It Wasn't Pretty...But it Counts!

In a hard-fought game on Monday night, the Packers came out on top with a 27-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens. If not for 3 turnovers, it could have very well been a shut out and a much higher score for the Packers' offense.

The Good Stuff: The Packers' D looks like they deserve their #1 ranking. The rookies look fantastic! It's not surprising that BJ Raji is improving now that his ankle is getting better (although he did reinjure it against the Ravens), but Brad Jones has done as good if not a better job than Aaron Kampman did at the OLB spot, and Clay Matthews has a legitimate shot at winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year for this season. JerMichael Finley looked good as well. Having him back in the lineup gives the offense some juice, and I like it!

The Bad Stuff: Penalties! I couldn't believe how many penalties went against the Pack on Monday. It was just ridiculous. I'm surprised we're the second most penalized team in the league this year...but the only reason i'm surprised is because I can't believe anyone else commits more penalties than we do! Tramon Williams is a great nickel DB. He's obviously got some improvement to make to be a starter though. Flacco was blatantly picking on him and rightfully so. Williams committed 3 pass interference penalties (although 2 i thought were questionable) and 2 of them were in the end zone, giving the ravens 1st and goal from the Pack's 1 yard line! Granted he did redeem himself by intercepting a Flacco pass 2 plays later on the 2nd, but still...there is no excuse for interefering so often.

All in all, the good outweighs the bad. The Packers are 8-4 and in prime position to make a playoff run. Let's all hope for some more losses by the Queens so we'll have a shot at a division championship. GO PACK!

The Lions are Improving...

But they still stink. Granted if Stafford and Calvin Johnson weren't both dinged up, it may have been a little closer but probably not. Even with the scare of the fumble on the opening kick off and quick score by Detroit, the Packers had the game well in hand by the beginning of the 2nd quarter. It made for a much more relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving Feast in the afternoon. But here's the good news:

Cowboys win (which makes little difference to us) and the Giants lose, which gives us another game of cushion in the playoff race. Now with the Ravens, Bears, Steelers, Seahawks, and Cardinals (respectively) ahead. I don't believe that there is any reason we wont finish with at least a 10 win season. Not even the Ravens and Steelers have had as impressive a season as anyone thought they would. Not to say they will be easy victories, but at 5-5 (Ravens) and 6-4 (Steelers) It's not impossible to think that we could end up at 12-4. The play of Cutler and the Bears has gotten worse since the opening game in Lambeau, and if the Pack don't win by at least 14, it will be a disappointment. If the Seahawks performance against the Queens is anyhting to go by, I believe that it should be the easiest game remaining on the schedule. The Cardinals will be tough, but hopefully they will have their playoff spot clinched at that point and sit Fitzgerald and Warner early. All in all, it's looking a lot brighter after losing to Tampa in week 9.

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!