This Loss Hurts, but we're in the Dance

Make no mistake, this loss hurts our chances at winning the Superbowl. Not only did we lose the first round bye, but we’ll also have to travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers if we’re lucky enough to beat the Vikings on Saturday. I know the bye seemed to hurt us last year, and Rodgers is a California boy, but any football insider will tell you unequivocally that you always want an extra week of rest (an one less chance to lose), and you always want to play at home. It really is that simple. Having said that, I wasn’t TOO upset with our performance on Sunday (with a few exceptions to be discussed). I don’t think we came close to revealing our full game plan for the Vikings, and I don’t think the Vikings match up particularly well against us anyway. We came out of the game pretty healthy, with the one major loss being Jerel Worthy who looked to be seriously injured. Charles Woodson has officially been cleared to play, Clay Matthews is looking intense, and Rodgers is in a groove. Safe to say I’m fucking excited about the playoffs. Here’ what I liked and didn’t like on Sunday:

What I Liked:

Game Plan: We ran what I thought looked like a rather mundane game plan, and put up 34 points. That’s pretty darn good. I’ve never seen us run the Inverted Wishbone formation that many times in one game. It’s totally not our style, and I think served to veil our true intentions against this defense if and when we’d see them again. A few years ago we were burned badly following an unnecessary ass-whooping we put on the Arizona Cardinals. We showed how we thought we should play them, and they taught us a lesson the next week in the playoffs. Here’s hoping McCarthy did indeed slow-roll the Vikings, and we put it on ‘em at Lambeau on Saturday.

Greg Jennings: That was vintage Jennings last night. He’s back, he’s valuable, and he proved it. He not only caught two touchdowns, but also showed off his trademark elusiveness after the catch. You couldn’t tackle this guy in a phone booth on Sunday, and he got plenty of looks from Rodgers as a result. Let’s hope the chemistry is there for this receiving core when it finally returns to full strength in the playoffs. Welcome back Greg, and congratulations on reminding us why we WILL miss you next season.

Dejuon Harris: McCarthy likes to go with the hot hand at running back, which is why Grant got the start, but Harris got the finish. Grant’s legs looked to have plenty of life left in them two weeks ago, and he was given the first few snaps of the game as a result. When the running game failed to get going, McCarthy plugged in Harris, who ran with purpose. He’s an angry young runner who doesn’t shy from contact in the slightest. He’s got good burst that got him into the secondary on a few occasions on Sunday, averaging 5.0 yards on his 14 carries. He also had two receptions for 17 yards. I don’t know about everyone else, but I feel pretty darn confident about our running game going into the playoffs. 

What I Didn’t Like:

Aaron Rodgers’ Behavior: I sincerely hope that Aaron Rodgers is embarrassed by the way he behaved during the game on Sunday. Jumping around like a petulant child, yelling at teammates, coaches, opposing players, and referees, generally acting very Cutler-like. I have to wonder what the conversation between Rodgers and McCarthy was like after the game concerning Rodgers’ reaction to McCarthy mistakenly throwing the challenge flag. One thing I do know for sure is that it’s bad news if a player (any player) considers himself in charge of the team. McCarthy needs to keep Rodgers in check (at least in public) and control his quarterback’s temper. Rodgers has said before that he needs to stop showing up other Packers on the field, yet seemed wholly unapologetic following Sunday’s display, which in my opinion was the worst instance yet. Being passionate about your job is great and I respect both Rodgers and McCarthy for it, but it’s time for the quarterback to grow up and learn how to act in public.

Secondary: Thank god we’re finally getting Charles Woodson back this week, because we’re REALLY going to need him after this poor performance. How do you force a talented secondary to make Christian Ponder look like Eli Manning? You beat them up with a wrecking ball of a running back until they no longer want any part of the game. Tramon Williams looked downright scared to hit Adrian Peterson, and indeed chose to avoid doing so on more than one occasion. I get it. Believe me I do. Cornerbacks are smaller guys and AP is a freight train, the coaching staff shouldn’t put a corner in a position to be the first guy hitting any running back, the defensive line or at least linebackers should put a hat on him before he gets to the edge, etc. The fact is our secondary got beat the fuck up by an old school offense and it took them out of the game. Christian Ponder is awful and I will debate anyone that disagrees till the cows come home. He is awful and he torched us for three touchdowns. We have to be better than that or we might as well just lose in the first round. What do you think a halfway decent QB will do against a secondary playing like that?

Don Barclay: According to Pro Football Focus, Barclay was the only offensive lineman to grade out negatively for the day, coming in at -4.1. He gave up all three sacks, which included the forced fumble on Rodgers that basically cost us the game. He had shown McCarthy and Tom Clements enough in his previous performances to warrant solo assignments, but I think it’s time to slide him some help.

The biggest reason I’m excited to get Charles Woodson back is for his leadership. He is the heart and soul of this defense, and I look for him to set the tone early on. I’m hoping his typically aggressive tackling isn’t hindered by his collar bone, and that it rubs off on the rest of the team. We can’t afford to leave the tackling to someone else, we’ve got to swarm this dude early and often.  He’s the only chance the Vikings have at winning, so I want Charles to let him know right away that this ain’t gonna be like the last two games we played. The weather will be cold, tackles will hurt, and we’re going to find out a lot about the toughness of our defense on Saturday.