Packers Escape, Top 49ers 33-30
They say that being clutch is in your DNA, and for Aaron Rodgers that continues to be the case, as he once again led the Packers to a late comeback, this time to top the 49ers 33-30 at Lambeau Field.
They say that being clutch is in your DNA, and for Aaron Rodgers that continues to be the case, as he once again led the Packers (3-2-1, 1-1-1 NFC North) to a late comeback, this time to top the 49ers (1-5, 0-1 NFC West) 33-30 at Lambeau Field. There was 1:07 left on the clock, and 12 took the Packers all the way down the field to set Mason Crosby up for the 27-yard game winning field goal as time expired.
It was a week of redemption for Crosby after missing 4 field goals and an extra point last week in Detroit and he can thank Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and rookie Equanimeous St. Brown for coming up with a few ridiculous plays on that final drive.
Equanimeous
St. Brown
wowpic.twitter.com/m4fycafcKV— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) October 16, 2018
Rodgers threw for over 400 yards for the second game in a row and it is the first time in his career that he has thrown multiple 400 yard games in a season. According to ESPN, he finished the night 25/46 for 425 yards and 2 TDs. Despite the exciting comeback, there were still many red flags that appeared for the Packers before heading into what looks like a much needed bye week. So, as always, let's discuss.
What we learned: We could be in for a long next couple of weeks.
Green Bay was lucky to escape Monday night with a victory, as they struggled tremendously in a number of different areas throughout the night. Six weeks in and the Packers have yet to play a complete game in its entirety.
Heading into Monday night’s game the 49ers were 1-4 and had a number of injuries that kept their top players out of the game as well. The fact that the Packers’ offensive line struggled to contain linebackers, the secondary was leaving guys wide open, and the defensive line had difficulty at times slowing down the run game, is not a good sign at all for Green Bay.
After their bye week, Green Bay travels to LA to play the Rams, who remain unbeaten, and then the next week to New England to face off with the Patriots. Back to back weeks with possible Super Bowl contenders on your schedule is scary enough, but especially scary if the Packers do not fix some of the simple mistakes that they keep making.
Hopefully, Green Bay will have a healthy Geronimo Allison and Randall Cobb back from hamstring injuries to add some variation to the offense against what will be two of the top defenses the Packers have seen all season. On the defensive side of things, Green Bay looks to have rookie Jaire Alexander and Bashaud Breeland back in the lineup as well.
What went wrong: Offensive line
I do not know if it was just me, but it seemed like the Packers’ offensive line was getting beat more than usual Monday night. The 49ers sacked Aaron Rodgers 3 times and got solid hits on him another 7. Even at times that they did not get to him, the 49ers’ defense just seemed to find all the right gaps and ways to get in the way of Aaron Rodgers. Granted, the Packers were without offensive lineman Jason Spriggs, and saw Bryan Bulaga exit the game briefly, but in general it needs to be cleaner if the Packers want to be more successful on offense.
Ronald Blair having a huge night for the 49ers, beats Bahktiari and sacks Rodgers. pic.twitter.com/TtN1H9RwWc
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) October 16, 2018
Rodgers, who is already fighting through his knee injury, looked beat up by the end of the game, and you could even see blood dripping down his white sleeve after taking a hit.
What went right: Faster start
The last couple of weeks, Rodgers and Mike McCarthy have both emphasized their frustration with a slow start on the offensive side of things. Monday, we finally saw something different. Aaron Jones got the nod to start at running back and had an explosive run right off the bat that was initially ruled a touchdown, but then called back. On the next play, Ty Montgomery had a 2 yard touchdown to put the Packers on the board and tie it at 7 quickly.
According to Packer’s writer Wes Hodikiewicz, on their first three possessions, the Packers went 179 total yards and accounted for 17 points.
“I loved the fight of our football team,” McCarthy said at the post-game press conference. “It was a great team win.”
Offensive Players of the Game: Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Davante Adams
The rookie and the veteran teamed up and made some fantastic plays in the Packers’ win over the 49ers Monday night. MVS proved his potential last week in Detroit and he did so again Monday. The former USF Bull finished with 3 receptions for 103 yards with a long 60 yard play on the first drive of the game.
Davante Adams proved once again why he is a star and was there to catch the game tying touchdown in an almost identical play from when Green Bay beat Dallas last season.
The #Packers tie the game with 1:55 remaining. Aaron Rodgers hits Davante Adams for the touchdown. #49ers #SFvsGB pic.twitter.com/gvZlxQqNcS
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) October 16, 2018
Adams finished the night with 10 receptions for 132 yards and 2 TDs. With his touchdowns tonight, he is now tied for the most receiving touchdowns through six games this NFL season.
Defensive Player of the Game: Kevin King
Although King slipped up a couple of times in the secondary, his game saving interception was too important not to highlight. King really showed his athleticism, beat his man inside, and made an amazing play thst could not have come at a better time. Despite his usual high level of play, it was King’s first career touchdown and a clutch one indeed. The play set Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense up for what would end up being the game winning drive.
KEVIN KING INTERCEPTION#PACKERS TAKE OVERpic.twitter.com/WWXK6oMIZI
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) October 16, 2018
Up next, BYE WEEK.
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__________________________
Sarah Kelliher is a contributor for CheeseheadTV and a podcaster with Pack-A-Day Podcast. She can be found via Twitter @sarahkelliher4.
Comments (37)
jeremyjjbrown
October 16, 2018 at 08:30 am
Where the heck has Mike Daniels been?
PackfanNY
October 16, 2018 at 08:48 am
Tremendously exciting game to watch but disappointing on so many levels. Yes, the Packers won. However, what the heck is going on with the defense? So many guys just disappeared and were invisible. Poor tackling all over the field. Just think of all the names you didn't hear on defense last night. HaHa? Lowry? Clay? Daniels, you there? Then when you heard a name (Brice, I'm looking at you!) they were usually getting beat. Hats off to Blake Martinez. Kid seemed to be in on every play in a good way.
Looking at this game, and what lies ahead, Packers have lots of work to do.
pacman
October 16, 2018 at 09:01 am
Change first sentence to:
Tremendously FRUSTRATING to watch AND disappointing on so many levels.
And last sentence to:
Packers have a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT of work to do!
fthisJack
October 16, 2018 at 08:53 am
i was going to ask that question myself. the D line was supposed to be the strength of this team and they got gashed last night. SF just blew them off the line of scrimmage. the only guy making any plays is Clark. the rest are just guys.
Pack204
October 16, 2018 at 08:55 am
MM press conference should have been “I want to thank Aaron Rodgers for allowing me to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers for soo long and I am thankful he bailed the team out of another crappy overall performance.”
The lack of pass rush is really concerning, when they play an elite offense they will get eaten up. Too slow not enough playmakers up front or at safety for that matter. Alexander is a stud but the reality is the DB can only cover for soo long.
People are excited about a win but GB had a +3 turnover differential vs a 1-4 football team, without their starting qb at home, in primetime and still need a late penalty and magical heroics from AR to eek out this game.
jeremyjjbrown
October 16, 2018 at 09:19 am
It's scary how bad this team is outside of AR. He's having a down season for him, but that's still a top 10 QB.
Oppy
October 16, 2018 at 02:05 pm
Jeremy,
When you're +3 in the turnover differential battle, and you barely eek out a win with a last second field goal, it generally means your offense wasn't good.
It's scary how bad this team's offense is with AR leading it. AR is a part of the problem, people need to stop placing Rodgers on a pedestal. Yes, some great QB play at the end- and great WR work- snatched victory from the jaws of defeat last night. Make no mistake about it- the reason they had to fight to the end to win a game where they were +3 in TO dif. is in large part because Rodgers' wasn't that good for most of the game.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 16, 2018 at 09:31 am
That is one scary recap.
CAG123
October 16, 2018 at 10:07 am
Any given Sunday
Doug_In_Sandpoint
October 16, 2018 at 08:56 am
As a fan of this team, I can really use a bye week.
Kb999
October 16, 2018 at 06:34 pm
Doug, I agree. This is a rollercoaster.
Pack204
October 16, 2018 at 08:56 am
MM press conference should have been “I want to thank Aaron Rodgers for allowing me to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers for soo long and I am thankful he bailed the team out of another crappy overall performance.”
The lack of pass rush is really concerning, when they play an elite offense they will get eaten up. Too slow not enough playmakers up front or at safety for that matter. Alexander is a stud but the reality is the DB can only cover for soo long.
People are excited about a win but GB had a +3 turnover differential vs a 1-4 football team, without their starting qb at home, in primetime and still need a late penalty and magical heroics from AR to eek out this game.
Pack204
October 16, 2018 at 09:03 am
My apologies for the duplicate posts. App kept saying "POST COMMENT FAILED"
Pack204
October 16, 2018 at 08:57 am
MM press conference should have been “I want to thank Aaron Rodgers for allowing me to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers for soo long and I am thankful he bailed the team out of another awful performance”
+3 turnover differential vs a team without there starting qb and is 1-4, needing late game heroics from AR to eek out a fg win. What a joke
fastmoving
October 16, 2018 at 01:11 pm
...but you have to get the 3 turnovers. so you have to give the D at least a little bit credit for it. so they had some good plays too.
Since'61
October 16, 2018 at 04:00 pm
Another poor first half for the Packers defense. Once again the Packers made a virtually unknown QB look like the second coming of Johnny U at least during the first half.
Fortunately Rodgers was Rodgers and our trio of rookie receivers made some big plays. And in spite of their poor start the defense made stops to get the ball back to Rodgers in the 4th qtr.
While this was a thrilling victory this game is not a formula the Packers can sustain for the season especially on the road against the Rams and Pats. The Packers were losing at the LOS for most of the game last night. The defense in particular was blown off the LOS for the first 3 qtrs. This needs to change. The OL looked slow off the ball.
Once again I need to ask why aren't we using Aaron Jones more frequently, running and receiving. There were a couple of runs where Williams made good runs but if Aaron Jones was the ball carrier both plays would have gone for big yardage maybe even TDs. Williams was caught from behind on both plays after making a solid gain. Give Jones the ball, he changes the entire offense. Time to enjoy the bye. Thanks, Since '61
cuervo
October 16, 2018 at 09:11 am
"Once again I need to ask why aren't we using Aaron Jones more frequently, running and receiving. "
The answer is quite simple, because MM is the head coach. Now, why he thinks this is a good idea, is the question. MM has a penchant for not knowing how or why one wants to use players with explosive traits.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 16, 2018 at 09:33 am
When GB habitually snaps the ball with less than one second on the play clock, the advantage of knowing the snap count is lost to the OL.
Since'61
October 16, 2018 at 09:52 am
Excellent point TGR!!! Thanks, Since '61
BigCheese2
October 16, 2018 at 10:26 am
It also helps eliminate any confusion around what the defense may be throwing at you...
RCPackerFan
October 16, 2018 at 09:04 am
While the talk the next couple of weeks will be about how great the Rams and Patriots are, lets just enjoy this win, take a breather with the bye week and refocus.
This team will be getting back 3 starters. Not only 3 starters but 2 veteran WR's. And one that is completely in sync with Rodgers! That should help the offense a ton! And the experience that MVS and ESB have got will really help the offense as well.
They could realistically line up 5 WR's now with Adams, Cobb, Allison, MVS, ESB.
To go along with the 2 WR's they are getting back they are getting back their best CB and possibly their best defensive player. Alexander has been that good.
Not only are they getting Alexander back they will be able to add Breeland soon too. Those 2 guys should help the defense out.
jeremyjjbrown
October 16, 2018 at 09:22 am
MVS and ESB are two things to be happy about in this mess. If the Packers offense is all about matchups then having physical specimans at WR is a great idea.
RCPackerFan
October 16, 2018 at 10:19 am
oh definitely! those 2 Provide speed and size. I wish they would find ways to use the size more. Let them go up and high point the ball over some of these smaller DB's. That throw in the end zone to MVS on 4th down should have been High to allow him go up over the DB especially with his back to the football.
I hope when Cobb and Allison come back they don't forget about the rookies because they can still add to the offense!
BigCheese2
October 16, 2018 at 10:27 am
Agreed. I want more of MVS and EQ. At this point Cobb is made of glass and Allison, although performing VERY well when targeted, is so so slow.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 16, 2018 at 09:36 am
NE's defense is awful. We should be well able to play with them. I've often wondered if GB plays down to the level of their opponent. We'll gain some evidence one way or the other against LAR. I do think SF has more talent than many 1-4 teams.
RCPackerFan
October 16, 2018 at 10:28 am
Injuries have affected the offense. Rodgers, Cobb, Allison are 3 top players in the offense. It has slowed the offense down.
I think when we get Cobb and Allison back that will help the offense a quite a bit.
We have yet to see the offense all together healthy. Rodgers has been dealing with his leg injury and Cobb and Allison have been out. Get them back and Rodgers a little healthier and our offense should be getting better.
Slim11
October 16, 2018 at 10:33 am
I think it’s more a case of MM coaching, and game planning, down to the level of the opponent. He’s done some masterful coaching in seasons past but is inconsistent with his effort. I won’t be surprised if he comes up with some incredible game plans against NE and LAR. Given his performance the past 2-3 seasons, I won’t be surprised if it goes the other way.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
October 16, 2018 at 10:57 am
Well, they are 6-4 in their last 10...
CAG123
October 16, 2018 at 09:58 am
I’ll never understand the term “Lucky to escape with a win” this isn’t Mario Kart where you can throw banana peels at your opponent either the D steps up and makes stops/TO and the offense makes plays or they don’t well the def and off did what they needed to do which is why the Pack won. This is still the leagues best 4q defense they just need to put it together for a full game.
crabby
October 16, 2018 at 10:02 am
Lets's face it this is a bad team with a few good players. Not a Super bowl contender. We almost lost to a backup QB.
stockholder
October 16, 2018 at 10:56 am
The ball must be thrown fast. Pocket awareness is fleeting. The safeties are not in sync. The DL has been Clarke. CMII and Perry aren't taking proper angles. Either they've been drinking or have body problems. Were trying to play clock management instead of football.
Doug Niemczynski
October 16, 2018 at 11:17 am
Are the Packers going to activate Jake Kumerow after the bye?
Oppy
October 16, 2018 at 02:15 pm
I think it has to be past week 8, but not sure.
Second, I'm assuming Allison and Cobb are back after the bye. I don't see reason to waste a "call back from IR" move on a WR at the moment. MVS is playing well, EQ is starting to make plays, and even Moore had a catch last night. Those are the Packers #4,5,6. Not a pressing need for another WR on the roster at the moment.
Most likely player on IR to be brought back to the Packers 53 man roster, IMO, would be Kyle Murphy at some point, In my opinion. Packers are scary thin on the OL right now.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 17, 2018 at 03:35 am
Murphy isn't eligible to be designated to return. He was placed on IR before cutdowns. Ryan and Wilkerson have season ending injuries. That leaves Trevor Davis and Kumerow. I agree that at the moment we don't need a WR. Probably don't need a PR. My own guess is that neither player returns to the 53 unless there are injuries.
Oppy
October 19, 2018 at 08:52 pm
Hmm, for whatever reason I thought Kyle Murphy made the 53 and was placed on IR after the fact. My bad.
Doug Niemczynski
October 16, 2018 at 11:23 am
Here are the power rankings after Week 5 of the NFL season:
32. San Francisco 49ers (1-4, Last Week:
When you’re No. 31 and you lose to the No. 32 team at home, no matter how it goes. I don’t anticipate the 49ers will be here the rest of the season; they played hard and decently well in their two games since the Jimmy Garoppolo injury. The question is how long they’ll keep up that effort level.
Well, the Packers are knocking out the bottom of the NFL Teams in the power rankings.
ILPackerBacker
October 16, 2018 at 02:21 pm
Frankly it is not just you but to many who should know better talking up the packer OL which is just average at best. the play of the OL was not really worse last night but it was easier to notice....clearly it was really obvious since you noticed.
Did it occur to you to check the sack totals from other games? Of course not. What made it obvious was rodgers limited mobility, more limited than the other games in the pocket.
Yet if you watch the run Rodgers makes for 21 yards to save the day you will it is RODGERS moving that is keeping the sacks away and NOT blocking.
I made the mistake of listening to a pod cast with you that implied it would be about the packers. I am not sure why anyone would be interested in your talks with your mother. i am sure she is a fine woman but nobody wants to spend their time listening to you talk about what you talk about with her