Bengals 24 Packers 27 (OT): Game Balls & Lame Calls

The Green Bay Packers thrilled the Lambeau Field crowd on Sunday with an overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals.  The NFC-AFC match ups are always interesting with both teams unfamiliar with each other.  Add in that Cincinnati came in with a new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and the Packers had plenty to learn in real time.

The Bengals took control early with a 14-7 lead followed by an interception returned for a touchdown against Aaron Rodgers.  It was the first pick-six Rodgers has thrown (that counted) since 2009.  It meant a 21-7 deficit at halftime.

In half two, the Packers defense tightened up, giving up just three points and getting some big plays from rookie Josh Jones and veteran newcomer Lance Kendricks.  It led to the Packers having a chance to drive and tie the game, which they did.  And then hold on defense in overtime, which they did.  And finally, win an overtime game with Rodgers at quarterback for the first time, which they did.

Let's take a look at the good and the bad from this game.

Game Balls

Josh Jones

When Jones was drafted, there were many salivating over the versatility that he might bring to the Green Bay defense.  Through two games, Jones played sparingly, in favor of Kentrell Brice.  Brice was inactive in this game so enter Jones and he was brilliant.

He had two sacks on third down and another tackle for a loss.  He had 12 total tackles.  12, which proved to be the lucky number of the day.  It took just three games for Jones to flash what he's capable of at peak level.  The pass rush will be without Nick Perry for a bit so any boost is helpful.

Speed on defense has been a need for the Packers and Jones was a missile in this game.

Lance Kendricks

Kendricks experienced a dream come true by catching his first touchdown as a Packer and doing his first Lambeau Leap.  Kendricks added a nice catch and run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half that went for 51 yards.  It ignited the offense and drive that ended in a touchdown.

Jordy Nelson

The security blanket of all security blankets.  Jordy had six catches and two touchdowns on the day, the second of which tied the game with under a minute left in regulation.  Nelson also drew some penalties against the Bengals secondary.  He's just so productive and on a day where there was none to be found in the Green Bay offense, he made a few big plays that made the difference in this game.

Geronimo Allison

Allison had a game-high 122 yards receiving, 72 of which came on one play in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby.  Allison also made a key catch on the sideline during the game-tying drive at the end of regulation.  Better late than never and Allison came through in a big way.

Lame Calls

Offensive line

Rodgers was sacked six times.  Kyle Murphy filled in at left tackle again and had his issues against Carl Lawson, who had 2.5 sacks.  Bryan Bulaga made his regular season debut but left the game and was replaced by Justin McCray by game's end.  Too much pressure on Rodgers so the entire unit up front ends up on this side of things this week.

Drops

Martellus Bennett had one that showed up on the stat sheet.  Davante Adams had another.  Ultimately, the Packers overcame the mistakes and won the game, but with an offense that's trying to gain more confidence and get into a rhythm, those are killers.

 

Others to mention

  • Blake Martinez had 11 tackles and brought the energy once again.  A great day for him, just needed an impact play to make the Game Balls list
  • Kevin King turned in a nice day.  He hung with A.J. Green most of the day and yes, it did help that Andy Dalton missed some throws that might have made things more interesting, but that's not King's fault.  King is the starting outside cornerback until further notice
  • Ty Montgomery had 20 touches between 12 carries and eight catches.  He had some tries near the goal line and couldn't get in behind a banged up offensive line.  Week in and week out, Montgomery is someone defenses have to account for and it gives the offense options
  • Mason Crosby with ice in his veins once again.  A bit PAT in regulation to tie it and a game-winner following the long Allison catch and run
  • Justin Vogel ended up with 49.3 yard average per punt and a long of 61.  Through three weeks, he hasn't been the liability that some worried he might be as a young kicker and holder
  • Martellus Bennett was only credited with three targets in this game, two of which were short catches.  Bennett appared to have a few drops, however, one of which looked like more of a good play by the defensive back.  Bennett continues to struggle to become a key point in this offense

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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

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Comments (58)

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TKWorldWide's picture

September 25, 2017 at 06:10 am

Never a doubt.

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NickPerry's picture

September 25, 2017 at 06:32 am

Game Balls

Josh Jones deserves to be a starter in the Nitro Package and probably any other package Capers has. Other than the tackles, the sacks, the TFL, that tackle on 3rd down in OT, the one he wrapped up and threw the TE to the ground was a thing of beauty. IMO Brice should be behind Jones when he comes back even though it's one game.

Now, can we PLEASE stop with the knocks on Allison for his speed?? Yes he had a drop but so did every other WR other than Jordy and Kendricks I believe. Allison was a stud yesterday and once again showed up BIG at the end of the game, just like he did at the end of last year. Allison gets open, works back to Rodgers really well in the scramble drill, and catches just about anything thrown his way.

Rodgers..What can you say. I hope Bayless watched that drive at the end of the game and OT.

Lame Calls

Boy I hope Bennett finds his way and finds it soon. If he can't then get Kendricks more involved. Right now the Packers REALLY miss having Cook.

McCray.... He Didn't block the DE on that one play at the end of the game. WTF... How is that even possible???

Murphy.. What a difference a week makes. He was on roller skates all game long. The Packers NEED some O-Line depth and need it QUICK. Can't imagine even trying to go through a season with Murphy and McCray as out our top O-Line reserves.

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marpag1's picture

September 25, 2017 at 07:51 am

I've been rather .... uh .... cautious, let's say, on my assessment of Allison. But if he keeps having big plays, I'm perfectly happy to eat some crow. I've always said that he has very nice hands and a knack for finding the soft spot. But the thing that worries me is that I've looked repeatedly at every single catch the dude has made, and it's almost unbelievable how often he has benefitted from a flat-out coverage bust. And that's pretty much what happened yesterday too... a huge 70 yard play when someone just let him go.

But hey, as long as he can keep doing it I'll keep chowing on the crow....

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HankScorpio's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:23 am

I don't know that Allison's big play was a coverage bust. It certainly wasn't the greatest effort by the Bengal secondary but I wouldn't call it a bust, either.

The CB was expecting help over the top, with both Safeties deep in a Cover 2 look. The CB bit on an inside wiggle at around 20 yards because he knew that over the top help was there. He is supposed to take away that inside route in that defense because the Safety is supposed to take away the deep route. But the help arrived just a touch late. Rodgers made the perfect throw at the perfect time to get it through that hole. Then Allison put some serious moves on the DBs to make the Safety fall down and the CB get turned around a time or two. It kinda like what happened 25 years ago this week vs that same Bengal team...cover 2 look that was defeated by a cannon-armed QB making the perfect throw in that seam that exists between the CB and the Safety help on a deep sideline throw. It's the weakness of cover 2... except there are not many QBs that can throw it hard enough and accurate enough to exploit it. Most will loft that throw just enough to allow the Safety in there to break it up.

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marpag1's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:21 am

Yeah, I agree with your general assessment of what happened, and there's certainly no need to get into a big argument about the definition of the term "coverage bust." But when the corner and the safety are both about five yards away from the receiver at the time of the catch.... well, it wasn't great defense. One might argue that when the safety is "not within five yards" that is something more than "a touch late." I don't think the safety ever actually got a hand on him.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:27 am

That was cover 2 and both Allison and Adams were in that safety's zone so he played middle field. If you list to Allison's post game interview he knew they were in cover 2 when the corner eased up and he saw the guy jump offside so he went vertical. It wasn't blown coverage, Allison made an in game adjustment to how Rodgers creates big plays from free plays. Give the guy credit as not only did he catch the ball he had made a perfect cut back and his run after the catch was impressive.

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Finwiz's picture

September 25, 2017 at 10:14 am

I wasn't a fan of Allison prior to this preseason when he really flashed.
They found a heck of a player here for just a FA.
His ability to run after the catch is very impressive.
He got the most he could out of that pass play for 72 yards, and would have scored against most teams on that play.
I didn't like the drop on the easy pass over the middle, but he redeemed himself.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:39 pm

That wasn't an easy pass to haul in... Watch the replay as Rodgers made an unbelievable throw in a tiny window and the linebacker missed it by an inch which probably threw Allison off just a bit to miss the catch

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NickPerry's picture

September 26, 2017 at 05:05 am

To EVERYBODY....What about like 4 of the 6 other catches??????? Not just the 72 yard catch.

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HankScorpio's picture

September 25, 2017 at 10:47 am

NFL DBs cover 5 yards while running at full speed very fast--maybe 0.5 seconds or so.

I certainly agree that Allison did not do anything special. But nobody on defense missed an assignment or fell down prior to the catch. Obviously the defense wants to blanket every WR all over the field but that's not realistic. The gap that was exploited is not an easy one to exploit. It was magic in Rodgers' arm that made that play. Rodgers let loose from the 13 with a laser down the sideline that hit Allison in the numbers at the Bengal 43. As the commentator (must have been Bengal radio) on the NFL.com replay said, there are not many humans on the planet that can make that throw to beat that coverage, certainly not as easily as Rodgers did in setting up Allison for 35 YAC on some fairly easy inside/outside cuts.

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Finwiz's picture

September 25, 2017 at 11:17 am

"Fairly easy inside/outside cuts"......
seriously dude - are you out of your flipping mind? Because HE MADE IT LOOK EASY! How many Packer players have you seen make THAT MANY moves on one reception, in recent memory.

You are seriously underestimating the talent he displayed on that play.
That's big time talent - running back talent.
I'm all for being a cynic, and calling out a player on poor performance due too my often unrealistic lofty standards, but I also applaud players when they do something special.
The throw was great, but the talent displayed by Geronimo on that play was outstanding, and equally as good.

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HankScorpio's picture

September 25, 2017 at 12:22 pm

I don't think I'm out of my flipping mind. Perhaps I am not the person to ask. Since nobody that is out of their flipping mind thinks they are. It's possible I am batstuff crazy. It might depend on who you ask.

I watched the throw, catch and run several times. Allison made a good hard cut inside on the catch that led the Safety to over run and fall down. After that it was a lot of dancing with a defender (Pacman Jones) on the edge of out of control, trying to recover, while Allison was under control I think most NFL WRs will spin that defender around like a top in that situation. It looked like a good run but not a special one to me. It's possible I under-estimated Allison. I'll grant you that.

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fthisJack's picture

September 25, 2017 at 12:40 pm

what's the difference on how he gets open. its obvious that he makes some big plays and doesn't drop many. and he's got run after the catch even though he isn't the fastest guy out there.

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Finwiz's picture

September 25, 2017 at 12:55 pm

Not a coverage bust per 'se...like others have said, he saw a hole in the zone and exploited it. Any zone coverage has weaknesses in the areas between where players are assigned to cover. It isn't like they draw lines on the field, it's determined based on how the opponents attack it.
The difference between a guy like Janis and Allison is this....Allison continued the pattern to attack the zone when the offsides happened, even though he most likely was not supposed to run that pattern originally. Janis would have run his initial "Out" pattern and stopped or taken a couple of token steps up the field. It's about feel for the game - Allison has it, Janis doesn't.
It's a revelation in my eyes regarding WHY Janis doesn't play.
Here's a 4.3 guy vs. a 4.6 guy, and 4.6 knows how to get open where the other guy doesn't. Pretty cool stuff.

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cheesycowboy's picture

September 26, 2017 at 01:13 pm

I think the term for Allison's YAC is ankle breaking,
Our Packers could use more of that in the running game.
Maybe a healthy OL will help down the road,

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EdsLaces's picture

September 25, 2017 at 06:47 am

Our O Line is in some serious trouble that's for sure. Bennett looks ...lazy I guess? Everyone knows how good Jones Martinez and Geronimo played that's for sure....great game by those guys. ARs little flip to Geronimo was easily one of the prettiest plays I have ever seen. But ..and this was mentioned on the last thread...we need to stop feeding Monty so many damn balls. He is built like a brick sh#thouse, but is as fragile as they come. We need to get Williams and Jones involved and see who we like more. Monty will get hurt and then these guys will have had little to no experience . Just sayin...

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carusotrap's picture

September 25, 2017 at 07:10 am

Excellent read on Bennett. Is he bored? Is that just his style or is it a product of not living up to his own hype? I'd love to hear from some Patriots fans (OK, not really) about last season. He was really good last year, but right now, there's no urgency there.

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Since'61's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:28 am

caruso - there is no urgency because he has his SB ring and his payday. Hope he gets better soon. Thanks, Since '61

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:16 am

I don't think Montgomery is fragile. Anyone that plays as many snaps as he has, will eventually wear down. To me the coaches have to get the rookies more involved. This is to long of a season. Right now Montgomery is on pace for like 1000 snaps or something like that. That's just insane. This to me is on the coaches. I get why they played Montgomery so much with the way the game went. But they have to get a better rotation.

Williams had 1 carry for 6 yards. I think he had under 10 snaps in the game. (i didn't see how many he had)

Jones needs to get some playing time. And they need to get the playing time before they have to play (due to injury to Montgomery).

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EdsLaces's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:26 am

C'mon RC. Tell me when Monty delivers a big blow and or takes one when he's laying there a part of you doesn't think oh crap I bet he's hurt. You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself lol.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:02 am

Not lying. The only time i thought that was hurt was in the first game when he hurt his ankle or something.

He is a big guy. I'm not worried about him.
I am worried though with the amount of snaps they are using him. They have to cut those down a lot!

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Ibleedgreenmore's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:00 am

They have maybe 3 days to fix the o line, well its going to be a very long season if something or someone is not better than this.

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cheesycowboy's picture

September 26, 2017 at 01:21 pm

He was instrumental in making QB1 look bad for sure.
NFL in Green Bay with that performance.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 07:17 am

Game Balls:

Josh Jones - There wasn't a player that had a better game then Jones. 12 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks. He was a difference maker in yesterdays game!
Imagine what he will be able to do when they have Daniels and Perry back healthy.

Allison/Kendricks/Nelson - I'm lumping the 3 receiving targets together because I thought all 3 of them did something special. Nelson had 2 TD catches. Kendricks showed the big play ability that we need from the TE position. Allison no matter what he did in the 4 quarters deserves one alone for his catch and run in OT to set up the game winning FG.

Martinez - While Jones gets the headlines and rightfully so, Martinez played really, really well. He had 11 tackles in this game.

Lame Calls:
OL - Way to much pressure and not enough running room. This OL probably won't be where we want it to be until we get our OT's back. This would be a much different game if we had our starters playing and healthy.
The good thing is its early in the year. I'd rather be missing them now then late in the year.

First half offense - A lot of people will look at the score and say that the defense sucks. To be honest, the defense played pretty well especially without 2 of their top players. They gave up 17 points. The offense put them in bad spots and gave them 7 points.
Being honest, the offense was far worse then the defense. The offense finally woke up in the 2nd half though.

Dropped Passes - Way to many dropped passes in this game again. And the worst part is they are coming on 3rd down. Bennett had a 3rd down drop. Adams had a 3rd down drop which would have given them first and goal.

Sidenotes:
I can't wait to see this team fully healthy. Missing to many pro bowl caliber and key players. Yesterday they were without 7 key players. Cobb, House, Ryan, Perry, Bakhtiari, Danels all out. That is 6 starters, and for sure 2 pro bowl players (Bakhtiari, Daniels).

King I thought played a good game. He allowed some catches which is to be expected and happens. I personally don't like when he plays off coverage especially on 3rd and short-medium.

Randall I thought quietly had a good game.

Kenny Clark is like a wall in the middle of the defense.

Brooks I thought played really well in his first meaningful game. He had 1 sack, but had another which forced Dalton to intentionally ground the ball.

I can't wait to see this defense fully intact. With Daniels, Perry, and now Jones.
I love getting King and Jones playing time now. Let them make their rookie mistakes now and have them ready to go by the end of the season!

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HankScorpio's picture

September 25, 2017 at 07:33 am

No question that the offense under performed to a far greater degree than the defense, IMO. 17 is the benchmark for NFL defense. Give up that many or less and it should be a win. They did that without their top DL, OLB and CB (arguably)...through one extra series in OT.

The offense needed OT drive to top that number after giving up a defensive TD. In the end, they did enough, aided by some 2nd half Rodgers magic. So it's all good. With both OTs and Cobb on the sidelines, there were some pretty big puzzle pieces missing on that side of the ball, too.

I'm just happy that they escaped with a win while playing with about half of their top 12 players on the sidelines.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 07:50 am

This is the 2nd week in a row that the offense really has hurt the team. A lot of it has to do with missing their OT's, especially Bakhtiari. You can only ask so much of Rodgers. There has been way to many dropped passes and he has had way to much pressure which again is from the OT's.

I agree that 17 points is a good benchmark for the defense. If they hold teams to 17 points they should win most games. Last week against Atlanta they allowed 27 and the offense scored 23.

I'm very happy about this win. A win is a win. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what happened in the game but the final score. What I love most about this win is its a great team building moment for them. They didn't give up. Down 14 points at half time they crawled their way back and outscored the Bengals 20-3 in the 2nd half. This was a moment that the young players can build on.

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HankScorpio's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:05 am

I completely agree about the way teams develop their identity in a particular year. When it comes to games that forge great teams, the blow outs do little to make that happen. It's the games that are struggles that forge a team down the road.

In the second half, they needed all hands on deck and had little margin for error. Especially so with the list of guys that could not play. Everyone needed to do their job and they needed some guys to step up. They got that. That's a good sign even if it was only the Bengals at home. It gives them the confidence to do it again when the stakes are higher vs a better team.

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RCPackerFan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:25 am

Oh definitely! Teams that deal with adversity really grow as a team.
There are a lot of new players on the team this year and they need to learn how to play with each other.

Honestly in the 2nd half the defense really played well. They only gave up 3 points the whole 2nd half and OT.
I think the first half some of the offensive struggles were from the Bengals having a new OC. Plus they had an extra few days to prepare for the game. The Bengals are a talented team. They have some really good players. But for whatever reason they are struggling.

What I love about this game is winning it the way we did, and doing it without many key players. Daniels arguably our 2nd best player on the team was out. Perry our high dollar signing was out. House one of our top Free Agents was out. Bakhtiari our best OL and QB's best friend was out. Cobb who is one of Rodgers most trusted WR's was out.
We are a much better team for going through what we did.

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fthisJack's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:14 pm

they really really missed Cobb in this game. he's the guy that seems to get separation in crunch time or third downs. even that 4th quarter tying drive it took pinpoint Rodgers sideline passes to well covered receivers to tie the game. they need Cobb healthy for the Bears Thursday.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:09 am

I really liked the second half adjustments. I'm really hoping the the era of Packers stubbornness on offense is officially over. On Capers side, it didn't appear that he was just franticlly trying things like he has in the past. He made some tweaks and the guys (Josh Jones and Ahmad Brooks) stepped up.

Can we please have Ahmad Brooks in early downs instead of Fackrell this Thursday? I'm honeslty not sure why Fackrell is wearing an NFL uniform.

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Savage57's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:24 am

Fackrell acquitted himself well yesterday, collapsing the pocket and walking a guy who outweighs him by 50-70 pounds right back into the QB, making Dalton move off his spot which led to at least one sack and several hurried throws.

Fackrell = Strong like bull.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:10 am

Glad you saw that play. I've yet to see him generate push.

I still seriously doubt he's anywhere near Ahmad Brooks.

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egbertsouse's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:29 am

I agree. I kept my eye on Fackrell yesterday trying to get a glimpse of what they see in him. Not awful, not good. With work he has the potential to be a JAG.

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Charvid's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:17 am

I thought Martinez DID have an impact play when he stuffed Mixon in the backfield for a 2 yd loss late in the game.

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Savage57's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:25 am

Probably one of the three most important plays by the defense in the game.

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fthisJack's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:18 pm

i like him a lot more than Ryan to start at MLB.

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rdent's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:18 pm

Davy jones, I agree I thought that play Martinez made was an impact play, maybe Jason was taking a bathroom break and missed it.

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pacman's picture

September 25, 2017 at 08:53 am

Can someone explain what changed at half time and why they can't make these adjustments earlier? How many times have we seen this scenario (but work out worse) over the last few years?

But in fairness, it wasn't as bad as it looked or felt if you take away the pick 6. That was one of the worst throws AR has ever made as you could see that on the replay. Of additional concern is the tipped ball thrown to Allison. That's the 3rd time AR has thrown a ball like that with one being picked.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:17 am

I don't care about when adjustments are made as long as they are made and they churn out a win. A win is a win

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croatpackfan's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:11 am

I would add Blake in the Game balls group.

I would add keeping the ball for eternity and causing sacks to the Lame call group.

I do not get it. Aaron is very, very intelligent person. Why he can not accept that without complete OL he can not allow himself to keep ball that long. 4 of 5 sacks, at least, goes partially on him.

Second half was reminder why he is GOAT at QB position!

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pacman's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:16 am

He needs at least another couple SB rings to be the GOAT. "Stats are for losers." Someone please remind the Packers management of this fact.

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Qoojo's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:48 am

Well, Rings are more about team than individual. No, QB would have done better with the defenses Rodgers has had to work with.

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Since'61's picture

September 25, 2017 at 10:11 am

Excellent point Qoojo. Plus yesterday's sacks were not a matter of Rodgers holding the ball too long it was a matter of having defenders on him so quickly that if he tried to throw the ball away he would have been called for grounding, since he was still in the pocket.
Despite bad protection, no running game, and dropped passes he once again led the way to a victory. It was good to see that the defense held up their end so that the offense could complete the comeback.
I'm not sure how we get ready to play this upcoming unnecessary Thursday game. Thanks, Since '61

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Spock's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:47 am

A gritty win against a talented, albeit dysfunctional, team. This is the type of "W" that will pay dividends later this season. Amazing half-time adjustment. I'm loving the direction this team is going. It looks like all of the early injuries are "survivable" and when this team gets fully healthy (hopefully) the Packers will be a team to reckon with! Beautiful finish. Congrats to Rodgers for adding the Bengals to his "bucket list" of the last of 31 teams he has beaten. On a side note I was impressed with the input of Tony Romo in the broadcast booth; he correctly anticipated some of the plays before they happened. He'll have to "clean up" his tendency to say, "you know" a bit too often, but otherwise I found his analysis to be spot on for most of the game.

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Qoojo's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:58 am

Not much more to add other than Bennett needs to step up and match what his mouth has been saying since getting signed. The mouth to performance ratio is way off, which just makes him look like an egotistical clown at this point. Harsh, but if he wants to brag about much better of an upgrade he was over the last guy, then he needs to prove it.

Rodgers has a potential 3 or 4 more picks this year that he got lucky on. He is also getting hit a lot. MM has to stop treating these backups like they can handle anyone 1-1. The only reason it comes close to working is because Rodgers is very good at running and evading, but eventually the luck will run out.

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Since'61's picture

September 25, 2017 at 09:58 am

Jason - I agree with your game balls except that I would add Aaron Rodgers. Considering that his OL was usually crumbling and that he often had less than 2 seconds to release the ball he played brilliantly to bring the Packers back to tie during the second half. There were several plays where at least one OL or more didn't block their assigned defender at all. He had at least 3 passes dropped that ended drives. He's taking too many hits and he is being sacked before he can even throw the ball away without being called for Intentional Grounding.
Lame call on the OL is an under statement. Cluster f*** would be more accurate based on yesterday's game. Linsley played well but even he missed a few blocks. The OL needs some healthy players ASAP. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61

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Finwiz's picture

September 25, 2017 at 10:20 am

Didn't look so brilliant on the Pick 6 INT, where he regressed to rookie status, and stared down the primary target and only focused on Jordy the entire time. That was a 'Bert' Favre special right there.

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fthisJack's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:34 pm

i would agree that Rodgers should get a game ball. he had some perfect sideline throws under heavy rush to Nelson and Geronimo on the game tying drive that were pretty well covered.

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Since'61's picture

September 25, 2017 at 05:58 pm

Fin - The difference is that this was only Rodgers 2nd pick 6 in his career. It wasn't a good throw on his part but he is not perfect either.
On the other hand, Favre had games where he threw as many picks in one game as Rodgers threw in an entire season.

When it comes to picks there is no comparison between Favre and Rodgers.
I loved Favre as a player and he gave us everything he had in every game but when it comes to making decisions with the football I'll take Rodgers over Favre every time. Thanks, Since '61

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marpag1's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:07 pm

Alright, I’ll just say it, even though it probably will not be popular: Ty Montgomery is not a very good running back. Packer fans should just admit it. Maybe he’s about average. He’s not a “plus” player. And he’s certainly not the “matchup nightmare” that some fans think he is. He’s ordinary.

Heck, let’s just look at the NFC North. It hurts to say so, but Monty is not good enough to carry Jordan Howard’s windy-city jockstrap… not by a mile. And after three games, every indication is that Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook is miles ahead of Monty, too.

Elsewhere around the league, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell, Dallas’ Zeke Elliot, Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy, and Arizona’s David Johnson are hands-down, head-and-shoulders better than Montgomery. It’s not close.

How many of these other backs would you take over Monty? Todd Gurley? Jay Ajayi? DeMarco Murray? Marshawn Lynch? Melvin Gordon? CJ Anderson? Derrick Henry? Lamar Miller? LeGarrette Blount? Jonathan Stewart?

What about some of the rookies other than Dalvin Cook? Kareem Hunt has been an absolute ball of red-hot fire. Would you prefer Monty to Fournette or Christian McCaffrey? Yesterday, who did you like better … Monty or Joe Mixon? Mixon looked pretty good to me.

Monty might be lucky to rank as high as 16th out of 32 starters. He might not be that high.

Look at some stats. Going back to the start of the 2016 season, of all the RBs who carried more than 100 times, Monty ranks 33rd in rushing yards and 30th in TDs. The one stat that looks above average is yards per carry. He’s tied with Zeke at 6/7 (4.91 per). But that average is dropping like a rock with each passing game. THIS YEAR Monty is only at a rather pathetic 3.0 per carry. I would argue that GB running backs will always have an edge in yards per carry, because opposing defenses are so focused on the pass.

Maybe you like his ability as a receiver. Since the beginning of 2016, of all RBs with more than 15 catches, Monty ranks 12th in receiving yards, which is only slightly above average for a starter. He was 19th in catch rate and 36th in yards per reception. 32 RBs had more receiving TDs than Monty’s one.

Total yardage rushing and receiving? Monty ranks 27th out of 35 eligible RBs.

Yeah, I know that Monty didn't start carrying the load until a few games into the 2016 season, and yeah, that affects the numbers. Obviously, the O-line has been dinged as well. But if you break things down and really look at it... there just isn't very much that impresses. Take away the ONE totally out-of-character, 160-yard day against CHI and it looks even worse.

Bottom line, he's not real good....

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pacman's picture

September 25, 2017 at 10:48 am

You have to have SOME blocking to be a good running back. Our OL was manhandled yesterday. It is not going to open up any big holes for him to run through. That was expected with the current roster. Even still, he picks up some tough yardage and is dangerous as the outlet pass. I feel bad for him having to take that punishment just to get a few yards.

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Bear's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:05 pm

Hard to be a RB when the coaches don't believe in the running game.

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billybobton's picture

September 25, 2017 at 02:07 pm

MOST IMPORTANTLY for a green bay running back he sucks at pass blocking, how funny ROMO picked up on it and mentioned it repeatedly yet it does not seem to have sunk into the skulls of most packer fans

he it not good at pass blocking and does not look improved

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marpag1's picture

September 25, 2017 at 11:16 am

deleted

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Tundraboy's picture

September 25, 2017 at 12:32 pm

Taylor would have a hard time running with this OL. Even the regulars.

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4zone's picture

September 25, 2017 at 12:51 pm

Martinez made one heck of a hit blowing up their running back short of the line on one play that looked like he rearranged his sock drawer

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MarkinMadison's picture

September 25, 2017 at 01:25 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Martinez blew up the Bengals' first offensive play in OT by nailing Mixon for a two yard loss. That is huge. That is an impact play. Add Martinez to the game ball list.

Bennett looked slow too me. Seeing him move live was not impressive. I think Kendricks needs to be given more opportunities. There is a reason the Hoodie let Bennett walk, and it has nothing to do with the national anthem.

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Finwiz's picture

September 25, 2017 at 02:36 pm

I'll tell you who was MIA during this game.....
I just heard Quinten Rollins had 7 total snaps played, and even Josh Hawkins had more, with 9.
Talk about a falling star.
I guess they haven't liked much of what they've seen in the prior two games.
You know what they say, "actions speak louder than words"....nobody on the Packer staff will ever publicly say a player isn't performing, but it's pretty clear what they think.

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