The one note of caution for the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks is believing that they have momentum going forward into next weekend. The Vikings were playing without an NFL quarterback and Deadspin has the GIFs to prove it. The Redskins showed what they can do when QB Robert Griffin III is healthy by scoring two touchdowns on their first two possessions, but he re-injured his knee on that second touchdown drive and then vanished for the rest of the game.
Football Outsiders seemed to be a little down on the Packers after their win because QB Joe Webb is beyond awful as a pocket passer and they coasted after building a 24-3 lead that was insurmountable against any offense led by Joe Webb.
Pro Football Focus was negative on both the teams' offensive lines and especially down on C Evan Dietrich-Smith. I think the Packers are well aware of Dietrich-Smith's limitations, PFF said "he was completely man-handled in the run game", and it's why they signed free agent C Jeff Saturday in the first place. When the Vikings knew that the Packers were going to run out the clock, Dietrich-Smith couldn't get a push at the point of attack. But when there aren't eight men in the box, he's better at moving down field and blocking linebackers, which is why I expect the Packers will stay with him over Saturday again next week.
PFF also noted that LB Erik Walden, while making a few big plays, also got beat a lot of the time. I praised Walden after the game for making big plays, and that's really the best that can be expected from him. He has to make the highlight reel when the opportunity presents itself. If he were able to hold up on every snap, then the Packers wouldn't have drafted LB Nick Perry, wouldn't rotate LB Dezman Moses with Walden, and Walden would have kept his starting job after last season. He's a limited player and the Packers got the best they could have hoped from him against the Vikings.
Showing posts with label Joe Webb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Webb. Show all posts
Monday, January 07, 2013
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Packers Defeat Vikings 24-10, Play Next Week at 49ers
After the Green Bay Packers took a 24-3 lead on a touchdown drive to open the second half, they seemed to put it on autopilot. It was understandable because the Vikings did little on offense with QB Joe Webb. But they made their offense hard to watch with five punts on their final five possessions. On defense, a late-game blown coverage left Vikings WR Michael Jenkins wide open for a 50 yard touchdown pass. However, the Vikings never mounted a serious charge and the win was a big relief after a tough loss last week in Minneapolis.
As for why QB Christian Ponder couldn't gut it out with an arm injury, read what Judd Zulgad tweeted.
One player I was glad to see have a big game was FB John Kuhn. He didn't play as well this season, after making the Pro Bowl in 2011, and his fumble last year against the Giants really hurt them. So for him to come out and score two touchdowns was a big bounce-back performance.
The offense was outstanding, QB Aaron Rodgers in particular, until their second half swoon converted only one first down in their final five possessions. Part of the reason was their run-heavy play calling, as they apparently tried to run some clock after going up by 21 points. The offensive line had some shaky moments, but they also gave Rodgers a lot of time to throw and he made plays when they did.
The defense did a much better job of bottling up RB Adrian Peterson with DT B.J. Raji's stout inside presence and LB Erik Walden's monster game on the outside. Webb's accuracy was so bad in his first playing time of the season that it's hard to give the secondary too much credit, but they played well except for the blown coverage on Jenkins' touchdown. Overall. it was good practice for next week when they face a run heavy 49ers team with their own mobile quarterback.
As for why QB Christian Ponder couldn't gut it out with an arm injury, read what Judd Zulgad tweeted.
One player I was glad to see have a big game was FB John Kuhn. He didn't play as well this season, after making the Pro Bowl in 2011, and his fumble last year against the Giants really hurt them. So for him to come out and score two touchdowns was a big bounce-back performance.
The offense was outstanding, QB Aaron Rodgers in particular, until their second half swoon converted only one first down in their final five possessions. Part of the reason was their run-heavy play calling, as they apparently tried to run some clock after going up by 21 points. The offensive line had some shaky moments, but they also gave Rodgers a lot of time to throw and he made plays when they did.
The defense did a much better job of bottling up RB Adrian Peterson with DT B.J. Raji's stout inside presence and LB Erik Walden's monster game on the outside. Webb's accuracy was so bad in his first playing time of the season that it's hard to give the secondary too much credit, but they played well except for the blown coverage on Jenkins' touchdown. Overall. it was good practice for next week when they face a run heavy 49ers team with their own mobile quarterback.