By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Not all losses are created equal.
The Packers’ 23-10 loss to Minnesota Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium was bad. The loss of quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone was downright brutal.
Packers’ receiver Randall Cobb called it “devastating.”
That may be an understatement.
Rodgers’ potentially season-ending injury sucked the life out of the Packers’ players and fans alike. Receiver Jordy Nelson was asked what Rodgers meant to the team.
“Everything,” he said. “He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback … great person on and off the field, great guy in the locker room, old guys, young guys, best quarterback in the game.”
Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t try to sugarcoat the obvious.
“Losing Aaron Rodgers speaks for itself,” he told reporters. “In my opinion he’s the best player in football.”
Rodgers’ injury occurred in the first quarter when the Vikings’ Anthony Barr hit him as he rolled to his right and threw a pass intended for Martellus Bennett. The Packers’ tight end dropped the ball, and then Barr dropped the quarterback. Barr’s hit was within the rules, but it couldn’t have been more destructive.
As the franchise lay flat on his back, looking skyward and thinking God only knows what, I likely joined him in hoping for the best while fearing the worst.
This was 2013 all over again. That season, the 5-2 Packers lost Rodgers to a broken collarbone for seven games, during which they eked out a 2-4-1 record.
Rodgers returned for the regular-season finale and the Packers finished 8-7-1 to capture a wild-card berth. Then, San Francisco KO’d Green Bay with a 23-20 upset at Lambeau Field.
Fast forward to today.
At 4-2 the Packers’ designs on winning the NFC North or a wild-card playoff berth are still in play, albeit on life support.
Rodgers was just one of a handful of Packers to be hurt.
The offensive line was down to five players when left tackle David Bakhtiari reinjured his hamstring, right tackle Bryan Bulaga left with a concussion and left guard Lane Taylor limped off with ankle and knee injuries.
When the NFL owners meet this month they ought to adjust the game-day active players from 45 to 53. In a billion-dollar industry it’s penny wise and dollar foolish to limit the number of players who can suit up, especially in the concussion era.
When the Packers and Kansas City played in Super Bowl I there were 40 players on the active roster. That was more than a half-century ago. The game’s strength, speed and violence has far out-paced the NFL’s minimal increase in available bodies.
If Rodgers hadn’t been hurt in the first quarter it may have been only a matter of time given the offensive line’s injuries.
Las Vegas bookies adjusted much quicker to Rodgers’ loss than Packers’ backup quarterback Brett Hundley. The betting line for Sunday’s Saints-Packers game moved 10 points. The Packers were 6 ½ point favorites before Rodgers’ injury. They fell to a 3 ½ point underdog to New Orleans immediately after it.
After McCarthy acknowledged that Rodgers’ loss was beyond significant, he also noted that it’s no time to give up.
“This is a team game, the ultimate team game, and we need to be better,” he said. “We need to be better with the 11 players we have, with the phase that we’re in, and ultimately that’s my responsibility.”
For now, there is no quarterback controversy.
“Brett Hundley is my quarterback, Joe Callahan is the backup, that’s the direction we’re going, that is the focus and that’s where we are as a football team.”
Hundley had moments both good and bad behind a ravaged offensive line. He completed 18 of 33 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
His nifty move in the pocket bought him time to hit Davante Adams on a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-7 in the second quarter.
It wasn’t nearly enough as the Vikings’ strong defense sacked Huntley four times and harassed him into three interceptions.
Ty Montgomery and Aaron Jones were largely ineffective against the Vikings. They combined for 23 carries that netted an inconsequential 69 yards. Jones’ long carry was 9 yards; Montgomery’s was 7. Their 3-yards-per-carry average was abysmal.
Meantime, the Vikings’ offense did just enough to get the win.
Case Keenum completed 24 of 38 passes for 239 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Adam Thielen caught 10 passes for 97 yards on 13 targets.
Jerick McKinnon rushed 16 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for another 30 yards, including a touchdown on a cleverly designed screen pass.
The Packers’ depleted secondary was down to Lenzy Pipkins at cornerback after Quinten Rollins exited with an ankle injury. The secondary already was without safety Morgan Burnett and cornerbacks Davon House and Kevin King.
The Packers’ few highlights included Damarious Randall’s second interception in as many games, Clay Matthews’ fumble recovery and return, and Kenny Clark’s exceptional play. Clark forced the fumble that Matthews recovered while making six tackles with 1 ½ for a loss.
Also, Trevor Davis averaged 27.5 yards on two kick returns and should be used to return kicks as well as punts.
Beyond that there wasn’t much to cheer about.
When the Packers announced that Rodgers had a broken collarbone and could miss the rest of the season my concern level increased a couple of ticks.
Typically a broken collarbone is a six-week injury. With 10 games and the bye remaining here’s my greater concern: Suppose Rodgers’ injury is more than a broken collarbone and actually includes damage to the shoulder.
As brutal as Rodgers’ injury was the hope here is that it isn’t anything beyond the broken collarbone.
Early reports Monday suggest that there may be a chance Rodgers returns later this season.
That was the best news in the wake of a horrible situation.
Annually we get hundreds of unsolicited feedback from our customers all over the world and we appreciate the effort you make in doing so. It helps us to understand what we’re doing right and where we can improve. Here’s just one example we just received:
Just came back from your Lodge Kohler package for the Bengals game. Everything was terrific, a room facing the stadium, tickets in the third row. We book with you every year and that will continue. Thanks for all your hard work to make sure we had a great time. Excellent Job and many thanks!
Tom and Laura from Massachusetts
Don’t miss out on your last chance to cheer the Pack on the road this season with Event USA!
Where Steelers fans are a lot like Packers fans… loyal, traveling… and also have a long wait for season tickets. But you don’t have to wait to see this great match-up. We’ve even set you up right downtown, within easy reach of everything in Station Square, in the awesome Sheraton Hotel.
Join us in cheering the team on to victory in Pittsburgh!
No matter the destination, we can get you to the game and more!
Road Game Packages »
By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers put a fine point on it. “We need to be at our best in the biggest moments,” the Packers’ quarterback told reporters in the offseason. It has become the mantra of the season.
Certainly, it was the case in Green Bay’s thrilling 35-31 victory over Dallas Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
When the Cowboys scored the go-ahead touchdown on Dak Prescott’s 11-yard run with 1:13 to play the Packers’ ensuing possession certainly qualified as a big moment.
Rodgers and the offense rose to the occasion.
The irrepressible Rodgers orchestrated a nine play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds to play.
A field goal would have tied the game. Rodgers wasn’t settling.
“I’m thinking touchdown,” Rodgers said. “We had time. We had a timeout.”
Rodgers also had a gutty offensive line in front of him and clutch receivers around him. What might have seemed difficult, if not nearly impossible, was reduced to routine.
They say the great ones make it look easy.
Rodgers made it so.
While Jordy Nelson was sidelined with an undisclosed injury on the final drive, Rodgers relied on the available weaponry. He whistled passes while he worked over the Cowboys’ defense.
He opened with a 14-yard completion to Adams.
“The key to any good two-minute drive is the first play,” Rodgers said after the game. “You’ve got to get some positive yards.”
Eight plays later, he hit Adams on the 12-yard game-winner. Like the first play of the drive, it also was a back-shoulder throw. The game-winner proved the point about not succeeding at first, try again.
Rodgers and Adams adjusted to hit on the second attempt.
It was vintage Rodgers.
“He’s done it before,” Nelson said.
He also had plenty of help.
Rookie running back Aaron Jones responded in Ty Montgomery’s absence (bruised ribs) in a big way. Jones rushed 19 times for 125 yards, a 6.6 average and a touchdown. It more than offset the Cowboys’ Zeke Elliott, who ran 29 times for 116 and a 4-yards-per-carry average.
Jones, a fifth-round pick out of UTEP, looked comfortable throughout. Whether he missed any assignments is unclear. What is clear is that he can run with speed and shiftiness.
The Packers appear to have found themselves a running back, not to mention a bona fide running attack.
Meantime, Adams played terrific just 10 days removed from the vicious hit by Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan. Adams hauled in seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson chipped in with just two catches for 24 yards, but he also accounted for a touchdown reception.
The tight ends were productive if not spectacular.
Martellus Bennett, Lance Kendricks and Richard Rodgers combined on six catches for 93 yards in six targets.
Defensively, the Packers rebounded from a horrible start.
After Prescott threw for touchdowns on each of the Cowboys’ first three drives, the Green Bay defense stiffened.
The Packers’ defense allowed just 10 second-half points and scored a touchdown as well. Damarious Randall’s interception and 21-yard touchdown return put Green Bay up 28-24.
Blake Martinez (12 tackles), Jake Ryan (seven tackles) and the Packers’ secondary all had their moments. Nick Perry contributed the only sack and Mike Daniels played well coming off the hip injury to make three tackles.
The Packers (4-1) are on a three-game winning streak.
They also survived another week without left tackle David Bakhtiari, although Bryan Bulaga’s return (ankle) was welcome.
Green Bay travels to Minnesota to face the Vikings next Sunday. The Vikings are at Chicago for Monday Night Football.
Looking forward, a couple of things are clear:
** The Packers’ offense is significantly more effective with Jones as the lead running back. His vision, acceleration and ball skills are well-suited to the offense. He doesn’t act like a rookie.
It opens the door for play-action, screens and the ability to convert big plays that aren’t generated by the passing game.
** The defense is slowly coming together. Randall’s interception and touchdown return shouldn’t be discounted. Whatever problems he has been dealing with didn’t prevent him from making the big play at the big moment.
** Green Bay finally appears to be getting healthy.
The Packers are well-positioned to stake a claim to the NFC championship, a likely repeat date with Atlanta notwithstanding.
Clearly, they are poised to live up to Rodgers’ mantra.
They were at their best in the biggest moment at Dallas.
By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFL math is pretty basic.
Win all of your home games, split on the road and at 12-4 you’re likely to own a division title, a first-round bye and a home game. The Packers (3-1) are on their way with home victories over the Seahawks, Bengals and Bears.
There is another popular mathematical formula.
Divide the NFL’s 16-game season into four quarters, win three out of four games in each quarter, and finish 12-4 (see above).
Again, the Packers are all good.
That isn’t to say they can’t be better. In fact, they must be better if they’re going to win the NFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
Here is the Packers’ first quarter report card:
(Grade scale)
A-plus: Super Bowl strong.
A: NFC title contender.
A-minus: One win – maybe more – in postseason.
B-plus: NFC North Championship.
B: Wild-card probable.
B-minus: Last wild-card in.
C-plus: Just short of playoffs.
C: 8-8 is likely.
C-minus: Inconsistency is a killer.
D-plus and lower: We’re talking the NFL’s cellar dwellers.
FRONT OFFICE (B-plus)
GM Ted Thompson and his staff worked the roster effectively from free agency, through the draft and into the season. The offseason signings of CB Davon House, DL Ricky Jean Francois G Jahri Evans and TEs Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks were critical. So were the late additions of LB Ahmad Brooks and DE Quinton Dial.
The 2017 draft class’s early returns are promising.
Second-round picks CB Kevin King and S Josh Jones have been impressive while DL Montravius Adams and LB Vince Biegel remain injured incompletes. The RB trio of Jamaal Williams (knee), Aaron Jones (minimal playing time) and Devante Mays (no playing time) keep this area mostly unknown.
COACHING (A-minus)
Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy out-coached Seattle’s Pete Carroll and tap-danced his way around an offensive tackle crisis and defeat the Bengals and Bears. McCarthy was especially brilliant when he moved started Lucas Patrick at LG and moved Lane Taylor to LT against the Bears. Then he pounded away behind the guard tandem with Ty Montgomery. It turned a liability into a positive and it helped forge an early lead.
OFFENSE (B-minus)
Injuries have contributed to the offense’s inconsistency even if McCarthy’s ingenuity has helped mitigate the damage. The Packers’ offense can endure only so many hits at tackle. David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga need to stay healthy here on out.
Aaron Rodgers has been his brilliant self.
The perennial Pro Bowl quarterback has hit on 107 of 160 pass attempts (66.9 percent) for 1,146 yards and a 100.7 rating. He also has 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Rodgers has been sacked 15 times and is on a bone-jarring pace. That has got to stop beginning Sunday at Dallas.
Ty Montgomery has been injured early and often.
He has to find a way to stay on the field long enough to contribute in a meaningful way. His numbers are OK but only if you combine his rush attempts (46 for 152 yards) and his receptions (18 for 129). He has three touchdowns but his 3.3 yards-per-carry average is abysmal.
Aaron Jones (13 for 49) showed burst, while Jamaal Williams brought next to nothing before being injured.
The running game remains a problem to be sure.
The receiving corps is as deep and talented as expected.
Randall Cobb (19-189 and 1 TD), Jordy Nelson (17 for 206 and 5 TDs), Davante Adams (16-219 and 2 TDs) and Geronimo Allison (9-146) are dynamic. Jeff Janis and Trevor Davis have been solid on special teams.
Tight end Martellus Bennett (17-141) has been OK and Lance Kendricks (5-70 and 1 TD) needs to be utilized more.
The offensive line merely needs to get healthy and stay that way.
DEFENSE (A-minus)
LB Blake Martinez leads with 25 tackles, including 19 solo, and one sack. He has shown a big leap from Year 1 to Year 2.
The safety quartet of Morgan Burnett (23 tackles) Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Josh Jones and Kentrell Brice has been fantastic.
Jones is a tackling machine who can play pass defense.
Coordinator Dom Capers has been inventive when it comes to moving these key chess pieces.
Cornerbacks Kevin King, Quinten Rollins and especially Josh Hawkins have been strong. Damarious Randall needs to pick up the pace, and Davon House needs to stay healthy.
The defensive line is A-OK when healthy.
Mike Daniels has been missed and his return is greatly anticipated. Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark and Quinton Dial have been very good at the point of attack while applying pressure.
Ahmad Brooks appears to be a wise addition.
Clay Matthews has 2 ½ sacks, while Nick Perry (1 ½) needs to get back on the field. Kyler Fackrell needs to contribute more and Vince Biegel’s return is going to be interesting.
The Packers’ defense has been stingy on third down, pesky in the red zone and OK against the big play.
SPECIAL TEAMS (A-minus)
P Justin Vogel’s 45.9 yard average, five punts inside the 20 and zero touchbacks has been impressive.
PK Mason Crosby is 4-for-4 on field goals and remains a steadying, reliable talent in the kicking game.
OVERALL (B-plus)
The Packers (3-1) go into Dallas on Sunday looking very much like one of the top teams in the NFC. A division title appears to be in the offing. Whether Green Bay ascends higher depends on its continued improvement and development beginning Sunday.
On the whole, the Packers and McCarthy are off to a strong start. They need to find a running game, stop the hemorrhaging when it comes to sacks and utilize the double-TE package. Defensively, they need to get healthy, and that includes Biegel and Adams.
A victory in Dallas could be the catalyst to a nice winning
By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The injury-riddled Packers found a way to win, whereas the inept Bears couldn’t find a way to get out of their own way.
The result was predictable.
The Packers had enough grit – and enough healthy players still standing at the end – to capture a hard-fought 35-14 victory over the Bears Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
The ugliest moment of the night – aside from Bears quarterback Mike Glennon’s atrocious start – was Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan’s cheap shot on Green Bay’s Davante Adams.
The Packers’ receiver was carried off on a stretcher after Trevathan’s dirty hit in the third quarter. Trevathan wasn’t ejected, but was subsequently suspended for two games.
The medical reports on Adams have been positive in the days since the hit, which comes as a blessing for Adams and a Green Bay team that simply can’t afford to lose more players.
Running back Ty Montgomery was KO’d in the first quarter with a chest injury. Jamaal Williams, his backup, also was forced to leave with a knee injury.
It left rookie Aaron Jones to fill the void. The fifth-round draft pick rushed for a team-high 49 yards on 13 carries, including a nifty 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
“We knew we were going to get a grind of a game,” Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. “The turnovers were huge for us.”
McCarthy’s “turnovers” comment was a reference to the Bears’ three turnovers that Green Bay turned into three touchdowns. Essentially, it was the difference in the game.
There was that and the Grand Canyon-sized chasm between the teams’ starting quarterbacks.
While Aaron Rodgers was forced to work without a safety net – starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga were out – the Bears’ Mike Glennon was merely atrocious.
Glennon racked up four turnovers, including two early fumbles and a pair of interceptions.
Clay Matthews’ strip-sack set up the Packers’ offense with great field position. Rodgers needed just three plays to capitalize by connecting with Randall Cobb for a 2-yard touchdown.
For Matthews, it was his 75th sack to move him past Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and into first place in Packers’ annals.
Glennon’s second interception occurred with 2:52 to play in the third quarter. It set up a six-play drive capped by a Rodgers-to-Jordy Nelson 8-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-7 Packers.
The Packers (3-1) survived despite an offensive line that came into the game down to its sixth-best tackle. Bakhtiari and Bulaga were ruled out, while Jason Spriggs, Kyle Murphy and Don Barclay all are on injured reserve.
McCarthy, to his credit, devised a way to win.
He moved left guard Lane Taylor to left tackle and started Adam Pankey in Taylor’s usual spot. Then, McCarthy called a steady dose of running plays behind the duo to open the game.
It allowed the left side of the line to get comfortable early. Instead of having to be on their heels in pass protection, Taylor and Pankey used their size and strength to out-muscle the Bears.
In essence, McCarthy made lemonade out of lemons.
Bears head coach John Fox accepted the blame.
“Obviously a very poor performance,” he said. “I think it starts at the top. We got out-coached … we got outplayed in every area.”
It was especially evident at quarterback.
Rodgers threw for four touchdown passes while connecting on 18 of 26 attempts for 179 yards.
“This was a big character win for us,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a next-man-up, no-excuses policy.”
The game was delayed 47 minutes when a thunderstorm generating lightning blew through the area at the end of the first quarter. By then, the Packers held a commanding 14-0 lead.
Green Bay’s defense was solid. It did everything except get Glennon benched in favor of rookie Mitchell Trubisky.
Glennon hit on 21 of 33 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown to fend off his competitor for now.
What Glennon couldn’t do was fend off the Packers’ defense. By the time Jordan Howard rushed for 53 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown in the fourth quarter it was too little, too late.
The win keeps the Packers (3-1) tied with Detroit (3-1) atop the NFC North. The loss leaves the Bears (1-3) alone in last place.
The Packers’ victory makes the all-time series record 95-94-6 in favor of Green Bay. It’s the first time the Packers have led in the series since 1933.
The way the Bears played, it may be awhile before Chicago recaptures the series lead.
After a much-needed 10-day rest the Packers will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, who are coming off a tough loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams.
It should be a battle in “Big D” as opposed to the war of attrition with the Bears.
"Kudos to Amy for making sure that the tickets to the tailgate party were waiting for me at the reception desk! Your personal phone call and text messages went above and beyond customer satisfaction! I can't wait for the 2024 season, rest assured that my go-to Packer's game supplier will be Event USA for a long time.