"We Can Only Beat Us." Packers reach 5-0...

Donald Driver made the statement after the game on Sunday night that there is only one team capable of beating the undefeated Green Bay Packers...and it's themselves. I agree with this statement and I believe it was a true statement in 2010 as well. When the Packers play the way they are capable, there is no team in the NFL that can beat them.

The Packers moved to 5-0 with a 29-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons last night. It started off rough, but the Pack stayed the course and came up with a big win. Here are my thoughts on the game:

Things I Liked

Defense - The defense finally made the kind of impact we had been hoping they would all year. I would still like to see more pressure on the QB and for Capers to use Clay Matthews in more of a variety of looks. But all in all it was good to see the defense pick it up after giving up 2 quick scores.

Receivers - Rodgers hit 12 of them, tying a Packers' record. Nobody can defend the Packers' passing attack.

Marshall Newhouse & Derek Sherrod - The 2 young tackles were thrust into active duty with injuries to Bulaga and Clifton. I was more impressed with Newhouse who started the game at Right Tackle and then when Clifton went down shifted to Left to allow Sherrod to take over the Right. Rodgers was sacked 3 times after Clifton went out, but all 3 came from interior pressure.

Poise - Being down 14 points is nerve racking. But the team and coaching staff remained calm, stuck with the game plan, and came out on top. It's great to see our team playing with confidence.

Things I Did Not Like

Dropped Passes - Jermichael Finley dropped 2 big-time passes. 1 for a Touchdown and the other for a 3rd down conversion. The 3rd down conversion is less of an issue because he was hit by 2 defenders, nevertheless he still should have made the catch. He redeemed himself with a big catch in the 4th quarter, but it would have been nice to be winning at half time.

Slow Start - The defense missed tackles and assignments, and Ryan Grant fumbled on the first drive of the game putting the Pack in a 14-0 hole. Thankfully this did not ultimately affect the result of the game.

Clifton Injury - The fill-ins were satisfactory at Tackle last night, but it makes me nervous to think that they could be our starters for the remainder of the season. Will Bulaga play Left Tackle when he returns, or will we keep Newhouse at that spot? More on this in the days to come.

Ultimately, I am very happy with the win against a very good team at their stadium. Tune in tonight to find out of the Lions can beat the Bears and remain atop the division (and league) with the Packers. Go Pack!

And We're Back in the Hunt!!!

Where did this defense come from? Dom Capers may have single-handedly saved Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson's jobs in one fell swoop. This is how we all hoped this 3-4 defense would look when it was announced that we were making the switch from the 4-3. We blitzed the lights out, got pressure on the QB, and held a potent offense scoreless until there was only 0:38 left in the game. The Pack registered 5 sacks on Sunday...before then we had a total of 13. I think if this type of pressure was put on Favre, the outcome of both Vikings games could have been different.

Maybe the loss to Tampa was exactly what this team needed...a kick in the rear to get them jump started. And with losses to Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago an NFC Wild Card spot is a realistic possibility for this 5-4 Packer team. The big question is will we keep up this defensive aggressiveness or will we go back to our conservative ways? I think it's proven that if you pressure the QB, you have a heck of a lot better chance to win the game. So my vote is to keep blitzing and keep up the momentum gained by beating the Cowboys. With the 49ers and Lions coming up, it's a legitimate possibility that this team could be 7-4 going into the game against the Ravens which will be a tough one. But with yesterday's performance at Lambeau, I finally believe that this team can be good!