The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Panthers vs Packers

December 20, 2020 at 09:32 am

Defense perhaps played its best game. While that perhaps isn’t a high bar, if you thing the D was a culprit here I think I will skip that analysis you promote.

NitschkeFromTheGrave

December 20, 2020 at 02:15 pm

I didn't say culprit, you did. I said " bad".
Panthers Won (against our D) :
-- Time of possession
--Total yards
--Total passing
-- and tied in 1st downs.

If this is anything other than bad, then I want in on your Kool-Aid

December 20, 2020 at 03:42 pm

Just to be clear, hard to win time of possession if your O barely stays on the field. You didn't say culprit but it’s a fair paraphrase as of what you said as I read it.

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December 20, 2020 at 04:34 pm

If the offense had done its job the defense wouldn't have been on the fild so much. Hence they wouldn't have given up as many yards!

Rodgers was beyond poor averaging less that 5yds per attempt. The OL didn't help him but Rodgers played his way out of the MVP. The playcalling by LaFluers own admission wasn't acceptable. They had a chance to get Dillon involved when Wiiliams went down. Jone had a large workload and had alot of success but LaFleur basically abandoned the run game instead of pounding Carolina's defense into submission. Dillon had one carry for 18 yds, but that wasn't good enough to earn more touches or playing time?!

4thand10

December 20, 2020 at 04:56 pm

This. 100% And against the titans they will need to run the ball like they have never ran in before to keep the Titans O off the field. They also should activate all Avail DL for Henry and load the box.

December 21, 2020 at 01:05 pm

If the Smith Bro's do not attempt to hold the Edge, you could show an eight man front and the Titans will rip off big runs. That is Henry's favorite spot. He is fast in addition to carrying the beef.

Pulpfriction01

December 20, 2020 at 06:00 pm

Rodgers wasn't the issue. And he definitely isn't out of the MVP race. They had almost 200 yards rushing even with an offensive collapse. How many more rush attempts do you want? It's not like they had 45 rushing yards and gave up. The Panthers tightened up and got them off the field. There were several chain moving drops. And effort dipped. Guys were getting lazy. They weren't playing to the whistle. Their fundamentals were getting lazy. Not looking passes in, not breaking down for tackles. They checked out of the game mentally. It's deserving of a good butt chewing. It's the type of game at the right time that can help them finish the season right, but it's also the type of game that can be foreshadowing.

December 20, 2020 at 08:09 pm

Dude get your head out of the sand. He averaged less than 5 yards per attempt and threw for less than 150 yds total. That effectively ended any chance for an MVP. For christ sakethat Trubisky territory!

He's in charge of the offense on the field andthey stopped running the ball and you can bet part of that was Rodgers changing runs to pass, again something LaFleur admitted he shouldn't have allowed so much.

The offense was inept for most of the game. Except for the running game, which they neatly ignored when they had a chance to pound Carolina into submission with Dillon's fresh legs.

The offensive failure fall squarely on Rodgers and to a lesser degree on LaFleur!

Packers2020

December 20, 2020 at 07:05 pm

Rodgers was poor? He threw a TD and ran for another. In the 2nd half he had no time and was sacked 3 times. We abandoned the run when Jones was averaging 7 yards per carry. Oh and Lazard and Adams each dropped a pass for a 1st down.

Rodgers helped win the game because he did not turn the ball over. You can't have MVP numbers every night. Sometimes it is the little things that win football games.

December 20, 2020 at 08:15 pm

Woo he had a whole one TD passing and 2total. Uhm, I dont know what football you've been watching but that's been way below average fot the past 30 or 40 yrs now!

If his line way giving him protection but they were opening alot of holes , what the hell was he doing changing runs to passes?! LaFleur admitted that happened far to often!

EskyBrian

December 20, 2020 at 10:20 am

Defense disappoints? The offense PUNTED 6 times in the second half! The D bent and didn’t break.

marcrjackson

December 20, 2020 at 04:32 pm

The defense only gave up 16 points. Where were the offensive drives in the second half?

Packers2020

December 20, 2020 at 07:06 pm

And they allowed the Carolina Panthers in the red zone 5 times. Any decent QB and we lose.

PAPackerbacker

December 20, 2020 at 05:15 am

The good - Aaron Jones and the rushing attack. The first 30 minutes of the game. Mason Crosby.

The bad - The last 30 minutes of the game.

The ugly - Lack of intensity and discipline on both sides of the ball to allow an opponent to many opportunities to come back.

packerbackerjim

December 20, 2020 at 06:21 am

Good: Barnes and Martin seeing more snaps.
Bad: Leaky O Line
Ugly: Tackling, again. Carolina was superior by far when it came to that.

PackfanNY

December 20, 2020 at 07:59 am

The third point is so on point. Great point.

There was a play where Kirksey and a second player “bounced” off a receiver and the guy proceeds to get another 20-30 yards on the play. No wrapping. No arms whatsoever. It was the laziest “tackling” attempt I have ever seen. This all happened when the Packers had a two score lead and they simply needed to tackle on the field to keep the clock rolling. Disgusting.

All that being said it was the offense that went on siesta tonight. Overall the defense did enough.

Lphill

December 20, 2020 at 06:24 am

The good , the Packers defense with Barnes and Martin , the bad the Packers defense with Kirksey , the ugly 5 sacks.

December 20, 2020 at 06:41 am

How is Jersey Al going to pick just 3 plays this week? The Pack filled his stocking with so many stinkers.

December 20, 2020 at 09:34 am

Well they only ran a handful of calls in the second half. Maybe Al could just go on volume.

December 20, 2020 at 06:44 am

Not bad and not ugly - special teams. Given how many snaps they got I can't believe they showed up for all of them. Progress?

December 20, 2020 at 03:44 pm

Punt blocking was not good at all on the last one, which very nearly gifted critical points. But I agree, coverage was better.

rstain99

December 20, 2020 at 06:55 am

I think the blueprint is there for how to defend the Packers, pressure up the middle lock down receivers in the first 10 yards. Second half no one got free, did MLF decide to hand play calling to Pettine on offense. WOW ! how about running a screen or two, maybe slant to loosen up coverage.

Good or great in the matter was Mason Crosby, Aaron Jones, what happened to Williams no show 2 nd half injured?

Bad O line from possessions 4-9, block guys with white shirts, sorry Bak maybe reading press clippings a bit. Patrick got bulldozed

Ugly no adjustments at half, they owned you from middle of second quarter. Playoffs you will need to make adjustments, still one win over team with winning record, just to remind the green teamers its a win but tough times ahead.

December 20, 2020 at 09:03 am

The lack of adjustments in game seems chronic. Give MLF a week and he would figure it out brilliantly. On the fly? Not so much.

McFly

December 20, 2020 at 08:04 pm

Even coming out of both bye weeks he's been HC for, he hasn't been good. Flat, unprepared and out-physical'd, both games were over by halftime. Gameplanning and adjustments in general have shown to be a weakness of MLF thus far.

December 21, 2020 at 12:56 pm

Hackett was around for the Jaguar's meltdown in Foxboro,he should have learned his lesson back then. These guys have to have the 2nd and 3rd plans ready for the counter action. Big drops and not moving the chains will break momentum as fast as giving up a turnover.

flackcatcher

December 20, 2020 at 11:11 am

MLF did run a couple early on, and I think one in the third. Panthers defense shut in down in the first half. Second half there was well some pretty shoddy play including a totally messed up screen. This Panther defense was very good in the second half, quickly sniffing out and cutting of the routes. The other side gets a vote too...

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December 21, 2020 at 01:01 pm

The Cats have a solid front four and fast LBs. Boston has been making plays from the safety spot. This team should have five more wins. Gave away 3-4 games. Packers need a mind meld to focus on the full 60 or they will be tossed, home field or not.

NJ-RICK

December 20, 2020 at 07:03 am

The Packers have been very fortunate, when was the last time this team played a team with a 500 or above win loss record...? Colts ( loss ) Buc's ( loss ) Vikings -500 ( loss ). There beating mediocre teams in the NFL as they should. As AR said last night another ugly win, your not going to win to many games in this league playing like that. Seems like every week the opposition is targeting Kevin King on defense. LB play is still very inconsistent and special teams are an embarrassment. Offensive line struggled tonight, Panthers made some nice adjustments at half time and the Packers didn't counter. The Titans will be the first team the Packers have played with a wining record in 6 weeks, very curious to see how they perform. To me the Rams & Saints are the best teams in the NFC, the AFC is loaded with talented teams - Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, Colts, Titans, Browns & Ravens. Packers need their Offense to play at their best each and every week if they want to stay competitve.

LeotisHarris

December 20, 2020 at 06:04 pm

Rick, there are 7 NFC teams with records above 500, Packers included. The AFC has 8 teams with records above 500. It would take very creative scheduling for the Packers to be tested weekly by a team with an above 500 record. We've seen any team can beat another this year more than once. The old any given Sunday (or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday) holds true. If you go back and look at the Lombardi years, the Packers did not dominate every game. They struggled as all teams do.

The Panthers have been in every game they've played this season. Is it possible they are an ascending team with good young defensive players? I think so. I don't have a good reason for why the bottom fell out on O other than our guys were getting their butts kicked. As Larry McCarren says, the other guys get paid, too.

Pulpfriction01

December 20, 2020 at 06:29 pm

This didn't age well. Rams and saints look to both pick up losses today. The rams lost to the worst team in the NFL. Saints are down by a few scores right now in the 4th. And it's not like mahomes lit them up either. The Packers offense was horrible the 2nd half and they still won by 8 with a below average defense to a not great team, but a team that has been very competitive. The Panthers are better than their record is. They were a couple counces away from being a winning team. They took teams like the chiefs, saints, Packers, and raiders to the wire. That's not easy to do for a bad team. It was an ugly win, but the only thing that jumped off the page to me was a lack of effort after what looked like a blowout.

croatpackfan

December 20, 2020 at 06:58 pm

Well, Packers beat the Saints! Just for your information. I mean, by your judgement one of the 2 best teams in NFC... And the other just lost home game against Jets...

Just to inform you regarding your statement "the Rams & Saints are the best teams in the NFC..."

NickPerry

December 20, 2020 at 02:25 pm

The Good... I was thinking of "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" last night watching this game. When Adrian Amos made his 3rd pass defended, I thought he'll be in the Good for sure.

Aaron Jones...Jones ran hard all night. I'm wondering if something happened to Williams because I don't remember seeing him at all after a few plays in the 1st quarter.

The Win... 11-3 and in CONTROL of where the play in the postseason. A Saints loss today even gives them more of a cushion.

Carolina going for a FG just before the 2 minute warning (2:08 left) and 1 TO...That made ZERON sense to me and clearly Kurt Warner.

The Bad...NO PRE-SNAP MOVEMENT... MLF and Rodgers are really smart guys. I don't understand why we're not using Austin more than one or two plays like they use Ervin.

EDIT.....Aaron Rodgers... Okay enough of the TALK AR is GREAT and MVP talk. He was bad tonight . We KNOW this, just go out and do it. His head is swelling up again.

MLF... Excellent first 3 drives Matt but once again you ran out of gas and RODE the breaks the rest of the way.

Ugly... Kirksey...OMG that long completion to set up the Panthers last FG, was about 95% on Kirksey. Go watch the play and tell me exactly what the hell that was by Kirksey. He never made an attempt to wrap him up and basically kept two teammates from making a play too.

croatpackfan

December 20, 2020 at 06:58 pm

Sorry wrong placement

Philarod

December 20, 2020 at 07:15 am

The Good: AJ, especially in the first half.
Amos and the Defense - yes, I wrote that.
Scott with a clutch punt despite heavy pressure - yes, I wrote that.
Crosby.
It's a W.

Bad: The WRs were horrible...not much separation, drops...I like Davante --the player and the person - but he was not good. A drop or two, one decent YAC on the sideline, otherwise could not elude or break a table.
And a dumb, if ticky-tack, unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Bad:. AR - my favorite, and I think best, player in the NFL in the postgame talking about getting more going for Davante. He's good, very good, but he's not an overpowering player -- not great size, barely good speed and not great hands. He's the best we have by far, but if he's shut down, MVS, Lazard, Tonyan and company need to do more.

Ugly: OLine. They've been great this year, but...

December 20, 2020 at 04:47 pm

Carolina double Adams all game long. They didnt shade coverage toward him, they flat out doubled him. This was a game the Packers needed a legit #2 to step up, but our collection of #3 at best and #4 WR wasn't able to make Carolina pay.

If a team give that much in resources to stop Adams the rest have to be able to pick up the slack againt man coverage. They all failed to provide any help to the offense.

egbertsouse

December 20, 2020 at 07:36 am

Good: Adrian Amos
Bad: OL, but to be fair maybe they are as sick of AR’s “me, me, me” MVP talk as I am and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Ugly: WR screens. Matt, take that page out of the playbook and burn it. Then flush the ashes down the toilet.

December 20, 2020 at 09:07 am

AR's "me, me, me" MVP talk? I missed him claiming to be the MVP.

December 20, 2020 at 08:25 pm

You didn't hear him on the Pat Mcaffee podcast, i guess. He basically said he leads the list of candidates.

jhalwas611.com

December 20, 2020 at 08:02 am

The Good: Adrian Amos and Savage's safety play as well as the first half defense with Barnes and Martin in the middle. Aggressive calls and making plays. Special teams coverage improvement.
The Bad: Second half defense with Kirksey in the middle getting steamrolled on Bridgewaters td and other chunk plays. O-line play. Guards spent way too much time on their backs or looking down at Rodgers on his. NFL Network. Were there injuries that took Big Dog off the field?
The Ugly: What was the defensive call on 3rd and 9 that pulled the nose guard and went wide rush leaving only Kirksey in the middle to give up 10 yards? Why the conservative play calling, on both sides of the ball, to protect a 21 point lead?

December 21, 2020 at 01:11 pm

The inside blockers were whipped more than a few times.

gkarl

December 20, 2020 at 08:06 am

The Good: The W

The Bad: All the complaining about the W

The Ugly: How often the bad seems to happen.

GPG

Packers0808

December 20, 2020 at 08:10 am

Ugly Rodgers lost any MVP choice or Chance last night! Packers offense sounded horrible on the radio, UGLY no game televised in UP if no NFL channel package!

badaxed

December 20, 2020 at 09:05 am

NFL network broadcast of the game was worst tv production I have seen in year's. Very bad picture. Bad shot placement. One of the cameras was malfunctioning. This production was akin to the way the packers played in the second half. The NFL network should be ashamed for poor professionalism.

December 20, 2020 at 10:26 am

Agreed. warner and his sidekick talked right over a key penalty call. Guys the game is why you're there not vice versa.

Spock

December 20, 2020 at 10:49 am

Not only was it a bad broadcast, but in my area (Tucson, AZ) the game was scheduled to start at 6:29 pm. I set my VCR and then flipped over to the game channel at about 6:25 only to discover that it was 8 minutes into the first quarter! WTF? I've never in my life had a game START roughly 10 minutes BEFORE it was scheduled. I'll have to watch the NFL replay to see those lost minutes, but, man, that pissed me off.

Fubared

December 20, 2020 at 08:37 am

The Good, the time clock finally ran out
THe Bad, not using your people on offense or defense correctly. I think the Panthers learned Adams out route after the second time they did it. Running the same plays over and over only works when the other team fails to stop it.
The Ugly, having slow under sized defensive backs who lack cover speed and tackling skills.

mbpacker

December 20, 2020 at 10:06 am

The Good: We won and maintained the bye lead. Amos, Barns, and Martin.
The Bad: This team lacks a killer instinct to put teams away.
The Ugly: The Tail of Two Halves( Not wrote by Charles Dickens). Going to cost us again if we don't figure it out, soon.