Broken Record – How many times do we have to watch the Packers offense come out in the first half taking too many deep shots and stifling hopes of building up any type of rhythm or momentum. Then at some point, finally figuring out they have a running game and short pass game that will “matriculate” them down the field and get them points. And once you have that established, that’s when a well-time shot play surprises the defense and actually has a good chance of success. Packers offense (LaFleur/Rodgers/Hackett, whoever is most responsible) can be their own worst enemy.
Randall Cobb is severely underutilized on this team. It’s not sexy, but he is open a lot on those short crossers or dig routes, He knows where the openings are and is available as an option for Rodgers who just is looking for the bigger splashes.
We all know how there was this inaccurate knock on Dillon coming out of college that he couldn’t catch. It seems the Vegas bookies have still been working off that information. I’ve had consistent success betting on Dillon easily surpassing his “expected” receptions and receiving yards. Shhhhhhh.
WIth Gary and Mercilus missing this game, Joe Barry felt compelled to dial up some more blitzes and overall, they got burned on most of them. What was making this defense so good was being able to pressure quarterbacks rushing four. You saw what a difference not having that luxury can make.
I have a decent amount of confidence in Yosh Nijman – as Bakhtiari has said, he has elite feet. However, going against Miller, Donald and Floyd is a different matter – they will test his resolve this week.
Kirk Cousins admitted after the game that he took too many chances and “got away” with a good six or so passes that shouldn’t have been thrown. He’s not kidding.
Unless a medical miracle has occurred, Aaron Jones should not play in this game.
EQ seems like a new man out there. Wheras his effort level was poor earlier in the year, he has stepped things up considerably – like he wants to stick around on this team. LaFleur praised him this week saying, “I was really proud of his effort, the toughness he showed, He was playing fast, he was playing physical, fighting through things. He showed probably the most emotion that I’ve ever seen from him on the field, so that was definitely encouraging.”
Turnovers – As I stated in my weekly predictions, I felt a loss coming against the Vikes but a couple of turnovers would make the difference for a Packers win. Kirk Cousins tried to oblige, but…
As distasteful as it is, I have to give some credit to the Viking offensive game plan. They had some very well-designed plays, specifically with route combinations. They forced the Packers to make tough decisions in the secondary and mistakes were made.This was especially true in the red zone, where coverage snafus led to easy Thielen and Jefferson touchdowns.
Resuts of this tweet: Cobb ignored again, Kirk’s receivers saved his butt, FG unit still a question mark.
1 #Packers Prediction: Randall Cobb has a big day.
1 #Packers Worry: Lack of pass rush lets Kirk look like a good QB.
1 #Packers Hope: Crosby and FG unit have it figured out. #GoPackGo— Jersey Al – GBP (@JerseyAlGBP) November 21, 2021
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“Jersey Al” Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther. Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.