Packers 35 Dallass 31
Last week I made that bold prediction we would win 30-20 and for most of the game, first half at least, there wasn’t a lot to cheer about. The first Green Bay TD and missed extra point, we didn’t see at Chief’s because the storm temporarily knocked out the TV’s.
It just seemed like an omen. We couldn’t stop dalass and we kept scoring 6, not 7 points. By halftime it became 12-21 and just didn’t feel as close as the score looked, even time of possession was way on the side of dalass (19 minutes to our 11).
Dalass did nothing fancy, the 3 yards and a cloud of dust (rubber chips now) type offense. Yes they did score three times but it also took them 33 plays to do it and Ezekiel Elliott had only 30 yards on 14 try’s. They did that again in the second half with their last TD that took them 17 plays to score.
The third quarter was the great equalizer. WE were finally able control the ball, running 22 plays to their 6 and taking a 1 point lead one play into the last quarter. Then the fun began. Four more lead changes, a pick six and THE 62 second scoring drive and “There’s your Dagger”. Well almost.
In case you couldn’t follow the last play of the game, here is the box score account:
(:05) (Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to B.Butler to DAL 35 for 10 yards. Lateral to E.Elliott to GB 45 for 20 yards. Lateral to D.Prescott to GB 48 for -3 yards. Lateral to B.Butler to 50 for -2 yards. Lateral to D.Prescott to GB 47 for 3 yards. Lateral to J.Witten to GB 47 for no gain. FUMBLES, RECOVERED by GB-N.Perry at GB 47. N.Perry to GB 48 for 1 yard (T.Frederick). FUMBLES (T.Fred-erick), RECOVERED by DAL-T.Frederick at GB 49. T.Frederick to GB 38 for 11 yards. FUMBLES, RECOVERED by GB-Q.Rollins at GB 42.
When I was looking at the game stats, I noticed we had a fumble and I thought when? Where? In watching the replay on the NFL network, I saw it; Nick Perry recovered a loose ball (see above), walked a step or two and dropped it like he had just downed a punt and the game was over. That “fumble” not only spoiled the no turnover game but could have cost us the game as well. Luckily, dalass had one more fumble in them and Rollins finally ended the game.
The magic of Air-ron continues, at least that’s what the media is saying but I believe it’s more than that. I you look at some of the good plays we had, it was a bunch of individual victories. No offense to Adam Jones, who had a great day, but it was made possible by the efforts of the offensive linemen and wide receivers who made critical blocks at critical times. According to Air-ron, at crunch time, there are zero excuses!
The defense still gave up too many total yards and did fail to get off the field on third & fourth downs for most of the day, giving dalass scoring drives of 12, 11, 10, 8 & 17 plays, but gave up very few big plays. Elliott, except for runs of 25 & 11 yards was kept to gains of 3 yards or less and seldom got a chance to do his annoying feed me routine after a big gain.
Like most of you, I’m not a big fan of “Buck-n-Acheman” but wish I would have been listening on a play where Air-ron was sacked and Achemen pointed out that Bakhtiari was late getting out of his stance as the camera is on the Packer sideline showing Bakhtiari in his street clothes… Troy saw his mistake and was silent for 6 seconds. Priceless.
This was a good win. Like I pointed out last week, playoff teams find ways to win on the road, and we did just that. We have another such game this week when we cross the border into viqueen country. A team with a much stouter defense but an offense without their star running back and a QB that looked like he was wondering where his dog Toto was. This is a division rival and in their house but I still feel we have the better team and the mystic of the new stadium is worn off. Air-ron just has that air of confidence not only in himself but his teammates as well who, like us, will always Bleed Green My Friends.
(Packer John)
Just Sayin’
I hope Mike McCarthy saw what every other Packer fan on the planet that was watching the game, or read about it, saw. That was a Running Back that looked like a Running Back. Yes, it is only one game, but I think Aaron Jones deserves another start after showing what he did on Sunday. And if Ripkowski & Jones both line up in the backfield on any particular play, we would have the All-Aaron backfield. Get Richard Rodgers involve on the same play and it would be the Aaron & Rodgers show. When Ty Montgomery gets all healed up, he can be a compliment RB or another player in the passing game, or both. Since Cobb gets dinged up a couple of times a year, Montgomery would be a natural fit for that slot role should he be needed. Put him in at any time, and that should create problems for the opposing defenses.
Long Snapper is an area of concern. I am not necessarily saying we should bring another guy in, but I think Brett Goode was a player that was never thought about too much by most fans. I’ll bet that was not the case on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, we know that Aaron has now beaten every other team in the NFL. I am not sure about his winning in every stadium. But come Sunday, he can check one more off the list… Just Sayin’
(Jimmy Smith)
The Chief’s / GPB Report
16 Packer prizes were awarded this week. Some of the winners are: 262 Tom Zumbach a trivet, 372 Sara Warpinski & 263 Pat Zumbach socks, 448 Diane Clapper, 488 Peggy Peschel & 463 Wayne Hansen all needed a new car magnet, 323 Celie Schliz was happy to get the headphones, coffee mugs went to 189 Don Ranson & 431 Jan Zlebek and 467 Joshua Evans won a tumbler glass for the winning TD which will sit on his desk so the dalass fan who sits next to him can enjoy it too.
Two winners from this weeks Trivia Contest. The only correct answer and winner of the $25 gift card from our friends at Chief’s was: 328 Marge Bramlett. Awhile back, Chief’s gave me some extra gift cards to use as I saw fit. Since there was a dispute about whether the game won while Lambeau was still named City Stadium should count, the non-winner of $20 in gift card’s was: 186 Karn Bender.
Both a $1 & 50¢ pool this week. The winners on the dollar board were: 372 Sara Warpinski, 140 Erich Peschel & 189 Don Ranson (twice). Winners on the 50¢ pool were: 468 Victor Fleifel, 328 Marge Bramlett & 106 John Wieloch (twice).
This week marks the first 1:00 Packer game this season, so set your alarms for sunrise, stop at church and then come on down for brunch at Chief’s where we can all BLEED GREEN MY FRIENDS!
(Packer John)
Packer’s vs. Viqueens
Side Note: I’m like countless millions in that I have always loathed Senor Jerry Jones. He is like a megalomaniacal villain in a bad movie, only for real and in the flesh. But I give him credit for the stance he took and the statement he made about his players and The Flag Issue. “If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period. Period. We’re going to respect the flag.” I hope his players revolt and defy his orders, because he is not a guy who will back down…maybe it could even cost them a playoff shot. But I personally can’t hate on him quite like I used to…
So the Pack find themselves in a familiar place: On top of the division. It goes without saying that doing Dallas like The Alamo was huge, but this week at Minnesota with the Lavender and Lace Hornblowers, the team of Barney and Grimace, is the biggest game of the season. Their stinking pestilence is only one game behind, and that needs to change for the better right here, right now.
U. of Houston gunslinger Case Keenum came in for a literally and figuratively lame Sam Bradford last week and “rallied” the Vikings over duh Bears. This was after RGIII pleaded via Twitter to remove Bradford “for his own safety.” (He should know). It was Minnesota’s 10th straight win on “Leif Erikson Day.” What a miscarriage of history…I can’t help but think that the great Norse warrior and explorer would be ashamed to be connected in any way with Zippy’s Team, but they are evidently feeling pretty big about Keenum and their win against the Bears.
Make no mistake: They too will be up for this game! They have an exceptional defense that has kept them in games despite their relatively sorry state of offense. They don’t have Adrian Peterson any more, although I wish they did because he sucks and would again fit in nicely with the Vikings and their profile…
We could talk more about our injuries and their impact, but why? It’s fruitless, redundant, and nobody cares. Like my Grandpa used to say, “We could complain, but who’d listen?” The decimation by injuries has been a common theme over the last several years, to the point that some wanted to fire the organization’s entire strength and conditioning staff!
The bold statement of truth is that the Packers can still win despite all the setbacks. They do it all the time. It’s gotta always be “Next man up!” Stars have emerged with these types of opportunities, like (hopefully) the apparent lightning we caught in the bottle known as Aaron Jones
I won’t likely make the game at Chief’s, as I’ll be hiking and camping in the mountains in North Carolina with my son and a group of kids we used to coach before they outgrew us. No doubt that we’ll be tapping into whatever medium we can raise out in the bush to follow this game…just like the rest of Packer Nation. We can all agree that we need this game, and in the honor and spirit of the departed serial abuser Peterson, it is time to send Minnesota to the Battered Vikings Shelter… Go, Pack, GO!! (Kraig Pringle)