Game Recap: Packers Beat Ravens 31-30

In a down-to-the-wire matchup at M&T Bank Stadium, the Packers hung on to beat the Ravens 31-30. In doing so, Green Bay clinched the NFC North for the third consecutive season. Here’s a recap of all the action: 

The Packers won the coin toss and deferred, giving the Tyler Huntley-led Ravens the ball to start the game. Baltimore took the opening kickoff out of the end zone and, as fans watched with bated breath, Green Bay’s special teams made the stop at the 23-yard line. The Packers got the Ravens into a 3rd-and-5 situation before Huntley completed a pass to tight end Mark Andrews, who took it up the sideline for a season-long 44-yard reception. After getting a stop on 3rd-and-6 inside the Green Bay 25, the Ravens converted on 4th-and-1 to keep their drive alive thanks to a designed run from Huntley, giving Baltimore a fresh set of downs at the 17-yard line. In another 3rd-and-short situation, the Ravens went empty set and completed another first down conversion to Andrews, giving the Ravens first-and-goal. Baltimore went for it on fourth down but Green Bay’s defense held, turning the ball over on downs after an opening Ravens drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. 

The Packers began their first drive from the 7-yard line, and after two runs by Jones to set up a 3rd-and-3, Aaron Rodgers just missed Davante Adams who had beaten his man, forcing Green Bay to punt. After signaling for a fair catch on the return, Ravens punt returner Devin Duvernay was interfered with, giving the Ravens 15 yards and the ball on Green Bay’s 45-yard line to start their second drive.

Huntley found his favorite target in Andrews, resulting in a 22-yard completion and a fresh set of downs inside the Green Bay 25-yard line. On 3rd-and-7 from the 20, James Proche hauled in an eight-yard slant, giving the Ravens another fresh set of downs. That drive capped off with an eight-yard touchdown reception by Andrews in the back of the end zone, bringing his stat line to 77 yards and a score on four receptions. The Ravens took the lead 7-0 with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Kick returner Amari Rodgers found a seam heading up the sideline and had a promising 39-yard return before a holding penalty was called, negating the big return and giving Green Bay the ball at the 16-yard line. Then, a false start by backup right tackle Dennis Kelly brought the ball back five yards to the Green Bay 11. Rodgers picked up the yardage in one play with a 17-yard completion to Allen Lazard. After a few runs by AJ Dillon to set up 3rd-and-4, Rodgers found Lazard again to convert the first down. That play ends the quarter.

Adams picked up 11 yards on the opening play of the second quarter, with Rodgers finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 31-yard reception just a play later, giving Green Bay the ball inside the 20. A questionable roughing call on Ravens rookie pass rusher Odafe Oweh gave the Packers a first-and-goal from the eight-yard line. Rodgers connected with “Big Dog” Marcedes Lewis on a play fake to take the ball inside the 2. Dillon took the ball the rest of the way and scored for the Packers. With kicker Mason Crosby hitting the extra point, the game was all tied up 7-7 just two minutes into the second quarter. 

Baltimore’s third possession started at the 27-yard line, but an illegal block by Savage gave the Ravens 15 yards and a fresh set of downs at the 45-yard line. Running back Latavius Murray found a hole and took the ball 16 yards into Green Bay’s side of the field. A few nice pass plays and a designed run by Huntley took the ball inside the red zone, with a 3rd-and-4 from the 18-yard line. Huntley completed a quick pass to Duvernay to move the chains and set up a 1st-and-goal, as the Packers have struggled early to handle the speed of Baltimore’s receivers. On 2nd-and-goal, Huntley found Andrews in the end zone for a second time, and the Ravens took the lead 14-7 with just over seven minutes remaining in the half. 

The Packers took over on their own 23-yard line and after a quick run by Jones to pick up a few yards, Rodgers hung in the pocket with a free rushing cornerback on a blitz and connected down the middle of the field with tight end Tyler Davis to take Green Bay to midfield. A reception by Lewis and a few solid rushes by Jones took the Packers to the 26-yard line, with Jones hauling in a quick catch for a new set of downs at the 23-yard line. On a bad toe, Rodgers scrambled on first down for a pickup of eight yards, bringing the ball to the 15. Then, he connected with Dillon on a wheel route to set up 1st-and-goal for the Packers at the two-minute warning. Rodgers completed nine straight passes to seven different targets before missing Deguara in the end zone, bringing up 2nd-and-goal. Dillon got stuffed at the goal line before Rodgers connected on a quick corner route to Adams, tying the game 14-14. 

With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Baltimore got the ball at the 27-yard line with all three timeouts at their disposal. Green Bay brought heavy pressure on 3rd-and-10, with Huntley getting flagged for grounding, giving the Ravens a 3rd-and-21. On 4th-and-15, Green Bay called their first timeout with 45 seconds left, looking to get one more drive in before halftime.

Chandon Sullivan fair-caught the punt at Green Bay’s 26-yard line with 38 seconds remaining in the half and two timeouts. Rodgers completed a dart to Valdes-Scantling immediately getting the Packers to midfield, stopping the clock with 31 seconds remaining. The Ravens brought pressure and sacked Rodgers for a loss of nine, giving the Packers 2nd-and-19 from their own 41-yard line. That burned Green Bay’s final timeout with 25 seconds left. After two incompletions, the Packers were forced to punt, leaving the Ravens with seven seconds remaining in the half. Baltimore took a knee and ended the half. 

The Packers received the second half kickoff, starting on the 20-yard line. All game, the Ravens have kicked off just shy of the end zone forcing Green Bay to return the ball. On 2nd-and-6, Rodgers took another deep shot to Valdes-Scantling that fell incomplete, but the Packers were able to move the chains with Adams on third down. Jones then had a nice 12-yard pickup on the ground behind stout blocking from Yosh Nijman and Lewis, bringing Green Bay’s rushing total to 55 yards on the day. After a few more rushing attempts from Jones and Dillon, Josiah Deguara picked up a one-yard first down to take the ball into Ravens territory with a fresh set of downs. Going up against a stout Baltimore run defense, the Packers have had success running the ball with both Jones and Dillon, averaging almost five yards per carry and finding some big holes. After a nice completion to Adams brought the ball to the 21-yard line, Rodgers and Juwann Winfree couldn’t connect on a first down, bringing up 3rd-and-10. Pass interference against the Ravens gave Green Bay a new set of downs inside the 10, and Rodgers found a wide open Jones in the end zone for an easy touchdown, giving the Packers their first lead of the game, 21-14. 

Baltimore began their first drive of the second half at the 25-yard line with around eight minutes left remaining in the third quarter. Ravens receiver Marquise Brown was shaken up early and exited the game. On the next play, Jordan Ricards picked up a first down on a 12-yard run, bringing the ball to midfield. With a designed run, Huntley picked up another first down and brought the ball to the Green Bay 36. He then found his favorite target in Andrews for a 12-yard gain, setting the Ravens up at the 24-yard line. Brown came back in the game and Packers rookie Eric Stokes had a great pass breakup to force a third and long. Baltimore planned to go for it on 4th-and-1 but got called for a false start, forcing the Ravens to attempt a 38-yard field goal instead. Justin Tucker’s kick was good, bringing the score to 21-17 Packers. 

On Baltimore’s kickoff, the Ravens popped the ball up inside the 20-yard line and the Packers couldn’t recover it cleanly, but they were able to get back on the ball to maintain possession, giving them starting field possession at the 12-yard line. After a few first downs, Rodgers tried to catch the defense with 12 men on the field, but it wasn’t called by the referees. Head Coach Matt LaFleur challenged the no-call and won, giving the Packers 1st-and-5 from the 40-yard line. A quick completion to Degaura brought the ball to the 50-yard line, and Dillon picked up a few more yards on the ground before the quarter ended. On 3rd-and-4 from the Ravens 45, the Packers were called for a false start, bringing up 3rd-and-9 in a rocking M&T Bank Stadium. Valdes-Scantling hauled in a 25-yard completion to bring Green Bay to the 25-yard line. Adams picked up another first down to bring the ball to the 11, but then Lazard got shaken up on an incompletion in the end zone. On the next play, Valdes-Scantling hauled in Rodgers’ 442nd touchdown pass which tied Brett Favre for most all-time in franchise history. With the extra point, the Packers lead 28-17.

With just under 13 minutes remaining in the game, Baltimore started their next drive on the 25-yard line. After a penalty gave the Ravens 1st-and-5, the Packers defense held strong and got the Ravens into 4th-and-5, which the team tried to convert and couldn’t thanks to pressure from Rashan Gary. Baltimore turned the ball over on downs, giving the Packers a short field to work with and starting position at the 29-yard line. 

On the first play of the drive, a nice completion to Lewis set the Packers up with 1st-and-goal as “Go Pack Go” chants broke out around the stadium. Green Bay burned a timeout with 11 minutes remaining in the game, then a run by Jones took the Packers inside the 5. A second down pass to Adams resulted in a loss of yards, bringing Green Bay to 3rd-and-goal from the 11-yard line. The Packers burned a second timeout, giving them one remaining. Rodgers missed a wide open Lazard in the end zone resulting in fourth down and forcing the special teams unit to come on the field. Crosby made his 29-yard field goal, bringing Green Bay’s lead to 31-17.

On Baltimore’s next possession, Adrian Amos was called for pass interference early, giving the Ravens a first down at the 41-yard line. Baltimore dinked and dunked their way down the field, including some nice scrambles by Huntley to bring up a 1st-and-10 inside the red zone. On 3rd-and-6, Kingsley Keke batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage, forcing the Ravens to go for it on fourth down with just over five minutes remaining in the game. The Ravens converted over the middle of the field with Andrews, setting up 1st-and-goal inside the 3-yard line. On the next play, Huntley used his legs and got into the end zone, bringing the score to 31-24 Packers. 

Aaron Jones was on the field to return the kickoff and brought the ball to the 18-yard line with just under five minutes remaining in the game. On 2nd-and-10, Rodgers scrambled for five yards in an attempt to burn more time off the clock. On third down, Rodgers took a sack for a loss of eight, forcing Green Bay to punt. On the punt, Corey Bojorquez held the ball too long and caught a delay of game penalty, forcing him to punt from deep within his own end zone. 

With 2:24 left in the game, the Ravens took over at the Green Bay 49-yard line. Right away, Huntley scrambled for a first down and got out of bounds to stop the clock at the Packers 34. Stokes made a nice open field tackle to take the game down to the two-minute warning. On second down, Gary brought pressure but was unable to bring Huntley down before he snuck out of bounds. The next play, he completed two consecutive first downs to Andrews. Huntley used his legs and got into the end zone for the score with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. The Ravens decided to go for two rather than kick the extra point, and proved to be a poor decision. The ball fell incomplete and the Packers maintained the lead 31-30. 

Baltimore tried the onside kick, but it was recovered cleanly by Dillon. There was an illegal formation penalty on the kickoff (this time by the other special teams unit), and the Packers kneeled out the clock to win the game. 

What we learned: Start faster 

For whatever reason, the Packers are still struggling to get going in the first quarter. That was evident again against the Ravens. Despite those early struggles, Green Bay is averaging 35.6 points in the last four games. It’s refreshing to see the resiliency of this Packers team, even without some of its best players. In previous seasons, the Packers falling behind early almost felt like a death knell. Instead, this 2021 Packers squad has proven that it can overcome early adversity and still win tough football games. Still, this game came down to the wire, and any points in the first quarter would’ve given Green Bay breathing room in the game’s final minutes. 

What went right: A commitment to the run game

Even against a tough Ravens run defense, the Packers stayed true to the ground game behind Jones and Dillon, ending the night with 80 yards on the ground in 20 attempts, averaging 4 yards per carry. Jones hauled in a receiving score and Dillon got his own on the ground. The duo is as dynamic as they come and the key to making the offense run smoothly. 

What went wrong: Special teams

What is there to say anymore about special teams? It’s the most glaring weakness this Packers team has, and opponents are finding ways to exploit it. It’s to the point that the unit is even beating itself, as was evident on the delay of game by the punting unit. LaFleur had said it would be all hands on deck to right the ship, and that was clear in the number of veterans that took snaps against Baltimore. Green Bay has three weeks left of the regular season to figure things out before the playoffs. 

Offensive MVP: Marquez Valdes-Scantling 

Valdes-Scantling looked like a bonafide WR2 on the field against Baltimore. He wasn’t just a deep threat, but he was a dynamic weapon in every facet of the receiving game. He ended the game with five receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, averaging 19.6 yards per catch with a long of 31. 

Defensive MVP: Rashan Gary 

While the defense as a whole struggled to contain Huntley all game, Gary was able to get pretty consistent pressure, even if he wasn’t able to bring Huntley down. Without Kenny Clark to clog the interior of the defensive line, running lanes were much more readily-available for Huntley and the rest of the Ravens offense. Gary finished the day with two tackles and one tackle for loss, but his presence was felt much more on the field than it was on the stat sheet. 

The NFC North-winning Green Bay Packers will host the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Day at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. CST. 

 

 

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Maggie Loney is a writer for Cheesehead TV and podcaster for the Pack-A-Day Podcast and Pack's What She Said. Find her on Twitter at @MaggieJLoney.

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12 points
 

Comments (44)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Swisch's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:09 pm

MVS, Most Valuable Speedster on the Packers, is showing promise to one day become our MVP, Most Versatile Playmaker.
Marquez is working his way onto the marquee.

11 points
11
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Eighteen17's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:10 pm

Never win the Super Bowl with this defense and special teams.

7 points
12
5
Fubared's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:47 pm

won't get through first game. team is not good.

-5 points
2
7
dblbogey's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:51 pm

UraPayne.

6 points
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jurp's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:46 pm

Your people are calling for you: https://www.dailynorseman.com/

-1 points
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bjkdad44's picture

December 19, 2021 at 11:19 pm

I… unfortunately… must agree

0 points
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Eighteen17's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:10 pm

Nice play calling when it was first and goal from the 4 yard line to put the game away.

7 points
7
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Alberta_Packer's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:14 pm

Yes MVS is very fast. Perhaps almost as fast as Maggie in getting the recap online!

7 points
9
2
Wenis's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:15 pm

Where is Paul Ott Carruth ? Would love to here his breakdown of this game and the special teams.

What an embarrassing display of "Martyball" the last 6 minutes of this game. We turtled up on both sides of the ball and played not to lose and if it wasn't for Harbaugh going for the two-point conversion we would have been in OT and had lost all the momentum. This game stunk and had the ghost of Mike McCarthy written all over it.

Once again nobody will be held accountable for piss poor special teams play. How is it. that the opposing kick returner gets to the 30 yard line before he is even touched while our return guy can barely make it to the 20 yard line. Unfknbelievable...........

6 points
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Fubared's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:46 pm

it's called speed baby. our d line has none, our outside contain has none, teams run circles around us and make us
ook silly but no worry we got Rodgers. that is the problem, we don't need a great d just slow the other team while we put up points?
Coach can't get happy with the play today

0 points
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4
Lphill's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:29 pm

Drayton will cost us the season he is a minority hire and the Packers are afraid to fire him , Chris Gizzi can take over , down vote away but it’s the truth .

-6 points
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dblbogey's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:54 pm

I have no idea why he was hired, but I'm in favor of his unhiring at season's end.

5 points
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dekan51's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:13 pm

"he is a minority hire"

really? thats the truth? and you know this because...??? just your 'opinion' ? so are white guys hired because of their color, too? yes, you should get a ton of thumb down votes because your post has nothing whatsoever to do with 'truth' but because of 'ignorance' .....

1 points
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dobber's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:28 pm

"Chris Gizzi can take over"

Gizzi has never been an assistant position coach or position coach, and never been a coordinator. Are you wiping off this garbage that you're pulling out of your ass before you post it?...repeatedly?

0 points
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2
bassrock's picture

December 20, 2021 at 12:50 pm

He couldn't do any worse than the putz we have running special teams now.

2 points
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jont's picture

December 20, 2021 at 10:04 am

Enough with this "minority hire" BS. You've posted it 5-6 times, and you are wrong on the facts.

GB has 27 coaches. 10 are black. Clearly, Drayton in not a token.

Ruvell Martin, BTW, is a "minority fellowship coaching assitant". Maybe you want to aim your fire at him?

1 points
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Kevin Carpenter's picture

December 19, 2021 at 07:43 pm

Great game by the offense. The defense and special teams, yikes.

7 points
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dekan51's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:17 pm

except the awful sequence in our final possession. run, broken play, sack, penalty, bad punt.

1 points
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Kevin Carpenter's picture

December 19, 2021 at 11:03 pm

Yeah, well we can't expect to score on every drive, especially with all of the injuries on the offensive line. We knew there was going to be a breakdown eventually. But damn, that run was absolutely awful. When it rains, it pours, I guess.

1 points
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cinpackback's picture

December 19, 2021 at 08:03 pm

Even after watching the game, I enjoy Ms. Loney’s breakdown! 👍

4 points
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stockholder's picture

December 19, 2021 at 08:04 pm

we need Clark. Big Time.

10 points
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Leatherhead's picture

December 19, 2021 at 08:05 pm

A win. On the road. Against an 8-5 team. With our second string line and missing our best defenders. To clinch the division. We’re the #1 seed with three winnable games remaining.

If you can’t be happy about this, seek help.

17 points
19
2
canadapacker's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:01 pm

I am happy but not really really happy - and as I said a few weeks ago - First you get into the dance - And WE are - and now we play for seeding - and to get healthy.

3 points
3
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Alphadork's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:37 pm

All of this ^^^

0 points
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canadapacker's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:14 pm

I hope that we have enough on tape on how NOT to play against a running QB and a great TE. And we are going to have to get used to running QB's - as Fields will be there for awhile and if the Bears ( who still SUCK) ever get a QB/offensive co-ordinator type of coaching staff - we had better of learned. Our exposure to these lack of contain - had something to do with missing Clark in the middle - but we didnt adapt too well - and maybe we need to find some more creative way to keep these guys in the pocket.
I also dont know why we never had a guy playing /bump and run on Andrews at the line. After seeing what Kelce did in Kansas City's last win - we had better find a better defensive strategy against these tightends. 10 catches for 136 yards and 2 touchdown - and only a great play at the end prevented them from getting the game leading points.

Finally - I hope that we are saving our Red Zone scoring plays for the playoff - because our current philosophy sucks. And just dont get me railing about ST's - there is definitely some mental deficiencies.

2 points
3
1
dekan51's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:20 pm

we had a great play called before our final FG, but Aaron 'I refuse to get close to throwing an INT' over throws a wide open receiver in the end zone. AR is great, but he too has to make the play to put the game away.....

-2 points
2
4
bjkdad44's picture

December 19, 2021 at 11:24 pm

Someone trying to get some sort of record on the second to last series?

-2 points
0
2
Fubared's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:23 pm

same old d, just can't get three and outs to save their life. so what about playoffs if we go belly up in the first round. Smith looked old and slow today. I think the d is gassed. Gary only wants sacks not contain.

-3 points
5
8
dekan51's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:21 pm

"Gary only wants sacks not contain"

100%. Preston is close to the same.

Coaching.

-1 points
1
2
UnoMyName's picture

December 20, 2021 at 07:51 am

Isn't Preston's next sack worth 1/2 a million extra to him?

Regardless contain was not there for this game.

0 points
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Fubared's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:23 pm

same old d, just can't get three and outs to save their life. so what about playoffs if we go belly up in the first round. Smith looked old and slow today. I think the d is gassed. Gary only wants sacks not contain.

-5 points
0
5
Alphadork's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:36 pm

Great summary - but why the passive voice?
"After signaling for a fair catch on the return, Ravens punt returner Devin Duvernay was interfered with..."

How about
"After Ravens punt returner Devin Duverney signaled for a fair catch, Packers gunner Isaac Yiadom nonetheless ran into him, drawing the first of the now-predictable penalties against the Packers troubled special teams unit."

5 points
6.5
1.5
LeotisHarris's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:50 pm

Meh. Maybe because Maggie doesn't need to blow sunshine up her own azz to tell a great story?

1 points
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2
Tundraboy's picture

December 19, 2021 at 09:47 pm

That was one of my Christmas present wishes. Beating the Bears, Ravens, Vikings, an ultimately the Bucs. Thought it was going to be an easier win at the end but.. no.....

Would have lost my mind if we lost this game. With our 2 pt conversions record, what occurred was aan absolute Christmas miracle!

6 points
6
0
dekan51's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:05 pm

Defensive MVP: Rashan Gary

Maybe, but good god, can we not contain? clearly, they are not coached to contain, but to do whatever they can to sack the QB, even if it means rush inside and to hell with contain....

3 points
3
0
dobber's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:19 pm

I don't remember who said that the Saints would beat the Bucs, but they were right. First AZ loses, now TB. It's been a good day.

10 points
10
0
Swisch's picture

December 19, 2021 at 10:37 pm

It's so hard to win in the NFL, and it's good to remind ourselves of that to appreciate what we already have -- with a win today and 11 in total, against only 3 losses.
Another benefit of realizing how hard it is to win in the NFL is a continual quest for improvement. Let's hope the Packers are on it in terms of always honing their game.

3 points
4
1
Coldworld's picture

December 19, 2021 at 11:08 pm

Am I wrong to always smile when Brady loses?

4 points
5
1
bjkdad44's picture

December 19, 2021 at 11:27 pm

Nope! (and… he was shut out!!!)

3 points
3
0
albert999's picture

December 20, 2021 at 12:08 am

Hey Nagler
Why don’t you ask the tuff question if it’s not the special teams coach coach the what players need to go
This is ridiculous

2 points
3
1
albert999's picture

December 20, 2021 at 12:12 am

Quit being the pussy Green Bay media question fucks

1 points
3
2
LayingTheLawe's picture

December 20, 2021 at 12:34 am

Packers win on the road against a playoff level team. But they don't put them away and make it a nailbiter -allowing Packer fans to moan and bitch and whine like they lost.

Guys, the NFL is a weak to week league. Just ask Tampa and Arizona about what can happen in a given week. Any win on the road is a good win. Move on.

0 points
3
3
Packerlifer's picture

December 20, 2021 at 04:25 am

Did Tyler Huntley reignite the controversy over the Packers' pick of Jordan Love in the first round of the '19 draft? Compare and contrast what we saw of Huntley yesterday and in earlier games and Love against Kansas City.

Two qb's out of Utah: one undrafted, the other a first round pick and traded up for to boot. The Green Bay scouting department somehow missed Huntley or Gutey was too dismissive of him with his eyes on Love.

Love may yet pan out but Huntley looked like Love should have by this time. Where could the Pack be if they take lb Jeff Queen with the first rounder 2 years ago and sign Huntley as an undrafted free agent? Gotta wonder after yesterday.

https://www.deseret.com/2021/8/28/22646634/tyler-huntley-accounts-for-5-...

0 points
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3
jont's picture

December 20, 2021 at 10:22 am

Valid question, and I am going to vote no, Huntley's performance and skills don't say anything about Gute's selection of Love.

Yes, Huntley is a lot cheaper, but his style doen't match MLF's offense at all while it's a perfect fit for Baltimore. He's Lamar Lite, and they change nothing in their playbook when he has to step in. He's good for them, but he wouldn't be for GB.

Huntley's also got a flashy style which, IMO, looks better than it is. Maybe it's just my bias against running QBs and their shortened careers, but it seems to me that there is simply no subsitute for a QB who read a D, release in a third of a second, and lay the ball on a dime from 40 yards. Lots of guys can run, but few can be Aaron Rodgers so you're always trying to draft one.

2 points
2
0