Considering all they went through in the first nine weeks of the season the Packers have to feel OK about where they are at now that they have finally reached their bye week. The Packers have a 6-3 record in which their three losses each game by three points, the last two in overtime. Even with losing so many key players the Packers could have been 9-0 with a few good bounces.
The Packers spent the entire offseason gearing their offense around tight end Jermichael Finley only to lose him for the year after four games. It took until yesterday for the Packers to look like a real offense again. Losing Ryan Grant and Finley were major blows and only in the last few weeks as Brandon Jackson started looking like he can be a player.
The offense better have it’s act together now because the Packers have some tough games in the second half, highlighted by trips to Minnesota and New England and home against the Giants and Bears. We can’t count on the defense to shut everybody out every week, they are going to need some help along the way.
The Packers’ defense is sick. How can a unit that lost it’s starting safety, two starting linebackers and two backup linebackers, still manage to wreak so much havoc on their opponents. Â Turnovers are again coming in bunches and when the offense chimes in you get what we had here last night, which is complete domination.
As far as the division is concerned I think the Packers main competition is the Vikings, the Bears just don’t have an offense. Jay Cutler is a femme and likely will have cost Lovie his job at season’s end. The Vikings have too much talent not to start winning again. In fact I fully expect them to go into Chicago next week and whip the Bears.
Hopefully the team has a quiet bye week – no Love Boat crap or anything like that and returns rested and ready to make a run to the playoffs. The break should really help guys like Donald Driver, Ryan Pickett and Clay Matthews, who need all the rest they can get. I did not like the way Matthews limped off the field after his interception return last night. The last thing that guy needed was to run 62-yards full speed and then try to do a Lambeau Leap. I’m surprised we didn’t lose him for the year right there.
I’m very happy with 6-3 even though it came in a rather unexpected way. Still, you are what you are in the NFL, and right now the Packers are tied with three other teams for the most wins in the conference. Not too shabby.