Packers 27 Steelers 17: Game Balls & Lame Calls
Rodgers shows why he wanted Cobb back.
By KenLass
I must admit, the defensive team the Green Bay Packers had to put on the field in the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers struck fear into my heart. As injuries kept piling up, Green Bay was forced to play an array of deep reserves, like Isaac Yiadom, Shemar Jean-Charles, Oren Burks and Jonathan Garvin. Surely, I thought, this group cannot hold up, and we are in for a furious Steelers comeback.
What I didn’t take into account, was the profound deterioration of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Packers won the game 27-17, but this game should have been much closer. I had heard that Big Ben was just a shadow of his former, two-time Super Bowl champion self, but seeing it firsthand was still stunning. On multiple occasions Roethlisberger overthrew, underthrew, or threw behind receivers who were frequently wide open and behind the Packers secondary.
His inaccuracy was exceeded only by his incredibly unwise decision making. Needing to score three times in the final quarter, Roethlisberger should have been repeatedly throwing the ball deep to allow his talented receivers to make plays against the young Packer corners. Instead, he chose to dink and dunk down the field, which allowed the more experienced Green Bay veterans in the linebacker and safety ranks to make tackles and defend passes.
In the end, the defense manufactured enough stops to support an offense that couldn’t seem to slam the door.
GAME BALLS
Randall Cobb
This must be what Aaron Rodgers visualized when he insisted the team bring Cobb back. A third down alternative to the irrepressible Davante Adams. With Marquez Valdes-Scantling ruled out, It’s hard to overstate the importance of Cobb’s five catches for 69 yards. Four of the grabs were third down conversions. Two were touchdowns. Is he the true number two receiver we’ve been waiting for? He was in this game.
Offensive Line
Again, this young, makeshift unit got the job done. They did allow three sacks, but they also paved the way for 131 rushing yards, which were crucial to setting up the pass and maintaining offensive balance. Kudos to Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, and Billy Turner.
Defensive Line
They’ve taken their share of criticism, but the D-line played well in this game. They consistently closed in on Big Ben and made him uncomfortable. They sacked him twice and forced a fumble. They held hotshot rookie running back Najee Harris to 62 yards, and those were the only rushing yards the Steelers could muster. A pat on the back to Kenny Clark, Kingsley Keke and Dean Lowry. Honorable mention to De’Vondre Campbell and Rashan Gary, who held up well behind them.
LAME CALLS
No tripping call
How the officials could conclude that Aaron Rodgers wasn’t intentionally tripped on the third quarter red zone play is beyond me. The no-call likely cost Green Bay a touchdown, as they settled for field goal two plays later.
Lack of offensive patience in the 4th quarter
This drives me absolutely nuts. With AJ Dillon running over the Steelers defense at about six yards per carry late in the 4th quarter, the Packers were beautifully draining the clock and on the verge of putting the game away. But Rodgers/LaFleur just can’t stand it. They just can’t stand the idea of continuing to run the ball. After Dillon carried four times in a row for 20 yards, Rodgers proceeded to uncork three consecutive incomplete passes to end the drive with no points. Momentum killed. Steelers still alive. RUN THE DANG BALL!!!
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Randall Cobb: "I pride myself in being a third down guy. ....throughout my career I do have a lot of catches on third down, and, you know, that's the money down."
Aaron Rodgers: "The whole plan of the (Steelers) defense was to take Davante out, so there were very few times when he was singled up. Probably the times he was singled up I threw the ball to him. Every other time he was doubled up, so we knew other guys were going to have to get involved."
Matt LaFleur: "I was really proud of our defense. Any time a team has the ball eleven times and scores on just three possessions, that's a pretty good night. I thought the energy was there. The effort was there."
AJ Dillon: "We got great leaders on this team. When a play doesn't go our way from the jump, and we're behind the sticks, you look around the huddle or on the sideline, you're gonna see guys that will inspire you."
THREE AND OUT
• While Jaire Alexander played tight on one side, rookie Eric Stokes was consistently playing ten yards off on the other. The Steelers threw the ball in front of him six times for nice gains. But ultimately, the strategy worked. Stokes did not give up the long ball, and, in fact, picked off the long ball thrown to his man to snuff out the Steelers in the fourth quarter.
• I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player turn a one yard pass into a twelve yard gain the way Davante Adams can. He did it twice in this game. His footwork and elusive yards after the catch are uncanny. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed by it. I hope I don’t have to.
• When Aaron Rodgers was about to catch the Steelers with too many men on the field and hurried the offense to the line of scrimmage, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin beat him to the punch by calling a timeout, then flashed a smile at Rodgers as if to say “Ha! Not this time!” Rodgers returned the grin and it was a neat moment captured skillfully by the TV cameras.
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Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
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Comments (69)
packerbackerjim
October 04, 2021 at 07:51 am
Game: Not a “decisive” play, but Gary’s sack of Big Ben around an offensive lineman was a thing of beauty.
Lame: the reversal of the tripping call.
Doofapotamus
October 04, 2021 at 09:20 am
How about Stokes and his no-look interception??? He was looking at the ground when he picked the ball off! Or even when Keke threw Big Ben to the ground with one arm. Old and frail or not, Big Ben is still 6'5" and 260lbs. That's not easy to do. Keke forced a fumble and literally threw Big Ben down with his right arm alone. Guy is a stud.
egbertsouse
October 04, 2021 at 07:59 am
You writers need to quit whining about officiating in games we win. Especially when the Packers reap the benefits of the worst call of the game. If I want to read whiny crap about officiating I can just go over to Daily Norseman and listen to crybaby Vikings fans .
Razer
October 04, 2021 at 08:30 am
I agree. Our selective criticism ignores the give and take of bad officiating. Most Packer fans feared the right side of the special teams line so it wasn't a surprise to see pressure come from there for the blocked field goal. This could have tilted this game at halftime. Thank God for the officiating :o)
TheBigCheeze
October 04, 2021 at 09:29 am
Give and take???.... that's ridiculous.... that implies that officiating is so poor, we have to accept and hope that the bad calls even out.... unacceptable!!!....how about being able to challenge ANYTHING!!!!
Thegravedigger
October 04, 2021 at 05:39 pm
YEAH. SURE. then your going to have the same officials overturning non calls into calls and having more bullshit going on than already is.
Coldworld
October 04, 2021 at 09:30 am
The non tripping call was an odd one. I don’t like the rule as enforced previously this season, but that looked like a textbook example of the reason it exists.
Doofapotamus
October 04, 2021 at 09:35 am
That was the right call though, as per the rule book. And numerous others were missed, the tripping call being the most prevalent. It's not that we're being selectively critical. Every single week there are huge penalties that are either being called against or not being called in GB's favor and there have been very few to even the score out. Even if that call was made, that still doesn't change the fact that 3 of the most blatantly bad calls in the entire NFL have happened to GB in consecutive weeks. From the roughing the passer on Smith in week 1 that nullified an interception and any chance of making a comeback, all the calls last week including the no-call spearing of Adams, that other horrendous roughing the passer call by Alexander when he didn't even tackle Garoppolo, the tripping call on Amos when he was aggressively being held, then the picking up of the flag after a trip yesterday. The calls are all there. They're all very clearly obvious. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't. I understand rhat. But this is just unacceptable and these are critical, game altering penalties. Something has to change.
jurp
October 04, 2021 at 10:46 am
I agree with what you wrote, but the spurious offsides on the blocked field goal was also a game-altering penalty that worked in the Packers' favor. A 10-point, momentum-altering swing is a huge gimme.
croatpackfan
October 04, 2021 at 12:52 pm
If you would like to watch the game again, than you'll see that No 22 of steelers (who did not block the FG try) was on the line of schrimage and starterd at least 1 to 1.5 second before snap to move forward. By definition he pass the line of the neutral zone and that was offside, what was called. The player who blocked the kick was not called for the offside and that was correct. He started moving forward with the No 22 but did not cross the line before snap.
Second. That PI call on Stokes that allowed the second Steelers' TD was "correct". But if they would called correctly OLineman choking by arm on Rashad Gary, PI would never happened. That was also blatant no call.
You want more? First Steelers TD was scored after offensive PI, because Steelers player (I can't remember the name) pushed Jaire in his back at the moment when Jaire was jumping in the air to deflect the ball, what produce inability to even touch the ball. That non call was later returned to Jaire when he was holding the hand of the same player when BR tried again to place the long ball. Also mistaken non-call.
I watched game 3 times (in the real time), in the morning (at your time it was deep night) and in the afternoon (in the morning for you). I can confirm that those moment was seen correctly as I described.
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 10:22 am
egbertsouse, I Respectfully disagree. Bad officiating impacts both teams and the entire league. In the recent cases of the Packers two calls were directly related to player safety. The helmet to helmet hit on Adams in the SF game and the reversed tripping call against Rodgers. Both of those plays could have resulted in serious injuries and need to be called.
First there is an obvious lack of consistency in officiating from week to week and game to game. Second there is the issue of player safety. Most importantly there is the issue of legitimacy in wins and losses and ultimately the league champion. If we go back a few seasons we'll remember the non-interference call by the Rams against the Saints in the NFCCG. The Saints lost and the Rams went on to lose to NE in the SB.
If the Saints went to the SB they would have defeated NE, IMO. The Pats barely beat the Rams who actually beat themselves. How does the league justify the result which occurred because of horrible, unfair officiating?
The officiating is getting worse to the point where failing to call player safety related penalties will result in serious injuries to starting players and water down the product on the field. If the Packers lost Adams and Rodgers to injuries as a result of those 2 plays our season would be over. Is that fair to the Packers, to the fans and to the NFL product? NO. The rules are allegedly in place to keep the games fair and more recently for player safety.
Failure to call obvious penalties reduces fairness and fails to protect the players. This question the legitimacy of the games results and dilutes the product on the field. In this era of cameras from every angle, replays etc. there is no excuse the mediocre level of officiating that we are witnessing not only in Green Bay but throughout the league. It needs to change for the better. Thanks, Since '61
TheBigCheeze
October 04, 2021 at 09:38 am
wow 😳... that's a mouthful....thanks, since '59....🧀🧀🧀
10ve 💚
October 04, 2021 at 10:22 am
Well said, Since'61
croatpackfan
October 04, 2021 at 12:54 pm
I sign every word you wrote Since...
Gman1976
October 04, 2021 at 03:55 pm
The officiating is as bad as our last year's special teams.
jannesbjornson
October 05, 2021 at 08:46 pm
Just ask Vegas how they interpreted the Calls....
packerbackerjim
October 04, 2021 at 08:32 am
It was the reversal of the tripping call, not a blatant non-call, that is irksome.
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 10:14 am
Agree, there was no reason for the reversal. Thanks, Since '61
jont
October 04, 2021 at 08:51 am
I take your point, but mistakes and misses are one thing, truly bad officiating is another. Yes, it all evens out, but this does not excuse it.
My biggest peeve is the non-call: a ball comes loose and the refs call nothing-- "let it play out" the announcers say. Refs should call what they see; if they see the QB's arm go forward, blow the whistle. The ref is looking right at him from 5 yards away for chrissake.
So, when you see a trip, throw the flag and march off the yardage. Don't turn every call into a conference or leave it up to video.
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 10:19 am
jont, I totally agree. This is the point about the inconsistency with officiating throughout the league. A different set of officials in another game would have called the tripping penalty and marched off the yards, no video and no conference. It was an obvious call.
I had no problem with the tripping call against the Packers in the SF game because it was obviously a trip by Savage(?). be well. Thanks, Since '61
croatpackfan
October 04, 2021 at 12:56 pm
It was by Amos and it was intentional as it was by TJ Watt. Just to help you to be on the fact side ;-)
Coldworld
October 04, 2021 at 04:44 pm
Amos was being held. The rule doesn’t make tripping an automatic foul, it is designed to penalize where a player has put themselves in a position from which the only option to stop a player is to stick out a leg. Arguably that was exactly the case with Watt: if so, that should have been called as a text book example.
Amos was being held and thus prevented by an opponent from making the play. As such, either no penalty should have been called since the hold directly led to the trip being the only recourse, or a call of offsetting penalties, negating the play.
RCPackerFan
October 04, 2021 at 08:04 am
This game was different for me. I had to lay to rest one of my pets yesterday morning. Of course it was one of my kids favorites so that made it much harder. It definitely was a very different game for me to watch. I wasn't yelling at the TV like normal. I wasn't jumping out of the chair for big plays or when Keke caused the fumble. I enjoyed the game, but it was definitely different for me.
Game Balls:
Aaron Rodgers - Comparing him to the opposing teams QB's is just insane. There is a HUGE gap between the 2.
OL - Last week our team went against Bosa. This week our team went against TJ Watt and Melvin Engram. Our OL held up incredibly well. Nijman looks like a pro bowl caliber LT these last 2 weeks. Just think of this. We have went the last 2 games without 2 pro bowl - All pro cailber of players and we honestly don't even see a difference. We have 2 rookies playing extremely well. We have a 2nd year OG playing extremely well. Our OL depth is truly impressive. Which we also have to give a huge credit to Stenavich. To get them ready to go is a thing of beauty!
Joe Barry - This defense is really starting to come together. They are changing looks, blitzing and doing a great job of not making things easy on offenses. One of the plays that stood out to me was on the short crosser where it looked like the defense was in man, and the ILB's passed off the players which allowed Campbell to be in perfect position to defend the player in front of him. I don't know the defensive call on that, but that to me looked like it was putting players in the right position to make the play.
Lame Calls:
Officials against Stokes - Did Stokes piss in the officials drinks or something? Why is he getting so many shitty as calls against him? That was the 3rd time in the last 2 games that he got some shitty ass calls going against him.
Blocked FG/Offsides call - The blocked FG could have been a complete game changer. The officials who are straight down the line called offsides and while I don't always agree with them, they have the very best view of it. The part that irritated me was how they kept showing angles that were not straight down the line. How do we know if the guy was lined up offsides to begin with? And they were moving just before the ball left. I was just annoyed that they kept trying to determine whether he was offsides or not when there wasn't a good view of it.
Notes:
Randall Cobb showed why he was brought in. I believe all of his catches were either 3rd downs or TD's. He provides that other guy that Rodgers trusts. And that makes our offense that much more dangerous. Also to me Cobb looks a lot more explosive to me. The first TD when he turned the corner and scored showed that.
Campbell maybe the best FA signing they have had since Amos/Smiths/Turner. He has instantly become one of our most important players on defense. His speed is a huge asset to our defense.
Bojo Blast is a great nickname for Bojorquez. He is what I was hoping JK47 was going to be. They definitely have found themselves a punter. I hope they find a way to sign him long term. That punt from the endzone in the 4th quarter could have been a game changer.
Amari Rodgers. Has anyone else been noticing they have started to use him more on offense. Expect him to start getting in on the action very soon. They kind of did the same thing with Ervin when he first got involved on the offense. Did more motion stuff and found ways to get him on the field without actually getting him the ball the first few games. Then he explodes onto the scene and becomes a big part of the offense. Don't be surprised if in the next few games Rodgers bursts onto the scene.
I just have to say finish by saying that I LOVE my Packers! Go Pack Go!
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 08:48 am
RC my condolences to you and your family on the loss of your pet. That is always a difficult time since they are part of the family. I hope the many happy memories you have with your lost one will provide some peace and solace for you and family.
Agree with your post. Love the Bojo blast. Be well. Thanks, Since '61
RCPackerFan
October 04, 2021 at 01:27 pm
Thanks Since'61.
Bojo has really been an upgrade. I liked Scott but he just wasn't consistent enough. Bojo has definitely stabilized the spot for us.
Philarod
October 04, 2021 at 11:55 am
Good post - sorry about your loss.
With the offsides penalty on the blocked FGA, I also couldn't tell. It seems that - for at least 20-25 years now - they have the technology to show a yellow line even with the line of scrimmage to highlight it, and to show it in relation to when the ball was snapped.
RCPackerFan
October 04, 2021 at 01:29 pm
Thanks Philarod.
I was getting annoyed listening to Romo and Nance going on about it when there wasn't a great view of it.
it would be nice to have a shot down the LOS every snap too.
Philarod
October 04, 2021 at 02:33 pm
At least once in a while.
(It's a bit different, but I'm also a huge tennis fan. For what it's worth, They almost never show the court-level view where you can better appreciate the speed of play.)
Duneslick
October 04, 2021 at 12:40 pm
Against an average starting QB which Ben isnt Greenbay would have had problems. Receivers were getting open deep and he could not hit them Would have been a totally different game if they had been completed. Not sold on the defense yet
RCPackerFan
October 04, 2021 at 01:41 pm
With the defense its baby steps really. But when they had to they stepped up and make plays they did.
Some of the passes if a better QB was throwing the ball, they likely would have been caught. But overall I like the way the defense has looked with Campbell, with Stokes and some of the other players. I like how they do blitz and mix up looks. They will need to progress, but I like the early start of the defense.
jannesbjornson
October 05, 2021 at 08:55 pm
They are a veteran unit with the exception of Stokes and he is an Upgrade over King or Sullivan. Sorry for the loss of your fur friend, may the next great dog or cat be another champion of the family. Maybe named Bojo?
stormin
October 04, 2021 at 01:23 pm
Iam so sorry on the loss of your dear pet, my heartfelt condolences.
RCPackerFan
October 04, 2021 at 01:41 pm
Thanks Stormin
Handsback
October 04, 2021 at 08:22 am
The Pack won. If I had to pick the best unit out on the field it would have been the oline including the TEs. The worst would be the LBs.
For the life of me I just don’t see Burks as a starter. Missed tackles and assignments makes the defense very vulnerable to a mobile QB. Even when he knows his assignment, he couldn’t stop the completion or finish the play.
Razer
October 04, 2021 at 08:39 am
Burks doesn't have a sense for the game and he has trouble tackling. I don't know what else needs to be said about this player. Other than Campbell, ILB may be the biggest mystery on this team (right along side the chronically bad D-line)
jannesbjornson
October 05, 2021 at 09:20 pm
Not a Pro LB...
Handsback
October 04, 2021 at 08:22 am
The Pack won. If I had to pick the best unit out on the field it would have been the oline including the TEs. The worst would be the LBs.
For the life of me I just don’t see Burks as a starter. Missed tackles and assignments makes the defense very vulnerable to a mobile QB. Even when he knows his assignment, he couldn’t stop the completion or finish the play.
Guam
October 04, 2021 at 08:27 am
Game Ball: Joe Barry for sitting Lancaster the entire game and playing Slaton and Heflin more. The D-line wasn't great, but they looked more active and played with more effort for most of the game. That development needs to continue if the Packers want to seriously challenge the best teams in the NFC. I was not a fan of the Barry hire, but he has put some pretty good defenses out there since the NO debacle.
Lame Call: The CBS announcers for a myriad of offenses. RCPackerFan correctly called out the announcers for over analyzing the offsides call on the blocked field goal. You can't determine that with an overhead shot; it must be a down the line of scrimmage shot to determine the call. I opined elsewhere about the announcer's excessive commentary on the poor state of the Steelers O-line while not commenting on the equally young but much more talented Packer's O-line. The Packer coaching staff deserved a shout out for their excellent preparation of a young O-line against a very talented Pittsburgh front seven.
mrtundra
October 04, 2021 at 08:36 am
I'm thinking Nantz and Romo would rather have been at the Bucs-Patriots game to fawn all over Brady.
Minniman
October 04, 2021 at 01:13 pm
Which didn’t stop them from fawning from afar for more time than they should have!
LambeauPlain
October 04, 2021 at 12:10 pm
Lancaster was injured. He was not benched.
The_Justicar
October 04, 2021 at 05:07 pm
At first glance I thought you wrote “Guam ball: Joe Barry…”. I think you should go with that in the future and copy right it.
Bearmeat
October 04, 2021 at 08:42 am
A Win is a win is a win. But this should’ve been a blowout. Why did we stop running the ball? And it’s very concerning that our defense is so beat up. Hopefully we can get through the next three weeks without optimal health but we’re going to need all hands on deck for Arizona. Still a win!
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 10:08 am
Bearmeat the Packers ran the ball 33 times and passed the ball 36 times. That is nearly a 50/50 split. Watching the game I didn't think that the Packers stopped running the ball at all. I thought they had a good run/pass balance throughout the the game. They went for the dagger on the play to Tonyan but it didn't work out as Rodgers under threw the pass.
The Steelers still have a formidable defense and we consistently moved the ball on them. This speaks well for our OL.
I do agree with you on the status of our defense. The injuries are piling up. The most concerning to me is the injury to Alexander. Hopefully he will not miss any time. Stay well. Thanks, Since '61
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 08:54 am
Game Balls: OL, Cobb, Dillon, Aaron Rodgers, Clark, Gary, Campbell, OL coach Stenavich and DC coach Barry. Our defense played a tough, solid game after allowing a TD one the Steelers opening drive.
Lame calls: Injuires, Bad officiating, Oren Burks, why is he still on the team?
On the blocked FG, Haden (I believe) was lined up offsides. The line judge flagged it almost immediately. CBS, for some reason, did not have a camera angle to show what the official saw on the play.
Good win at home for the Packers. On to Cincy, GPG! Thanks, Since '61
dobber
October 04, 2021 at 10:02 am
I don't think we can overstate the job Adam Stenavich and Luke Butkus has done with this OL group over the last couple years. Yes, they've gotten had a couple times (at the worst times) by big, physical front 7s, but it's hard to think of where this team would be without the ability of this coaching group to get young (and cheap) OL talent ready to play, and playing together pretty well.
It's only a matter of time before Butkus gets poached for a full-time OL gig of his own, but Stenavich has been a real find.
Since'61
October 04, 2021 at 10:12 am
Agree Dobber. Both Stenavich and Butkus are doing a great job with the OL. Hopefully we get Jenkins and Bak back ASAP. We will need them both when we face physical front 7s later in the season and during the playoffs.
GPG! Thanks, Since '61
jannesbjornson
October 05, 2021 at 09:31 pm
Along with the fact these were solid players to start with. Getting Myers with a two pick was a steal.
Razer
October 04, 2021 at 12:13 pm
The Packers did enough to beat an aging QB behind a bad O-line. We should of won his game handily and we basically did. Not going to get too jacked about this game or this team because the competition is either depleted or rebuilding. We should win these games and demonstrate greater capacity on both offense and defense.
I like our O-line (grit and youth)
I like ILB Campbell
I like our RB's
I am not sold on the play calling run/pass mix
I am tired of Rodger's end zone corner route fetish
Where are the tight ends?
Eric Stokes needs work
Something to learn from and build on.
bjkdad44
October 04, 2021 at 12:33 pm
I’m not sold on the play calling either
jont
October 04, 2021 at 09:01 am
I don't understand why AJ Dillon isn't getting the ball more, especially when running the clock is important. That said, I am really not on board with the repeated comments on this site ascribing this to 12's ego or MLF's boredom with run plays or other imagined personal flaws.
It is more likely that the D is expecting a run and stacks the box so 12 switches to a play more likely to work against that look-- a pass. Or MLF calls a pass down field because he wants a knock-out punch. In short, I think they know what they're doing.
mjbrogno
October 04, 2021 at 10:05 am
3-1 looks good but, I’ve seen this to many times in past seasons. The defense has definitely played better in the last three games. We cannot afford to lose Alexander for an extended period of time. Kenny Clark is a total beast on the D line. I agree that we should just keep pounding the rock when it’s working, it’s the best way to help the defense out.
jhtobias
October 04, 2021 at 10:08 am
Lame Calls : people on this site calling for joe berry job two weeks ago and now want to invite him over for dinner.
Same people better cut him some slack since his two all pros zadarious and alexander might be gone for the season. You entitled homers wont but your most likely socialists anyway so go away dolts
jurp
October 04, 2021 at 10:58 am
Slither back to APC and take your stupid politics with you. This is a Packers site, not the Drudge Report.
ricky
October 04, 2021 at 10:28 am
Thank you for bringing up the elephant: the apparent need for Rodgers to "pad his stats" rather than run the ball. As you noted, Dillon was gashing the Steelers defense for first downs, the OL was having a great time pushing around the Steelers, and that is why the Packers got Dillon, right? Then, suddenly, again as noted by you, stop and throw the ball. I don't think this is LaFleur. This is Rodgers using his ability to change plays. So he does. But did anyone else notice that Adams wasn't himself during the first part of the game? He seemed tentative about reaching for passes, and didn't seem to put forth any extra effort to make a catch, very unusual for him. A hangover from the cheap shot he took against the Lions?
canadapacker
October 04, 2021 at 10:44 am
First off - a win is a win and we needed to win this game. Having just re-watched the game a couple of things stand out to me. AR did not have anywhere close to his best game - but he was still head and shoulders above Big Ben. I am thinking that a better opposing quarterback would have eaten us up deep - especially with those receivers even with them missing Claypool. AR missed a lot of shots. Are we missing MVS and his spreading the defense? St Brown had a drop but is AR ignoring him or is the route running that poor. Tonyon missed a several blocks and not only the field goal attempt ( I believe that they had lined up offside slightly - or so close that the flag needed to be thrown because they are across the line before the line judge could see the ball being snapped. But they got very close last game on the PAT- definitely work to do on special teams - and get Tonyon off of that side and put the Big Dog on. We have a lot of work left to do on the defense - but I really liked the rallying to the ball - much better this game as Harris is a beast.
PeteK
October 04, 2021 at 11:01 am
Good run/pass balance. Loved the 4 runs by Dillion, we don't see that type of durability that often. I have to disagree with the positivity for Nijman. While he does hold his own at times, he got bull rushed and out finessed far too many times on pass protect.
Guam
October 04, 2021 at 11:38 am
Nijman is our third string left tackle and he was going up against an all-pro in TJ Watt. What did you think would happen? I thought he performed as well as could be expected.
dobber
October 04, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Since he's probably being targeted by defenses on a regular basis, Nijman not being the downfall of this team is pretty noteworthy.
Coldworld
October 04, 2021 at 04:50 pm
I don’t recall Nijman being an issue on Sunday. The one sack true sack was Runyon missing his assignment.
LambeauPlain
October 04, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Nijman has gone up against some of the best edge rushers in the NFL the last two weeks. He has more than held his own. In fact yesterday I only saw one bull rush on Yosh that forced Rodgers to throw early when he missed Tonyan over the middle which may have been a TD with another 1-2 seconds.
Who do you think was helping to open those lanes in the run game? There is more to playing LT than pass pro. Yosh is a very good run blocker too and he pairs well with Runyan.
Most of the sacks/pressure on Rodgers was due to well designed stunts and delayed blitzes from the Steelers. And most of those came up the middle, not at Nijman.
Nijman has been a blessing to join the blessings of Bakht and Jenks.
LambeauPlain
October 04, 2021 at 12:59 pm
The game could have been a larger blowout than the final score. Big Ben is on his last tour I believe. He has always been a statue in the pocket but now his accuracy is in decline. And the Steeler OL is not very good.
The Packer D really shut down the run game. That was encouraging. Harris looks to be an outstanding RB but he was denied getting past the line of scrimmage by stout D line play. That forced the Steelers to throw it twice as much as handing off.
Ben missed a lot of passes. Rodgers did too, but many of his were off by a few inches. Ben was missing by yards.
The Packer STs are almost average...almost. The Kick Coverage team remains sloppy in lane discipline and tackling. But what a punter and kicker we have for the Pack!
I also am befuddled why ML kept passing in the 4th QTR when "acre taker" AJD was pounding and gaining yards in bunches. The O line is a good run blocking bunch and we have a ground pounder in AJD that can now help close out games and the clock. Run the rock!
frankthefork
October 04, 2021 at 01:29 pm
Great to win and this was expected. What sucked were the injuries and Burks tackling. The crowd noise was loud on defense early but later died in the 4th quarter...It's a win ugly or a thing of beauty.
Agree, run the ball, let AJ get more touches along with getting the rookie more involved.
Next is a win over the Bengals or better be; early pre-injury prediction 35 P - 17B; full control of the NFC-N.
Coldworld
October 04, 2021 at 04:52 pm
Burks was not great, but I feared he would be so much worse. Feels like a win. Not sure it’s one I’d like to count on repeating though. Just not being awful is not the same as being adequate.
Starrbrite
October 04, 2021 at 04:18 pm
Ken, I always look forward to your game analysis.
It was not as poor as last week, but the mindless officiating sends me to urgent care a minimum of once per game.
Is it me, or are we Packer fans/Lambeau Field not as loud as others? I’ve attended games in several other stadiums (including Lambeau) and other fans are either more vociferous and/or the other stadiums create a noise tunnel towards the field? It seems we should be much louder in a stadium that holds 81k and is always sold out.
Except for Mason and our punter, I am nervous every time our special teams are in-play.
Cincy seems to have our number; let’s fix that this weekend.
CoachDino
October 04, 2021 at 07:58 pm
Kudos to the Packers Organization for having put together such a deep roster, excellent coaches and elite players in Key positions.
I agree with many of the positive assessments. That said these injuries will catch up to them. A QB other than Ben would of connected on 1 or 2 of those big opportunities. That said If Ar starts playing up to his potential and more in line with the team strategy for success they can overcome this onslaught of injuries and be at their best come playoff time.
AR is a HOF QB and still a top 5 QB in the game, he does so much right to help this team win games. My issue with him, is that he is the highest paid, most impactful player of the team, so in the end as he goes the team goes. Currently I just see him making to many physical and mental mistakes to overcome against the very best teams.
Physically really has all to do with being more accurate with his deep passes in particular but across the board. He is just missing to many open receivers.
Mentally is just as important. I've long accused AR of being a Stat chaser. This year it has become more obvious, imo, than ever. He refuses to use the run game to burn up clock on any sort of consistent basis. I don't doubt that there are opportunities to throw deep against teams that are trying to stop the packers from running out the clock, it doesn't mean you should bite on them. Go back and see how many points are given up after AR refuses to run out the clock through the run and short pass if needed. He has become one of our defenses worst enemies.
Plus how many of AR TD passes are from less than 5 yards out? MOST. Can they please try to run first on the 1,2 and 3 yard line? Nope, almost always a pass. I get that its not expected as much on 1st or 2nd down but the percentages should be flipped. Seattle and Russel wilson passing instead of handing off to Lynch is the nightmare scenario that could be avoided.
What the NO game showed was that if you run the offense completely through AR it can get ugly fast, what the following games showed was that if you run the offense through AJ and to a lesser extent AJD you maximize your chances of winning.
AR wants to win but do so through him, once he realizes he's a critical part of something bigger than himself this offense will be running at its top capabilities.
I'm glad he's back and greatly respect his game, my worry is just making sure the Packers can be the very best they can be and not just good even w/o being at their very best.
DougXX57
October 05, 2021 at 07:39 am
I think the D line played well and I would like to see them TRY to find another linebacker because I think we are hurting there..A few missed passes and maybe keep pounding the ball with both backs. Kudo's to the OL for standing strong against a good Steeler D... As we see everyweek, anyone can jump up amd bite a good team and so every win is a great win. Hope Alexander is ok because teaming him with stokes is always better than king.
GP1
October 05, 2021 at 09:23 pm
The Defence is getting better as is Joe Barry.
J. A. will be a great loss.
A. R. is getting older and slower and it is showing. He still has a very good arm but he is not what he once was. Commentators happily overlook his misses and poor passes which have been on show this year. Tom Brady is a freak but he's the only one.
Watch the Chargers. the Chiefs etc with their young Quarter Backs. It is a different game. Sadly I fear that Rogers carrying on over the off season was correct; this is the last dance - for him at a Super Bowl . I'm not sure that we can get there but I hope.
Cermit
October 09, 2021 at 04:59 am
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