Cobb cleared to run; could return next week

According to ESPN's Jason Wilde, Packers WR Randall Cobb has been cleared to run by team doctors. Cobb hasn't played or had a legit practice since Week 5, when he fractured his right tibia in a 19-17 win over the Ravens. 

While Cobb obviously won't play today, this news does make it possible that he could return for next week's game against the Steelers, if the Pack think they're still in it by then. So yea, he's getting pretty close to returning. Now all Green Bay needs to do is get Rodgers back and they should be good to go. 

Lacy probable to play tomorrow

According to Bleacher Report, Packers RB Eddie Lacy, who hurt his ankle in last week's win over the Falcons, is currently listed as probable to compete in the team's game tomorrow in Dallas. In my opinion, this news is absolutely huge for the Pack, especially since it was just announced yesterday that Rodgers won't play. 

So, now what? Now, the Pack will need a huge game from Lacy if they're gonna win. That's unlikely to happen, but it could. Because I still have some hope left in this team. I probably shouldn't, but since they're not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, I will. 

Preview: Packers at Cowboys

Final injury report: Rodgers out
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 13, 2013

A week after getting to play against the Falcons' woeful defense, ranked No. 29 overall by Football Outsiders, QB Matt Flynn will get another chance against an awful one; the Cowboys and their 30th ranked defense. On the flip side, QB Tony Romo will go up against the 31st ranked Packers' defense. But here's some good news:

Win in Dallas, Lions loss would leave #Packers in control of destiny: http://t.co/JOAvmYdVYz pic.twitter.com/9JEA9a10fx
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 12, 2013

I know ESPN has banned the word, but the Packers have sucked without Rodgers and they still could control their playoff chances by next week. The Lions are hosting the Ravens on Monday night. While the Ravens' have the worst running back tandem in recent history, they've won four of their last five games and are hanging onto the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Lions are favored by 6 points but they'll have a tough game on their hands.

Here are the Packers and Cowboys rankings from Football Outsiders:

Team	Pass Offense	Run Offense	Pass Defense	Run Defense
Green Bay	14	5	30	27
Dallas	10	6	28	30

I've been avoiding these rankings in recent weeks because they've been so meaningless for the Packers. With Rodgers, the pass offense was a Top 5 unit and since then they've been falling like a rock. That 14th ranked pass offense is loaded with Rodgers' Top 5 goodness and dragged down by all the sadness that comes from Flynn/Tolzien/Wallace. However, the run offense has been a Top 5 unit for most of the season.

The main point here is that both defenses are equally awful. If you watched last Monday night's game, you saw a Cowboys defense in collapse. The Bears ran it straight down their throat and threw at will. It also looks like they'll be without LB Sean Lee again this week after he left the Bears game with an injury. Their secondary is in bad shape but their front seven looks decimated.

On the other hand, the Packers defense showed some signs of life against the Falcons. LB Clay Matthews was quiet against them, but LB Nick Perry played well again and both players have returned to provide a legitimate outside pass rush. The Packers will probably play a lot of nickel defense against Romo, so the Cowboys will gain yards on the ground, but the key will be to tackle and prevent any big plays. However, that's something they've struggled with all season.

The Cowboys are favored by 7 points because Dallas has a real NFL QB while the Packers are crossing their fingers with Flynn. The Cowboys should win because of their passing attack, but the Packers could pull off the upset if a few things go their way; Lacy and Starks have to take charge on the ground, the Packers defense has to play like they did last week against the Falcons, and the Cowboys' defense has to continue playing awful like they did last week against the Bears.

More good news: Rodgers practiced in pads yesterday

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers practiced in pads yesterday and took about half of the team's 11-on-11 reps, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Obviously, this is another step in the right direction for Rodgers, but it still doesn't guarantee that he'll play this weekend. 

In another piece of news, it has also been confirmed that Rodgers will be medically evaluated today, with a medical pass likely meaning he will start this Sunday in Dallas. So yea, if you think he doesn't have any chance of playing this week, you might wanna think again. Because right now, hope appears to be very much alive for #12. 

Quarless: Rodgers took some 11-on-11 reps Wednesday

According to ESPN's Jason Wilde, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who is said to be unlikely to play this week, took 11-on-11 reps with the team's starters yesterday. In his tweet, Wilde also mentioned how TE Andrew Quarless was the one who "spilled the beans" about this piece of news, meaning that the Pack just might've wanted to keep this a secret. 

So, what do we make of this? Now I don't want to sound conspiratorial here, but could it be possible that the Packers are trying to give the impression that Rodgers is more hurt than he is, in order to make the Cowboys less worried about this Sunday's game? That's likely not the case, but, in a way, it could be. 

Extra Points: Packers Win Over The Falcons

Since QB Aaron Rodgers had an MRI on his collarbone last week, the news hasn't been good, and it's still not looking good. QB Matt Flynn and the defense have to keep improving if they want to make the playoffs.

Pro Football Focus ran it's weekly ReFo article after the Packers' game, and I wanted to mention a couple players that I hadn't mentioned in Monday's recap.

C Evan Dietrich-Smith. The Falcons' defense was pretty unimpressive, but DT Corey Peters made an impact (PFF grade of +1.6) while recording one sack, one TFL, and one QB hit. On multiple plays, he got in the backfield, usually past Dietrich-Smith. EDS has started the last two weeks, but his injured knees must still be bothering him. He's played better than I expected this season though I'm wondering how he's going to hold up over their final three games.

LB Nick Perry. He was still listed on the injury report with the same foot injury that's forced him to miss a few games this season. With rookie LB Nate Palmer providing zero in his absence, it's been great to see Perry back. He had a strip sack fumble against the Lions that was returned for a touchdown and Pro Football Focus gave him credit for six pressures against the Falcons. He's been an effective edge rusher in his first two seasons, when healthy.

DE Johnny Jolly. A couple of minor injuries seemed to have slowed him down over the past several weeks, but he made an impact last week with a tackle for a loss and a patted down pass. Maybe he's getting healthy and back into form.

LG Josh Sitton. His back was bothering him for the first couple weeks of the season, but he's been outstanding since then. Pro Football Focus said that he surrendered no pressures against the Falcons and that was the eighth time he done that this season. He might be on pace for his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.

Why one more loss might not end the Packers season

Now that it appears that Aaron Rodgers will likely miss another week, I've decided to write this post to give every Packer fan who reads it hope for the coming games. It's not long, but I think it makes pretty good points. Anyway, the reason why the Packers could still win the NFC North this season despite losing one more contest is because the Lions and Bears simply aren't much better than them. In their next three games, the Bears will face the Browns and Eagles on the road before playing the Packers at home, while the Lions will host the Ravens and Giants before visiting the Vikings. Now in my opinion, it is very likely that the Bears will lose at least two of those games, while it is also possible that the Lions could do the same due to their constant inconsistency. So yea, don't give up hope just yet Pack fans. It's still possible that this year could be a good one.

Rodgers to visit with doctors tomorrow

According to Josh Alper of NBCSports.com, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who has missed the team's last five games with a broken collarbone, will meet with doctors tomorrow, where the decision on whether or not he will play this weekend will likely be made. Despite winning their last contest over Atlanta on Sunday, Matt Flynn again struggled as the team's starter, so it's likely that if #12 doesn't play they won't win. 

So, there you go. We know when his fate will be decided, so now let's start the countdown. Keep in mind, them losing this Sunday wouldn't technically knock them out of the playoff race, but that doesn't change the fact that another W would still help a lot. 

Packers Edge Out One-Point Win Over Falcons, 22-21

I'm going to start out on a positive note because the Packers finally got a win for the first time since October. They had to win and they did it. I'll hand the game ball to K Mason Crosby, who went from last season's goat to a reliable cold weather kicker in a must-win game. Nothing was a gimme on Sunday in the extreme cold and he was perfect with three field goals and an extra point.

Win leaves #Packers a half game behind Lions – Green Bay finds a way to stay alive: http://t.co/21a4AkJoX3 #ATLvsGB pic.twitter.com/BBivKnFNQQ
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 9, 2013

Overall, even if QB Aaron Rodgers returns next week, I'm not confident they can make the playoffs. They have to win the NFC North and I'm not confident they can win out. I think the Lions will lose at least one of their remaining three games, they'll face the Ravens next week who are in a must-win situation of their own if they want to keep hold onto the final AFC playoff spot. However, I will feel differently if the Packers can beat the Cowboys next week.

The Falcons had no business having any chance of winning this game, but the Packers gave them one. The list of warm weather and/or dome teams that win on the road in the brutal cold is a short one, but the Packers almost added the Falcons to it.

QB Matt Flynn. For the most part, he ran a nice version of the West Coast offense. Seven different receivers caught more than one pass and he moved the offense down the field on five scoring drives. His back shoulder touchdown pass to TE Andrew Quarless was beautiful. However, it was mostly bad for him. His interception pick-six was a fluke, a tipped pass that ricocheted off another defender's foot, but his five sacks and one fumble off a sack were mostly on him. While RB Eddie Lacy was on the wrong side of Flynn to pick up the blitz on the fumble, Flynn seemed to have no awareness that the defensive back was sneaking up to the line and coming on the blitz. He should have motioned Lacy over to that side. It also happened again to him in the second half, though he held onto the ball that time. His QBR of 34.1 is bad, and coming against a dreadful Falcons defense makes it even worse.

RB Eddie Lacy. It wasn't a marquee performance (3.3 yards per carry) but he ran for some tough yards, moved the chains, and played through a badly sprained ankle in the second half.

WR Jordy Nelson. He caught all four passes thrown to him and he's been the one reliable threat down field while every other receiver has struggled to produce.

Atlanta's offense in the second half seemed to struggle badly with the cold. They couldn't sustain any drives and their receivers weren't holding onto many passes. While injuries have been an issue for them, the only player they're really missing now is WR Julio Jones. Their offense was ranked by Football Outsiders as the No. 11 unit overall before the game and the Packers shut them out in the second half.

Once again, poor safety play plagued the defense. S Morgan Burnett was beaten in coverage on both of Matt Ryan's touchdown passes, and a missed tackle by S M.D. Jennings appeared to send him to the bench. The defensive line actually played pretty well, a couple of RB Steven Jackson's best runs came when the defense was expecting pass and only playing with two lineman. They held up surprisingly well considering they got nothing from LB Clay Matthews and relied on CB Jarrett Bush for two big stops. The cold was a unique setting, but overall the defense played it's best game in weeks.

Reaction: Packers sneak past Falcons, 22-21

I'm not gonna lie to you guys, yesterday's game was frustrating. The Packers defense didn't give up any points in it's second half, but still wasn't that good. The Falcons walked all over them and, had the Atlanta receivers known how to catch the ball, the Pack would've lost the game. But, they didn't. That's what really matters.

So, I must say I am extremely pleased with the Packers performance yesterday. It wasn't that pretty, but it was a win. And we all know they really needed one of those. So, what do we do now? We play the waiting game for another 7 days, constantly asking the question: will Rodgers return THIS week?

Packers listed as 3 point favorites for today's Falcons game

Finally, the odds for today's Falcons-Packers game have been released with the Packers, rather surprisingly, being listed as 3 point favorites. Now I pretty much expected this kind of prediction, but I'm still frustrated that it took so long to be released. Yea, whether or not Rodgers plays does matter, but couldn't you still release the odds and then change them later? Why are you waiting until gameday?

Anyway, I'm not picking either side to win this contest. I hope the Pack'll win, but I'm not sure they will. They're terrible, and so are the Falcons. The team who wins will not have won because they out-played the other, but because they sucked less. 

Rodgers officially ruled OUT for tomorrow's Falcons game

Well, we knew this would happen. We don't want to accept it, but it is true.

Aaron Rodgers has been ruled OUT for the Packers game tomorrow against the 3-9 Atlanta Falcons. This news is a huge punch to the face to anybody who thinks the Packers will win the NFC North (me included) and pretty much dooms the Packers to a below .500, playoff-less season.

On second thought, they could still win. As I've already stated, the Falcons are just 3-9, so they're definitely beatable. How beatable? I have no idea. Let's just watch the game and find out. 

Williams fined $26k for making contact with ref

Packers CB Tramon Williams has been fined $26,000 dollars by the league for making contact with a referee in last Thursday's loss in Detroit, ESPN.com reports. In most cases, contact with an official results in a suspension, but for some reason Williams was let off easy here. 

Earlier this week, Williams said that this whole thing was huge misunderstanding, but that lie clearly wasn't bought by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Now I personally did not see the contact made, but that doesn't mean I don't buy the NFL's story. It was a frustrating game for the Packers, so the fact that Williams temporarily lost his self-control isn't surprising. 

Rodgers "throwing well" in practice Wednesday

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was "throwing well" in practice yesterday. In his tweet, Sliverstein also mentioned how most of the throws were either short or intermediate, but that they did have a lot of zip on them. 

What do we make of this? I don't know. I guess if Rodgers plays on Sunday, they could just have him run short pass plays. But I doubt they will. Right now, it unfortunetally appears that they'll be stuck with Flynn for another week. Which, I gotta say, is depressing. I don't think it necessarily guarantees another loss, but you know, I'd rather have #12 in. 

Silver Lining: Matt Flynn Is Going To Be A Lot Better Prepared Next Week

Because their last game was on a short week, the Green Bay Packers had two fewer days to practice and prepare. Mike McCarthy was stuck deciding between his better quarterback who had hardly practiced (Matt Flynn) and his lesser QB who was more comfortable with the playbook (Scott Tolzien). Obviously Flynn's start against the Lions was a disaster and, in hindsight, Tolzien would have probably been better because it couldn't have gone much worse than Flynn's 2.1 QBR.

If it had been up to me, I'd have started Flynn too. Barring injury, I don't expect we'll see Tolzien on the field again this season. However I was surprised that Flynn didn't seem to be adjusting to the Lions' defense. This tweet explains why he seemed unprepared.

Flynn only had about 90 minutes of practice last week preparing for Detroit.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) December 3, 2013

The good news here is that if he has to start against on Sunday, and it appears that will be the case, at least he'll have a full week of practice. He'll also get to play against one of the two defenses, Atlanta's, that is actually ranked lower than the Packers. I'm expecting a lot, lot better from him next Sunday.

Rodgers "not yet ruled out" for Sunday's game

After injured QB Aaron Rodgers underwent tests yesterday, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, in a press conference, told the media that #12 has not yet been cleared to play or ruled out for this Sunday's game against the Falcons. 

“Aaron Rodgers has not been cleared by the medical staff, Aaron Rodgers will practice tomorrow in a limited fashion, and we have not ruled him out for the game yet,” McCarthy said yesterday. “Aaron wants to play; it’s a medical situation. He has a clear understanding of where he is, as far as getting back on the field.”

While I'd prefer Rodgers play this week, I don't think that the Packers completely 100% need him to win. Sure, he'd help a lot, but isn't it possible that they can still win without him? The Falcons really aren't that good. 

Packers Release Safety Jerron McMillian

I'm a little disappointed to read this news, but it also looks like the first of many changes to come on defense.

#Packers sign RB Kahlil Bell, release S Jerron McMillian: http://t.co/eZinmFJlR2 pic.twitter.com/AHXbGSYhL1
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 3, 2013

Jack wrote about Kahlil Bell earlier, who will probably take over for RB Johnathan Franklin on special teams and I'd be very surprised if he ever carries the ball.

McMillian is the bigger story. I wasn't expecting him to play as a rookie and instead he took over in the slot after CB Charles Woodson broke his collarbone. He played a lot of snaps in 2012 and played very well considering his inexperience and small school background.

However, instead of improving on a promising rookie season, he completely fell apart. He lost his role on defense in October after a disastrous game against the Ravens and fell behind backup S Chris Banjo on the depth chart. This came after a bad first few weeks when he was one of the main culprits for missed tackles. The defense has been missing a lot of tackles this season, but McMillian stood out as one of the worst offenders.

It's sad to see them give up on a promising young player, but he forced their hand after an awful 2013 season. GM Ted Thompson is going to have to make changes on defense this offseason and it doesn't hurt to get the process started early.

Packers sign former Bears RB Kahlil Bell

According to ESPN.com, the Packers signed former Bears RB Kahlil Bell yesterday. Bell played for the Bears from 2009-2012, and has rushed for a total of 663 yards in his 4-year NFL career. 

On Christmas Day 2011, Bell had by far the best game of his career at Lambeau Field, rushing for 121 yards in a Packers victory. So, since he's capable of doing that, let's hope he starts playing well again. The Pack could definitely use a better running game right now, especially if Rodgers ends up not playing this Sunday. Now I think he ultimately will, but you know, just in case he doesn't. 

Media still unsure if Rodgers will play against Falcons

Well, these last few days have been incredibly frustrating for us Packers fans.  After we were told for weeks that Aaron Rodgers would return for the Atlanta game, we are now being told that somehow Rodgers' collarbone has not yet healed and that he may now miss another week. 

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport tweeted this yesterday:

"Dec. 8 has been the target date for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to return. Source now tells me “he’d be lucky” to be able to return this week."

However, ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported the exact opposite:

"Packers QB Aaron Rodgers says he hopes to play next Sunday, and he thinks his collarbone is completely healed."

So, who do we trust? An unnamed source or Rodgers himself? 

The Lions are planning on working out kickers soon: Is this the end of David Akers?

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are planning on working out kickers soon. This, coming off the David Akers miss of a 31 yarder in the team's win Thursday over the Packers, is making people wonder: is David Akers about to leave another team?

Now if I'm a Lions fan, I definitely want Akers gone. He's inconsistent, unreliable, and lousy. But since I'm a Packers fan, I want him to stay. Because I know that if Detroit brings in anybody else, they're chances of winning games will increase. Field goals really are one of those things that are minor until you start missing a bunch of them.