'll give the ugly to the medical/coaching staff for sending him out there.
DoURant
December 09, 2014 at 09:32 am
After Shields gave up the TD to Jones, they took him out and put House out there, and House made some plays. Hindsight probably should have started House, and played Shields sparingly with the injury.
DrealynWilliams
December 09, 2014 at 09:51 am
I wonder if that big block he put on someone during that Morgan Burnett INT return gave him another concussion.
lucky953
December 09, 2014 at 10:05 am
Right! I don't think he realized he was in a professional football game. It should have been House from the start. Bad decision by the staff.
jeremyjjbrown
December 09, 2014 at 04:43 pm
Julio Jones destroyed Patrick Peterson last week and I believe he was fully healthy. So while I don't like the defenses second half performance, it's a little better if you realize Jones has been just plain unstoppable, even by an excellent secondary.
zoellner25
December 09, 2014 at 08:34 am
Ugly: the entire pass defense. It was so epically bad, I almost think Capers played soft coverage on Jones on purpose. Why? No effing clue.
sonomaca
December 09, 2014 at 10:03 am
Listen, McCarthy figured that Atlanta doesn't have enough weapons to beat the Packers, even if Jones goes off. So, they let Jones go off. The strategy was correct. We've seen that McCarthy and Capers will keep things vanilla against lesser teams, such as Minnesota and Atlanta. When the big games arrive, the Packers will bring out the fancy stuff, just as they did vs. New England.
zoellner25
December 09, 2014 at 10:15 am
I have to disagree with not covering a top 5 NFL WR for an entire game and letting him set a record on them. They should have double covered him and let someone else beat them. Isn't that the the mantra of sports, don't let one guy beat you? they nearly did just that.
sonomaca
December 09, 2014 at 10:26 am
Yes, but, the plan worked. Not by much, but it worked. In the end, Jones was out of the game and the Packers defense got the job done. Now, vs. Dallas with Bryant and Murray, that's going to be a tougher ask.
JimTaylor31
December 09, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Well maybe but 37 points is a LOT of points vanilla or not. Let's not give Capers so much credit as to believe that he will neccesarily have an an answer with "the fancy stuff" in the playoffs. I think they will play much better in the playoffs but whether it will be good enough to beat Seattle is a big question. Hopefully he will bring out the "fancy stuff" and win the next three games or we have to go through Seattle in the playoffs.
sonomaca
December 09, 2014 at 03:19 pm
Two weeks ago, the Pack looked so-so against Minnesota. Turns out, they were saving their best stuff for New England. I think they're trying to do just enough to win, and no more.
JimTaylor31
December 09, 2014 at 06:42 pm
I think we are getting to the point in the season where the overall level of play should start to peak and become less uneven. Regardless of opponent we can't afford any off days where we just DON't "do just enough to win" against a team like Buffalo who can be very dangerous at home. Time to ramp it up and get on a roll. I've seen too many teams play this up-and-down game before and get rung up in Rd. 1 of the post season. The offense looks spot on. The "D" just has to stay on an even keel to win. The defense will never be as good as Seattle's "D" but they can play good enough to win when they get their act together for 4 quarters.
4thand1
December 09, 2014 at 10:17 pm
This year seems like they peaked early. Usually the Packers are lights out in Dec.
White92
December 09, 2014 at 09:56 am
I'm thinking/hoping Capers didn't want to show any exotic looks with such a big lead.
I agree that maybe Shields should have sat and House started. Maybe thats hindsight.
Thanks goodness no style points in the NFL. It's ok to win ugly.
sonomaca
December 09, 2014 at 10:05 am
I'd give Shields a week or two to recover. He's definitely not himself. They're going to need him vs. Calvin Johnson, Bryant, Maclin, Julio Jones, or whoever they get in the playoffs.
packsmack
December 09, 2014 at 10:03 am
That bomb to Jordy is the kind of play superstar QBs make when they need to do it. Good to see Aaron put his foot down there and essentially throw the dagger.
I'm not worried about the defense. Dom does this every time they get a big lead, but usually they hold up better in the red zone and hang on to a couple of interceptions. It's maddening to watch, but good QBs will carve up a prevent defense, especially if they have a monster like Jones to whom they can heave it.
calabasa
December 09, 2014 at 10:04 am
Not to mention on the 53-yarder, they were late and snapped it with 1 second on the clock. Almost made it a 58-yard try!
Bearmeat
December 09, 2014 at 10:06 am
I'm really not that worried. They checked out. The first half was all good. That's the team we'll see next week and in the playoffs.
MarioThePoet
December 09, 2014 at 10:30 am
It was a tale of two halfs.
You have to give Sam Shields safety help over the top.
The problem with CONCUSSIONS is that they need time to heal. You are still as fast as you were but it clouds your thinking and close motor skills are affected.
If you are able to practice they can see you aren't making jumps when you are supposed to aren't reacting like you usually would.
I hope he is back for the playoffs but time for him to sit down and rest his head.
LASVEGAS-TOM
December 09, 2014 at 12:31 pm
Does anyone know the Time of Possession, especially for the 2ond half? Can't believe our Defense is that Bad, or 1 guy is that Good. LVT
Lphill
December 09, 2014 at 01:06 pm
The Good -Packers 10 and 3
The Bad - us fans who complain about a win . Life is good right now enjoy it.
RCPackerFan
December 09, 2014 at 01:23 pm
so true right...
I'm honestly surprised there isn't more complaining... everyone must still be sleeping from last nights game...
balding_pastor
December 09, 2014 at 02:36 pm
Agree w/LPhill The team is 10-3 and if they win out they'll have the #1 seed since it's clear that Arizona isn't going to win their last 3. Just think, you could be a Bears fan and have the worst D, a so-so O Line, an aging RB and a crappy QB that they're stuck with for another 4 years. RELAX.
Buffalo has a very good D, it's a good thing their QB stinks.
pooch
December 09, 2014 at 03:22 pm
The Ugly..playing Jones and Hawk in second half and not doubling up on Jones...Capers 2 steps forward 3 steps backwards
4thand1
December 09, 2014 at 10:21 pm
Jones was so bad I shit my pants watching him get taken out by the ref, twice that I saw for sure. He should cut immediately.
pooch
December 09, 2014 at 03:29 pm
We will not ever be this lucky with Seattle coming to town hopefully in playoffs.This team/Capers/D need to get there shit together
4thand1
December 09, 2014 at 04:46 pm
LMAO, I think Goodell called GB and said quit kicking these teams asses by halftime, the ratings suck. The Packers could have put 50 on the board again, but sat on the ball at the end. They took their foot off the gas, so what. What I saw against NE is all I needed to see from this team. They can beat any team, period.
pooch
December 09, 2014 at 05:36 pm
hope your right
JimTaylor31
December 09, 2014 at 09:19 pm
Same here Pooch. Until we can play balls-to-the-wall for 60 minutes and beat Seattle I'll keep my fingers crossed.
DraftHobbyist
December 09, 2014 at 06:02 pm
Pretty good list this week. I hope that was just rust by Shields and maybe he's still not 100%. Hopefully next week he's better.
On a side note, I can't believe you blocked me on Twitter when I was not disrespectful at all towards you. We simply disagreed on how issues effect men and women in the NFL and what the best way to get women into the NFL is. To block me for that is pretty cowardly.
Also, during the game you complained about illegal contact in the end zone. To clear up the illegal contact for you, DB's are allowed to push the WR's around when the QB is out of the pocket. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the illegal contact rule.
PackerAaron
December 09, 2014 at 07:48 pm
I am well aware of the rule. Impossible to know without seeing the all 22. I was asked if it looked like it, I replied yes.
Gee. I wonder why I blocked your sanctimonious ass?
DraftHobbyist
December 11, 2014 at 02:22 am
There you go again with accusations. I've asked you over and over for real substance on the issue and all you ever do is call me names or make exceptionally vague statements. I've looked into this kind of stuff to a great deal, and have thought about these issues a great deal.
If you want to keep me blocked then that's your choice, but I've always treated you with respect, something you have not always done with me. Normally people get blocked for being a troll but I guess I get blocked for supporting my ideas with real evidence instead of taking stances that are popular.
On illegal contact, I think if you go back and look at the film you'll realize it wasn't. I am critical of the refs often enough, but when they get something right and someone accuses them of doing a bad job or getting a call wrong, I think it's our responsibility as fans to stick up for the fans. Who will otherwise?
Paulg
December 09, 2014 at 07:48 pm
My Kool aid mix: shields was on some concussion protocol where he had to air in a dark room and not watch film of the opponent.
Lphill
December 10, 2014 at 03:26 pm
well look at this game from the Falcons side, they came to Lambeau scored 37 and still couldnt beat the Packers, and of course the Pack could have scored again at the end but didnt. So thats a message sent too.