Vikings 29 Packers 29: Game Balls & Lame Calls

The Green Bay Packers took the Minnesota Vikings into overtime before the game ended in a disgusting tie, 29-29.  I use the term "disgusting" because both teams had seemingly obvious chances to win this game and neither did.  Nearly the very definition of that is a tie.

Green Bay got out to an early lead before squandering it in the second half.  A missed field goal as the clock expired in overtime led to the tie.  Let's look at the Packers players that helped do their part to lead to that result.

Game Balls

HONORARY - Jerry Kramer

Kramer had his name added to the Lambeau Ring of Honor during this game.  Way overdue but he's now etched in Packers history forever and I'm so very happy that it happened while he's able to see and enjoy it.  

Kramer had a Hall of Fame NFL career but having his name added to the Ring of Honor only confirms what we already know: He's a legend in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Geronimo Allison

Allison blocked Minnesota's first punt which led to a Packers touchdown, the team's first score of the game.  Allison also had six catches, a few of which were key third down catches.  He continues to carry his weight in the passing game and has the trust of his quarterback.

Jimmy Graham

Graham finally became to the Packers offense what we've been waiting for: a focal point.  Graham had six catches on eight targets and also hauled in what seemed like a nice touchdown catch before it was nullified by a holding call on Lane Taylor (we'll call it a hold).

Hopefully this is the first of many games this season where Graham factors heavily in the passing game (and gets into the end zone).

Kenny Clark

A sack and a ball batted down that Clark frankly should have intercepted.  He just continues to dominate up front.  You can't run on Clark and he'll take your quarterback down if you don't double him.  

Lame Calls

Davon House

House wasn't put in a favorable position having to cover Stefon Diggs one-on-one but he also didn't have to give up a long touchdown either.  Get torched, get a lame call.

Officiating the Rules

The Packers get an interception and get the ball back to run out the clock and seal a victory.  Then, a flag.  Clay Matthews, for the second week in a row, is called for roughing the passer late in a close game.

Referee Tony Corrente said that Matthews was flagged because he "lifted the quarterback up and drove him to the ground".  Wrong.  Look at the replay, courtesy of Jason Wilde of ESPN: 

 

You be the judge but based on that explanation, the rule doesn't appear to have been applied correctly.  I'll give Matthews a pass on this one.

I'm not one to blame the officials for a win or a loss.  Because we've seen so many questionable calls, the only take I can have is: don't put your team in position to be decided by a referee's call.  Easier said than done, but this game is a perfect example of what happens when a game is close and a judgment call wipes away one result and allows for another.

 

Others to mention:

  • Aaron Rodgers played well enough to help the Packers win.  He nearly helped seal that fate himself on a keeper in overtime with a designed run to pick up a first down.  Rodgers fumbled and recovered but gained nothing on the play.  Perhaps an effect of having a brace on his knee and not being able to move around as well, but he made plenty of throws that indicate that he had every bit of business playing in this game (did some seriously question that?!) and is still this team's heart and soul
  • Josh Jackson - right place, right time.  He's a playmaker and hopefully the team gains more confidence in him to play more on defense.  Perhaps, instead of Davon House
  • JK Scott had a 63-yard punt and flipped the field on that kick.   He also averaged 51 yards per kick and put two in side the 20-yard line
  • Mason Crosby with a career-high five field goals and nearly had a sixth to win it but a savvy timeout call by Minnesota led to another attempt that Crosby missed.  That kept him off the Game Balls list, but he's a very good kicker and give me Crosby over any other kicker in the league right now
  • Davante Adams nearly made a very touch catch at the end to seal a win.  A tough grab for any receiver to make but Adams is still one of the, if not the most dangerous players with the ball in his hands after the catch.  He made some nice grabs in this game
  • Jaire Alexander is fast.  He's also hungry for the football and he's going to get a pick sooner than later.  Stamp it!  His interception was nullified by the rouging call on Matthews but he was still there in coverage to make the play.  It's only a matter of time.

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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 (94)

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:41 am

For starters, while no one predicted this game right, I believe I got it the most wrong. I said we'd lose handily, but had the refs not flat-out stolen the game with some major calls, we really won.

That said, here are a few observations:

1. Did anyone else notice how much Clay Matthews picked up his game? If our secondary hadn't been such a complete sieve, he would have had some sacks. He was bringing it again and again.

2. Nick Perry, on the other hand, seemed to disappear.

3. As for Korey Toomer, I've rarely seen a guy that fast who plays so slow. This LB unit needs more Burks and Jones, stat!

4. Our vaunted young secondary looked much more young than vaunted. It wasn't just the horrible coverage and wide-open receivers; the tackling was hideous as well.

5. Williams, as expected, ran hard and benefited from extreme attention given by Minnesota to our passing game. But I really think Aaron Jones will provide a boost.

6. We made a mistake using that draft pick on our punter. Should have taken him sooner.

7. Poor clock management at home signifies weak coaching, and frankly, too little work with the starters in the preseason.

8. Graham could have a very, very big year. It's painfully obvious the receivers are benefiting from the attention he receives.

9. Bulaga struggled at times, but overall his play coming back so soon from injury is impressive.

10. Next time we play Minnesota, we'll have a healthy Rodgers, along with Burks and both Jones's. If Pettine figures out better coverage and our secondary progresses--a lot--we could beat that team in Minnesota.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:46 am

"Did anyone else notice how much Clay Matthews picked up his game?"

Yes, and I did not expect it. I think Pettine helped him by moving him all over instead of asking him to rush the LT down after down.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:52 am

True. I actually predicted a bounceback for Clay (I needed to get something right).

I wonder if Pettine's D will put it all together soon, or if this sieve is just who they are.

Personally, I'm expecting progress. But I'm not sure of it; not at all.

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dobber's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:53 am

I think part of it, too, is better skill position personnel from the Vikes than we saw from the Bears.

Still, home game like that you need to find a way to win.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:03 am

I thought they did great until they got gassed in the 4th quarter. I find it totally inexcusable for professional athletes to run out of gas because it's 85 degrees. What's going to happen if they go to Tampa Bay in round 1? It's possible for it to be in the 80's.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:17 am

I'd find it unacceptable if the CBA didn't exist which greatly limits practice teime... you simply can't recreate game conditioning for your starters in preseason without risking injury so it take a few weeks for teams to get into game shape.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:41 am

They can workout on their own. They have the time off and the resources to be prepared for summer football.

They where fine against Chicago when it was cooler. If what you say is the case i'd expect they would have fallen off a cliff in that game too, especially given the Bears won time of possession and the Vikings lost time of possession.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:02 pm

Once again you can't recreate game conditioning without the risk of being hurt...

And keep your arguments straight... if your argument is when the game was cool vs. the Bears they were fine then you are your own counter argument. If you are saying the heat is what caused them be gassed then you are saying it's an outside factor not their conditioning.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 05:50 pm

My arguments are perfectly straight. Professional athletes where underprepared to play in summer conditions. And yes, you can recreate conditions for conditionaing, I've been directly involved in doing so for fighters.

The article you cite below says that all but 2 of the Lambeau water fountains where out of order due to damage from freezing over the winter and as a result they sold out of bottled water due to small cooler sizes in the stands. I don't think the athletes drink from public water fountains.or go buy it from concession stands.

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TKWorldWide's picture

September 18, 2018 at 09:57 pm

Were

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 05:10 pm

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/2018/09/17/lambeau-field...

Lambeau was running out of water... I don't think you can blame conditioning

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TKWorldWide's picture

September 18, 2018 at 09:58 pm

Were

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dobber's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:52 am

I was shocked, when looking at the game recap, to see that the Packers had a 6-minute TOP advantage over the Vikings in this one.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:53 am

Yeah, it didn't feel like it.

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dobber's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:57 am

I only had the live-stream with Wayne and Larry and it felt like it should have been 6 mins the other way.

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jlc1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:26 am

and that figure includes OT where the Vikes had two possessions. So in regular time it was even more. that had to be part of the game plan and it worked for MM.

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Jonathan Spader's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:00 am

I was watching CM3 closely this game and didn't see him having a good game ALP. He was taking too long to get to the QB. It's what I saw last week and in 2017. He keeps getting close to the QB but can't finish. He also missed a few tackles that we were used to seeing the younger Clay make.

He was disruptive and forced Cousins to get rid of the ball sooner but I don't think he has the speed and power to be an OLB at this point in his career. Move him to ILB and let him blow through the lane that Clark continually opens up. A shorter path to the QB could really help CM3's game. I didn't see Perry or Gilbert have an impact on this game. I just kept thinking I hope we draft some decent OLBers in 2019.

I wonder what this game would have looked like if we had Burks covering Rudolf. It'll be interesting to see how Andy grades CM3.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:05 am

I don't know if I'd move Clay inside. Burks and Jones will soon return, and Perry/Gilbert weren't impressive at all.

Too soon to say.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:43 am

I like the idea of moving Clay around. The things Pettine has said about ILBs make me seriously doubt Clay will ever be a full time MLB in Pettine's defense.

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Skip greenBayless's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:08 am

I am in favor of moving Clay around to the bench whenever it's the final series on defense and they need a stop. Just not worth it having him out there at this point. Why take the chance he once again almost gets to the quarterback?

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

September 17, 2018 at 12:54 pm

I'm all for moving him around...even to the bench. But the one thing you CANNOT do is replace him with Fackrell when the game is on the line.

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Jonathan Spader's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:52 am

When Burks returns I do want to see him take the snaps at ILB alongside Martinez. I was just hoping to see CM3 inside against the Vikings in Burk's absence. I have no idea how Pettine will use Josh Jones. Does he seem him as a safety/ilb or a hybrid who does both? Either way I'm excited to get both players back and see more speed on our defense.

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Skip greenBayless's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:18 am

I have to believe Josh Jones and Burk will improve this defense with their speed. Clay and Toomer do not have that. Again we have a need for speed on defense. The more the better. Bring it on guys and get back ASAP.

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Rak43's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:21 pm

I guess you weren't looking for Gilbert then as he had a sack and several pressures including on third down helping to force a punt. He also set a strong edge in the run game.

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fthisJack's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:24 am

ALP....you happy now that the refs called a phantom push off on Adams. what about the PI on Graham. or the lame holding on Taylor that negated a TD. why aren't you going on about these lame calls like you did on Allison's push off. and yes....you were way TFO on this game!

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:47 am

Jack, it's hardly a time to pick fights. I called the first game right and the second game wrong. Each time, I said so. What more do you want?

As for the calls you cite, I've plainly said the refs killed us with some major calls. I totally agree with you on those calls, and we really won this game. Last week we lost but were rescued by a non-call, and this week we won but were killed by numerous bad calls.

You act like I have some problem facing up to a wrong prediction, but that's never been the case with me. If I'm right, I'll say it. If I'm wrong, I'll say it.

Seriously, you're picking a fight with someone who isn't fighting you.

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croatpackfan's picture

September 17, 2018 at 12:38 pm

You wrote:
"7. Poor clock management at home signifies weak coaching, and frankly, too little work with the starters in the preseason."

Did you noticed that Aaron Rodgers spared all 3 TD in the 2nd half?

And thank you for supporting my observation how starters should get more time in preseason games...

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:22 pm

Happy to give my support, Croat. :)

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Lare's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:27 pm

Without going back and watching a replay, did the Packers use all their timeouts in this game just to prevent delay of game calls? What's going on that they can't get a play off on time?

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 02:31 pm

They sure wasted timeouts, yes.

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Oppy's picture

September 17, 2018 at 05:42 pm

Lare, it’s relatively rare that the packers burn TO’s because they run out of clock without getting the play in or players lined up at the LOS.

Rodgers does typically burn TO’s on a fairly regular basis after everyone is lined up but the pre-snap read isn’t showing the matchups he likes, or he’s not able to get the defense to tip their hand at all.

Seems like on downs he deems critical if he’s not getting a favorable look or doesn’t exactly know what defense the opponent is in, he’ll run down the clock and try to get them to jump with hard count before tapping out to regroup with a TO.

He does this a little more than I like, and seems to do it early in the game / half a lot. But I generally trust his decision. He’s a surgeon out there.

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Chuck Farley's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:48 pm

Mr perfection is trying to assess the d for that perfect toss. He 8s waiting time due to lack of practice. Apparently the vikes understand you save those time outs to win games.

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Johnblood27's picture

September 19, 2018 at 09:31 am

Troll be Gone!

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Minniman's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:49 pm

Some good points ALP.

I wonder if a fairer estimation of the Defense as a whole is that "it bent but didn't break", which a darn sight better than last year.

Cousins, Diggs, Thielen and Rudolph aren't JAGs, so you have to expect good players to find a way to make plays.

History aside, the Vikings ARE a contender and while this result was a little disappointing, given the circumstances GB's collective stock is positive this year.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 02:31 pm

No, 425 yards passing isn't bending; it's shattering-especially against a team with a porous offensive line.

There's no way to put lipstick on that pig. The coverage was horrible. Non-existent. There was no resistance at all, and if one Viking receiver hadn't struggled with severe dropsies, it would have been far worse.

Yes, they have terrific receivers, and yes, our secondary is young and will improve--but let's not kid ourselves about what we just witnessed. It was awful.

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sardog's picture

September 17, 2018 at 02:35 pm

Ditto

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:21 am

Game ball, Pack in 1st
Lame call, the NFL for managing to keep F-ing up the game of football.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:26 am

Lame to these trolls on this great football site.

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fthisJack's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:26 am

Game Ball.....Carlson!

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EdsLaces's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:28 am

Agreed . Bears and Trolls both still suck.

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egbertsouse's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:21 am

I’m tired of the whine fest about the officials. The pass defense cost us the game at crunch time, not the refs. I kept expecting to see Dom sleeping up in the booth, it looked like his team in the 4th quarter and the overtime.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:25 am

What scares me is king went out and the secondary falls apart? If this is what happens when they lose 1 guy, the Pack is _ucked. Lame to secondary in the 4th quarter and OT.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:27 am

True, but Jackson and Alexander were only playing their 2nd games, and House shouldn't be on the field.

Hopefully, King's okay.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:31 am

Yes ALP, these guys are keepers and will get better every week.

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Minniman's picture

September 17, 2018 at 02:04 pm

Somewhat true - the Packers are painfully thin on depth and need good fortunes with injuries to make a run this year.

That said, the play on House was a play-call master-stroke that was well executed.

New corner in, not up to speed with the cadence of the game, not known for his quickness anyway, some rookie safeties who may not immediately register that he may need help (and dogmatically stick to their assignments)....... lets take a shot...... PayDay!

The play on TWill for the 2-point conversion was also a well crafted isolate and exploit. The taller and faster King would have been the cover of Diggs for that corner route. well schemed and executed.

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carusotrap's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:27 am

I'd like to nominate "play calling" for a "stealth lame call." Hear me out...

Last week's adjustment in the second half for Rodgers' injury was exceptional. Some would call it dink and dunk, but what it really was, was McCarthy and Rodgers understanding what they had to work with and operating within that box. So why not do exactly the same thing? It felt like McCarthy and probably Rodgers at the line were trying to run the normal offense, the success of which relies on Rodgers' ability to improvise on the move. Don't get me wrong... Rodgers was heroic considering he was playing on an injury that puts anyone else out for a month, but the offensive brain trust of this team can be so stuck in molasses at times. Now, whether it was McCarthy calling the wrong plays for a one-legged QB, Rodgers with his usual I Can Do Anything approach to audibles, or a MIN D that wouldn't give them the dink and dunk, I guess we'll never know, but the respect I had for how they handled the 2nd half of game 1 was gone when I saw what they were trying to do in game 2. With a more human QB playing with that injury, this game would never have been this close.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:50 am

Lame call: Packers Defensive players conditioning. IDC if it was 85 degrees. They knew it was coming all training camp and where not prepared for summer football.

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Bure9620's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:54 am

Going by actual calls, matthews was awful, but the Adams Offensive PI was even more ludicrous. No PI on Gedeon on Graham??? Ball was not even there yet. The game was full lame officiating calls

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fthisJack's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:30 am

i agree....and the holding on Taylor was just fucking agregious...negated another TD!

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Razer's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:55 am

This was a frustrating game to watch and accept. The bullshit "touching the passer" penalty not withstanding, the Packers gave this one away and that is the crime and disappointment. We had numerous chances to put this out of reach and we couldn't. The game should have ended with the Clinton Dix INT but we couldn't finish. The game ruined my day.

This game isn't on stupid officiating (which happened) or even on a tough Vikings squad (hats off to Cousins and a stout defense) - this is on a Packers team not ready to get to the top rung.

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Johnblood27's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:18 am

Welcome to Mike McCarthy as a highly successful football coach.

This guy is not a championship coach.

He doesn't suck, his record tells that tale.

He is not a Championship coach.

That doesn't hurt until the team is championship calibre and he fails to allow them to blossom.

He has done it enough for anyone with a brain and a little football knowledge to see.

He is a fine human being, he is a pretty good football coach, he is in no way shape or form a Championship football coach.

Period.

mic drop...

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Jonathan Spader's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:04 am

I don't know that MM is a bad HC and I don't thi k you do either JB. What we know is that MM is no longer a good OC and hasn't been since 2014. I think you're confusing him as a play caller and him as a head coach. I would like to see MM involved with the offense, defense, and Kizer/Boyle development. I'd like to see someone with fresh ideas replace MM as playcaller and I was hoping that person would have been Philbin.

2018 is just starting and hopefully we see playcalling from someone that knows how to manage a 2 minute offense. St least we didn't take our foot off the gas this time.

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dobber's picture

September 17, 2018 at 08:56 am

"HONORARY - Jerry Kramer"

Congratulations to an all-time great...not just for the Packers but for football, overall. Took them long enough...

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Since'61's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:10 am

Jason - nice job on the Game Ball for Jerry Kramer. As we've discussed before his HOF and Ring of Honor entries were both long overdue.

I agree with your game balls but I would add Aaron Rodgers for playing as well as he did with his injury. His fumble should have never happened since the game should have been over in regulation.

Lame calls I would add the Packers pass rush. We need to get more pressure on the QB to support our young secondary. Hopefully without more bad calls for roughing. Once again Perry fails to show up in a big game.

As for the officiating how do you keep your team from having the game decided by a bad call when no one knows the rules for such basic plays like tackling, or what a catch is, or PI, or roughing? The idiot league has created this situation and the officials make it worse on the field. No sport can be played with confusing rules and inconsistent officiating. How do you legitimize wins and losses and ultimately the league champion when no one understands the rules?

Very frustrating to watch this era of the NFL. Ray Nitschke must be spinning in his grave with that ridiculous roughing call on CM3. Thanks, Since '61

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dobber's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:17 am

I find myself wondering if there's representation on the NFL rules committee by officials or if they even bother to consult officials before making changes to the criteria for calls on the field? After a quick look, the answer is "no", BTW. There needs to be an element of practicality in rules changes and some insight as to whether or not the rules are enforceable in a clear way at game speed. An example of a good change: the horse-collar tackle. They get this right most of the time. We have plenty of examples of bad ones...

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Guam's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:55 am

Well said Dobber. Rules have to be clearly enforceable and the current distinction between a tackle and roughing the passer is anything but clear. I don't blame the refs, but I sure have a bone to pick with the Rules Committee. They have handed the refs a pig's breakfast to try to enforce.

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sardog's picture

September 17, 2018 at 02:42 pm

On Rodgers fumble, did the running back's hip the ball as Rodgers was pulling it back on the fake handoff?

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:01 pm

no

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zoellner25's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:11 am

The defense was good and bad yesterday. Allowed 7 pts and forced many 3 and outs in first half, gave up way too much and mistakes in 2nd half.

Pettine CANNOT allow House to cover anyone without a safety helping him over the top.

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fthisJack's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:34 am

Brice is the one that effed up....he should have been helping House on that play but was slow to react.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:06 am

The knock on Brice is that he's out of position a lot. It's been better so far under Pettine, since he seams to hold guys accountable. There is no longer Darren Perry around to make excuses for those guys, who's also still unemployed.

Hopefully this gets fixed.

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TKWorldWide's picture

September 20, 2018 at 05:55 am

Held accountable OR the stuff they’re tasked with is easier to understand.
Either way, it looks like things have improved (adding 23 and 37 and getting 20 back doesn’t hurt either) and will continue getting better.

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Cubbygold's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:03 pm

Yup, this is sickening. Brice could have made up for that 75yd TD by intercepting this pass, or at least deflecting it.

https://twitter.com/DustyEvely/status/1041528476073971713

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4thand10's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:20 am

The NFL need to make more plays reviewable, I know that sounds like what there is in baseball now...but, here me out...when you have a nullified Graham TD, a huge PI non call on Graham, (55 yard gain) , a major game changing INT and a all scoring plays reviewed rule not being reviewed initially.... I would rather see more replay review allowed. And yes, I predicted the Packers win....and they were winning...majority of the game until the calls were going against them. Minnesota may have a better team on paper.....but it was crystal clear Green Bay ways the better team yesterday. Is vaunted the new word for the day after it’s been used the last couple of days? LOL

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4thand10's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:23 am

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:07 am

Need: The NFL need to make more plays reviewable.
Do Not Need: to give the coaches more challenge flags.

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jlc1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:30 am

I say this is a net good news game. vikes can't beat a Packers D that is still learning the basics and the schemes. Most of all Kirk Cousins is a Carson Palmer QB, he will give you opportunities. That will bite the Vikes this season and keep the Pack in the hunt

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:30 am

Look I'm filled with optimism today. A lot of people didn't think Green Bay could win that game and it was obvious we can stand toe to toe with them. Here are some reasons for optimism:

1. Rodgers had limited mobility. If he's 100% he probably avoids 2-3 of the 4 sacks and also picks up that first on the read option.

2. Cousins played almost flawless and the Vikings still couldn't win

3. The run game was there... without Jones. Add his home run capability in and this running game will be good.

4. Yes the secondary got gashed in the end, however, the young corners are for real. They are only going to get better as the season continues.

5. Run defense was good... Cook is a talent and many plays that would be have been losses with most backs turned into positive yardage simply because of his will and talent. That bodes well for the defense moving forward.

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Razer's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:10 am

Thanks Spud - I needed that. My preoccupation with our inability to finish this game blinded me to some of the good points you bring up. I don't know that we have the defensive talent on this year's roster to get there this year but after game two, I am willing to hold my breath for a better than average D.

The other big hope - our offense will get better with time - barring injury.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:05 pm

Another thing I noticed is Rodgers was in pain and it caused him to have some issues with clock management where is razor sharp. He called a lot of timeouts where he normally wouldn't and even thought they had one at the end which is very not like him. Rodgers mental lapses won't continue to happen which will also make a difference.

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fthisJack's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:37 am

Packers>Vikings- refs

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:39 am

Skip Bayless said GB got screwed, he loathes GB.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:46 am

Skip Bayless loves whatever gets him attention. If hating Aaron gets him attention, that's the act he does.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:04 am

Exactly, his and S Sharpes show suck. I just went to it cause they were talking about the game. But every other sports show is saying the same thing, the Pack got hosed.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:19 am

I give myself a dislike for mentioning Skip clueless.

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Mojo's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:53 am

I evened you out and gave you a thumbs-up, but watch it next time.

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4thand1's picture

September 17, 2018 at 12:19 pm

I won't let it happen again.

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GBfaninMn's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:50 am

I know this will get me afew dislkes but... I for one am satisfied with most of what I saw yesterday. Not happy but satisfied. For three quarters we looked like we had an actual NFL caliber defense. Sure it fell apart in the 4th but by then we had lost King and House looked absolutely lost out there. In a game where none of theso called experts gave us a chance, with or without a hobbled Rogers, we held our own for most of the game. And could have won if not for a new and highly disputed way of calling roughing the passer. We should have won and certainly could have lost. All things considered, I hate the tie but I'll take it over seeing the viqueens walk off with an undeserved win. Go pack go!

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Skip greenBayless's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:36 am

I don't know why you feel that way. I just gave you a like. I agree 100%. I was thrilled with our defense yesterday. They gave up a total of 7 pts when the 4th quarter started. The key and I agree was losing Kevin King. He's really that good of a player but it pisses me off to no end that he can never finish out a single game it seems without getting hurt. That game should have an asterick next to it like Mike Ditka did in 1989. We won that game fairly but got screwed by the Matthews b.s. call. I love everything about what Mike Pettine is doing. We'll get Burks and Josh Jones back soon as well as Aaron Jones. We can bitch for another day or so but it's time to move on to WA. I love what I am seeing on both sides and hell even special teams is impressive. All good!!

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Lare's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:23 pm

You're not going to win many games giving up 425 passing yards & 4 passing touchdowns.

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Pack204's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:59 am

As bad as the refs were this game had a feeling of that NFC title game in Seattle how the team was not able to close the game out multiple times when they were given the opportunity not withstanding one bad call. Ive always been a fan of trying to throw to gain a first down and end the game but the priority first has to be realizing the timeout situation for your opponent and making them use those, especially if you can bleed an extra 40 off the clock once they have used all of them. Then going for a high percentage throw and not trying to fit it in a tight window like the throw to Adams. I felt the in game clock management and situational football was poor today.

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Johnblood27's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:25 am

Welcome to Mike McCarthy as a highly successful football coach.

This guy is not a championship coach.

He doesn't suck, his record tells that tale.

He is not a Championship coach.

That doesn't hurt until the team is championship calibre and he fails to allow them to blossom.

He has done it enough for anyone with a brain and a little football knowledge to see.

He is a fine human being, he is a pretty good football coach, he is in no way shape or form a Championship football coach.

Period.

mic drop... again!

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:10 pm

I call bull... everyone on here seemed to think that Mike McCarthy is never aggressive enough if they just run the ball and now everyone is complaining he didn't run the ball. The only thing that matter is winning and like you said his record shows he does that. How many games has he given away? more often than not the Packers win these type of games. Look at last week... he made adjustments to the offense and he didn't find out Rodgers was playing until they came out of the tunnel. A lot of people will say it's all Rodgers but McCarthy puts them in that position too... on that same note Rodgers pretty much runs the two minute offense with McCarthy in his ear so when they are throwing the ball you best believe Rodgers should share the blame in that regards.

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pacman's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:16 am

The only resolution to the rules/ref issue is to make penalty calls reviewable too.

But should that include non-calls like the one on Graham? That would open a larger can of worms.

But if the qb hit calls are sooooooo ill defined, there is not other option than to take time to get it right.

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Lphill's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:19 am

Lame call -Mike McCarthy , please give play calling to Philbin or let Aaron call them all .

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Johnblood27's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:26 am

Welcome to Mike McCarthy as a highly successful football coach.

This guy is not a championship coach.

He doesn't suck, his record tells that tale.

He is not a Championship coach.

That doesn't hurt until the team is championship calibre and he fails to allow them to blossom.

He has done it enough for anyone with a brain and a little football knowledge to see.

He is a fine human being, he is a pretty good football coach, he is in no way shape or form a Championship football coach.

Period.

mic drop... yet again

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Paul Konieczny's picture

September 17, 2018 at 11:48 am

I believe after the 10 season, he has to be referred to as a championship coach. Mic drop.

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stockholder's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:53 am

I think Rodgers changed several plays at the end. He seldom Fakes. Also Williams almost fumbled the ball. MM will never admit the changes.

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SpudRapids's picture

September 17, 2018 at 03:14 pm

See I agree with you... you can't separate Rodgers/McCarthy when it comes to end of game management as Rodgers as full control over the offense and that is no secret. Rodgers chose to pull the ball out on the read option not McCarthy and I believe Rodgers even said that wasn't a designed read option. He then proceeds to fumble and get sacked... that was a bad call by Rodgers as he admitted and he shouldn't of done it on a bad knee. Funny thing is if that wins them the game because he gets the first and they get into field goal range the narrative today is Rodgers on hobbled knee runs them into field goal range for the win.

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Mojo's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:50 am

"I'm not one to blame the officials for a win or a loss. Because we've seen so many questionable calls, the only take I can have is: don't put your team in position to be decided by a referee's call."

The only way to avoid risking penalty and take the refs out of it is to just stand there and do nothing. Sure, you might end up losing 600 to nothing, but at least you won't need to blame the officials.

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stockholder's picture

September 17, 2018 at 10:59 am

Mojo thats True in most games. But: You have to blame the officials this Game. To many game breaking plays were called back, under questionable calls. I Booed every red flag dropped. This crew was controlling the game. Very frustrating, and it not only wrecked the game. It left players questioning their abilities. Which is the real poison here.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:02 pm

Game ball to the epiphany that is Lucas Patrick as a kick returner. This could really catch on.

Is this the first time he's been in the second last row on kickoffs? In the first half, I said to everyone around me I couldn't believe he was there and I couldn't believe the Vikings weren't pooching it to the 25 yard line. When they did, I had to eat my "I Told You So" as his blazing speed and cat-like moves left me speechless. I believe he has the best return ability of any of our offensive linemen.

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IcemanBT's picture

September 17, 2018 at 01:26 pm

makes me wonder how much of an influence gambling has on the outcome of games. is it possible for refs to be paid off, and with the vagueness of certain rules doesn't that make it easier for calls to be made anyway a ref sees fit? why is holding called on lane taylor but not on the vikings OL, when there was an identical play? and now officials can gauge intent of a player, interesting. makes the game lees worth watching if there is doubt about the integrity of the game. sure seemed like more calls were going against the packers than were being called on minnesota. and same shit as last year , wasting time outs because the play clock is winding down, nice to know we still haven't fixed that little problem, or McCarthy's stubbornness, play calling, time management , and so on. call the game the same for both teams and the problem is for the most part able to be lived with, but when they don't do that ,then there is a big problem, can't let them affect the outcome of a game, and that is what they did in this game , more than once. thanks NFL for slowing ruining the game that i love.

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Chuck Farley's picture

September 17, 2018 at 09:13 pm

Icelman - t to piggy back, the vikes over the years are consistently the least penalized team in football. Spielman drafts skills and smarts both. Dumb assess not needed.
Guys like this are coachable and make few mistakes.
The guy who wrenched the ball out of Adam's hands knew, this is the game. Can't let him finish the catch. Smart.
Compare that to Williams and house who were out of position, old and slow, they made cousins day.

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