2018 Week 12: Packers Find More Ways to Lose on the Road, lose to the Vikings, 24-17

I could pretty much repeat what I wrote last week when they lost in Seattle by 3 points for this loss in Minneapolis by 7 points.

It was a little bit different. While the offense stayed in the locker room at half time for the 2nd consecutive week and only managed 254 yards of total offense for the game, the defense played a larger role by allowing the Vikings to convert on 50% of their 3rd down attempts and a provide a mediocre pass rush against one of the weaker o-lines in the league. They missed the inside pressure from DT Mike Daniels, probably more than having to play a bunch of rookies at cornerback. In a normal season, underwhelming at Minnesota wouldn't be a big surprise because it's consistently a tough place to win. But this season it was just another one of their disappointing road losses.

Final | Vikings 24, Packers 17.

Green Bay drops to 4-6-1 and remains winless (0-6) on the road. Injuries hit hard and mistakes snowballed in the second half. Feels like the Packers season is over after this one.

— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) November 26, 2018

Rodgers isn't giving up, good for him, but I thought the season was over after the loss in Seattle. It was on fumes after the loss to the Rams, but wins in Seattle and Minnesota would had me plotting a playoff path. Three winnable home games remain (Cardinals, Falcons, Lions) against teams with losing records, and while they shouldn't win at Chicago, they could sneak a win in New York against the Jets to avoid an 0-8 road record. Still, a record of 8-7-1 isn't going to make the playoffs.

I'm enjoying a nice seasonal winter ale as I write about another road loss and I'll continue to spend time reading articles on the hot head coaching candidates for 2019. At least the Packers haven't lost at home this season and I'll have a win to look forward to against the Cardinals next week.

2018 Week 2: Packers Host The Vikings, Ends in 29-29 Tie

I'm really OK with this tie. It's not a loss (really, that can matter in tie-breakers) and the Vikings are a really good team who could have easily won if their kicker hadn't missed three field goals (they should bring back Ryan Longwell). Of course, the Packers could have won if this hadn't been called a penalty.

Do not hit quarterbacks high. Do not hit quarterbacks low. Do not hit them in the midriff. Roughing the passer on Clay Matthews. pic.twitter.com/pFyMnXxqxG

— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) September 16, 2018

I get it, it's not an illegal hit, but they didn't lose the game because of this call. They had other chances to win.

I was really disappointed in Mike McCarthy. The Packers were in 3rd and long too many times and ran the ball about half as many times as they threw it. Ty Montgomery was really effective as a runner, averaging over 6 yards per carry, but he only had 5 attempts. Also the play calling, after Clinton-Dix intercepted Kirk Cousins with just over 2 minutes to go. They probably couldn't have run for a first down but they could have made the Vikings use all their time outs before the Packers kicked a field goal. I guess he wanted to put the game away with a first down, or a touchdown, and his defense was probably on fumes in the heat, but he has to put that pressure on the Vikings (make them use all their timeouts) and make their final drive as difficult as possible.

It wasn't a great game for Mike Pettine either, though it's a lot to ask of him to know everything about his players in only his 2nd game with the Packers. When Kevin King went down with a groin injury, replacing him on with Davon House over Josh Jackson looks like a big mistake in hindsight (he probably won't do that again). Also, giving Kyler Fackrell meaningful defensive snaps isn't going to work, but he only has so many outside linebackers on the roster to work with.

While I understand why both coaches did what they did, neither of them pushed the right buttons with those critical decisions. I don't have anything to say against any of the players, they played as well as I would expect. I'm sure Aaron Rodgers would have loved a due over on that two play sequence in the middle of OT when at the Minnesota 37 yard line he fumbled a hand-off attempt (play action? I'm not sure what he wanted to do there) and then a sack to move them out of field goal range, but I'm not saying anything critical of him while trying to play on one leg.

It's disappointing but it's not a disaster either. The next three games could be an interesting run, next week against the Redskins (who didn't look good against the Colts) and then back-to-back games against two of the weaker teams so far this season (Lions and Bills). Just focus on the next game and work on staying out of the loss column.

Packers Just Finishing Out The Season With Losses vs. Vikings and Lions

Current mood after the Green Bay Packers were completely outplayed in consecutive weeks to end the season...

McCarthy looking surprisingly calm. Like he knew this was coming...

— Jersey Al - GBP (@JerseyAlGBP) December 31, 2017

I would write about their embarrassing loss on New Year's Eve in Detroit except I would say the same things I said about their embarrassing loss to Detroit at Lambeau last month. I didn't have the heart to write about last week's shutout loss to Minnesota at Lambeau last week Saturday because I would have written the same things I wrote about their shut out loss at home to Baltimore. At first I was worried that the Packers were just mailing in their last two games of the season, but they didn't. They've just been this bad for several weeks with this defense and Brett Hundley starting at quarterback.

#Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on what went wrong this season to miss the playoffs: "We know what the issue was. We lost Aaron Rodgers. It’s point blank, period."

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) December 31, 2017

Um, no. A defense that can allow fewer touchdowns and 3rd down conversions would have given the offense a couple more possessions per game. The overall record might have still been 7-9 but they would have made some of these games competitive.

#Packers Defense.

Pressure + Coverage... Good chance they're related!!

RZ Sacks - 0 (32nd)
4th Quarter Sacks - 3 (T-32nd)
3rd Down Sacks - 17 (T-8th)

RZ Completion %: 64.7% (30th)
Completion %: 67.8% (32nd)
3rd Down Completion%: 66.7% (32nd)

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) December 26, 2017

Now onto the what they have to do to improve their team for 2018, other than just getting Aaron Rodgers back to full health.

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who has been with the team since 2009, is not expected to return to Green Bay next season, per league sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2017

And that's a start. I've been surprised since the end of the 2013 season (and the end of the 2015 season) that Dom Capers was still in charge of their defense. But that might be the only significant move for a pretty conservative team.

Packers Lose To The Vikings, Lose Aaron Rodgers

My first thought is that losing QB Aaron Rodgers for most of the season or the entire season is all that really needs to be said about the Green Bay Packers's loss to the Vikings in Minneapolis.

Aaron Rodgers is being loaded onto the cart in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/YEDIfuLEq8

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) October 15, 2017

My second thought is that I'm a huge Packers fan, and I'll keep watching and rooting for them. Hopefully Bakhtiari and Bulaga can come back soon. Otherwise they'll be stuck with their 5th string LT and the dude they signed off the Cardinals practice squad at RT. And hopefully LG Lane Taylor can come back soon, otherwise QB Brett Hundley isn't going to have much of a chance (see the beating he took from the Vikings on Sunday) and they won't be able to run the ball much. It was like watching the preseason offensive unit all over again (except with the starting wide receivers) as the game wound down.

The defense held up surprisingly well after they were forced to give Lenzy Pipkins and Josh Hawkins substantial playing time at cornerback. They forced two turnovers that made the score a lot closer than the game on the field actually was. However it came against a non-juggernaut Vikings offense that was already without arguably their best three starters (Bradford, Cook, Diggs).

But at this point all the long-term hopes for this season can be put away. It's time to get as many guys healthy again as possible and fight like an underdog for each win.

Packers (9-6) Build Big Lead, Fade In 4th Quarter, Beat Vikings in Lambeau, 38-25

The talk that QB Aaron Rodgers is in the mix for MVP is nice but it ignores his mid-season slump and a couple early season games when he couldn't stop fumbling the football. Though he's finishing up the 2016 season on a hot streak.

Over the past few games, with the return of TE Jared Cook from injury and the elevation of Ty Montgomery to starter at running back, the offense has transformed from good to great. A few weeks ago, I knew they needed to find some threat of a running game to open up the passing game, and Montgomery has provided a legitimate rushing threat that defenses have to consider. The return of Cook, as a hybrid WR/TE who always has a few inches height advantage over any defender, has been an additional wrinkle. But it's really been the effective running game that's allowed some wide open spaces for Jordy Nelson downfield.

FINAL: @packers win their 5th straight! #GoPackGo #MINvsGB pic.twitter.com/GKK45b2zrx

— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2016

The injuries are starting to pile up (RT Bryan Bulaga and CB Ladarius Gunter both left the game early) though they are something that every NFL team is dealing with at this point. The real problem is that the cornerbacks aren't getting any better.

CB Damarious Randall was benched last week but he ended up playing a lot after Gunter was injured. It looks like his confidence (or his knowledge of the defensive schemes) are shot. He spent a lot of time looking around at his teammates after a Viking receiver (usually WR Adam Thielen) torched him. Unfortunately CB Quinten Rollins is just as ineffective, more because of bad technique (getting turned around by a receiver or not enough recovery speed). To be fair, CB Micah Hyde gave up a late touchdown reception too. Other than giving the undrafted rookies a shot (which isn't a good option at all) or moving a safety or two to cornerback (again, not a good idea this late in the season), there's not much to do other than stick with those top three cornerbacks.

And that is the biggest issue going forward. They still need to beat the Lions next week. Then how can these cornerbacks possibly hold up over a four game playoff run to the Super Bowl? Every contender has some significant weakness but being bad against any NFL passing attack is a big problem. I'm enjoying the current winning streak and looking forward to a big game next week against the Lions, but anything afterwards would just be gravy. This defense doesn't look good enough to hold up for a playoff run.

The Packers and Vikings Just Keep Losing

The Green Bay Packers made some transaction noise on Monday when they released RB Knile Davis. But that wasn't a big surprise. Over the past three seasons, Davis hadn't been able to get onto the field in Kansas City and the Packers saw more good from rookie RB Don Jackson, though neither player has done much over the past two games.

But the big news on Monday was that the Vikings lost, ugly, for the second week in a row. The Packers have lost two of their last three games and I thought they were giving up too much ground on the Vikings to overtake them in the NFC North. Instead, the wheels are coming off for the Vikings.

'We're just not us right now.' #Vikings offensive line pushed around by Bears, Bradford sacked five times. https://t.co/7BBULMcOSd #NFL pic.twitter.com/Xm2cmKVguU

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) November 1, 2016

The Vikings have some problems on defense. They had trouble pressuring QB Jay Cutler on Monday night and rookie SS Jayron Kearse struggled in his first NFL start (replacing injured SS Andrew Sendejo). But overall these are minor complaints and as many as five of their defensive starters might be traveling to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season. Their big problem is the offensive line.

The Bears were all over QB Sam Bradford while only rushing four players, allowing their inside linebackers to drop back in coverage and smother all the short passes he threw to his running backs and tight ends, while giving him no time to look down field for his wide receivers. They were a disaster on running plays too, failing to get any push or create any cut-back lanes. The Vikings have now scored only 10 points in each of their last two games, and both of their touchdowns were late points in garbage time when the game was out of reach.

They'll get a breather next week when they host the Lions, and go up against the worst defense in the NFL. But then they travel to D.C. to play the Redskins and return home to host the Cardinals. Then they play on a short week and travel to Detroit, before they host the Cowboys on December 1st. While they'll beat the Lions next week, those next four games are all challenging for different reasons. If they don't solve their offensive line problems, what looked like a 13-3 team a couple weeks ago is starting to look 10-6 (or worse).

If the Vikings could run the ball and had a mobile quarterback, they could adjust to having the worst tandem of tackles in the NFL (LT Jake Long and RT T.J. Clemmings). But they only moved the ball well against the Bears when they got their wide receivers involved (Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen) and Bradford needs time to throw to be able to get them the ball.

Although the Packers have lost two of their last three games, and are looking ahead to a three game stretch on the road after they host the Colts next week, the Vikings are unraveling at the right time to give the Packers a chance to regain their footing (and health in the secondary) to overtake them in the NFC North race.

Packers Lose To The Vikings, 20-13, Will Play Redskins In D.C. on Sunday

Before I get into anything else, a big round of applause for a great game from the Green Bay Packers' defense. Except for a couple big runs from WR Adam Thielen (watch out for the jet sweep, Dom) the Vikings' offense did nothing. RB Adrian Peterson had only 67 yards and QB Teddy Bridgewater passed for 99 yards. That was a dominant performance that usually wins any game that QB Aaron Rodgers starts at quarterback.

In case you were wondering if a great quarterback can do it alone, we present to you the 2015 Packers and Patriots.

— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) January 4, 2016

Mike McCarthy fixed the Don Barclay problem by putting Barclay on the bench and moving Josh Sitton to left tackle. It wasn't a great performance by Sitton, but DE Everson Griffin is a very good pass rusher and Sitton hasn't played left tackle in maybe ever.

But he didn't fix the WR Davante Adams problem. It took them too long to figure out that their best play on offense is to throw it whoever was being covered by CB Terence Newman. If WR James Jones was being covered by CB Xavier Rhodes, then he wasn't open. WR Randall Cobb was usually double-teamed, and Adams seems to run at defenders instead of away from them. In McCarthy's defense, I'm not sure either Abbrederis or Janis is any better than Adams. Maybe they need to line up with more two tight end sets, or keep lining FB John Kuhn out wide.

It was also painful to watch the running game. It's not an Eddie Lacy problem. The offensive line (injured, playing out of position) isn't getting enough push, or second level blocking, depending on the particular play. James Starks isn't the answer either. However, they're both much better as receivers. After the Packers basically gave up on the running game in the fourth quarter, the offense came to life. But all those pass attempts behind a shaky offensive line also leads to more hits on Rodgers, and more strip sacks returned for touchdowns.

Abandoning the running game next week against the Redskins might work if LT David Bakhtiari can play. He practiced on Friday and was a game time decision against the Vikings. It's not a stretch to expect him back next week, which would allow them to re-shuffle their line and have all five starters together for the first time in a while.

While this loss, coming on the heels of a disastrous loss in Arizona, may make this seem like a lost season already. But they could get their starting offensive line back next week, and their defense has been playing great this season. With a great defense and a great starting quarterback, lots of good things can happen in the playoffs.

Down The Stretch: The Packers Last Four Games of the 2015 Season

Despite their mid-season swoon on offense (if their injuries at receiver weren't enough, the injuries on the offensive line are a bigger problem at the moment) and their defense's struggles to create a pass rush without blitzing a defensive back, the Green Bay Packers are at 8-4 and a top the NFC North. The main concern is going to be the Minnesota Vikings and winning the NFC North title, though a wild card birth is a strong possibility even if they struggle down the stretch.

With one game remaining against each other, and both the Packers and Vikings are traveling to Arizona for one game, their schedules are very similar. Each team plays another team with a long-shot chance at the playoffs (Packers at Raiders, Vikings host Giants) and another one against a team that's just finishing out the season (Packers host Cowboys, Vikings host Bears).

Confidence is important for a team, not the most important thing but it's a factor, and for what it's worth, the Packers have a lot of confidence after winning a game on a Hail Mary pass while the Vikings completely fell apart at home against the Seahawks. It's never a good thing when a team's star player starts calling out his coaches in public.

Our story on Adrian Peterson's frustration with his number of carries today, and what's behind it: https://t.co/FzyCfOQlpC

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) December 7, 2015

I'd love to say I know how the next four games are going to go for the Packers but they've been so inconsistent while losing four of their last six games that it's hard to predict. However, the Broncos game being the exception, after every time they've fallen behind recently, they've managed to stage a late game rally or comeback win. So no matter how bad they look (i.e. the first quarter against the Lions) they'll still have a chance to rally. The Cowboys game should be a win but nothing is a given right now. Traveling across the country to play the Raiders feels like a trap game before they visit the Cardinals (which is their toughest remaining game). Then it'll be a rematch against the Vikings which might be the game to decide who'll make the playoffs.

Packers End Three Game Losing Streak With A 30-13 Win in Minnesota and Take First Place Back From Vikings

Well that's the Green Bay Packers I've been used to seeing. Though QB Aaron Rodgers still isn't on the same page as his receivers and he had a completion percentage of under 50% (though his receivers had a couple terrible drops) with a poor yards per attempt of 6.2, but there were three big changes from last week's home loss to the Lions.

His top two targets were WR James Jones and WR Randall Cobb. It wasn't a great game for Cobb outside of his touchdown reception but WR Davante Adams proved against the Lions that he's only a No. 3 WR right now. Adams still had a good game against the Vikings (4 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards) but he's only a complementary player right now and he appropriately had half as many targets as either Jones or Cobb. Right now the offense works when Rodgers leans on his best receivers and gives them a chance to make a play. Against the Lions, when Jones had zero receptions, that was a big reason why they lost that game. Also, Fear The Hoodie.

Watch all the big plays from today's 30-13 victory over the Vikings! 📺: https://t.co/DQYe6OM8Pd pic.twitter.com/AHNmfd4txo

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 23, 2015

The return of RB Eddie Lacy. I had written off Lacy for the near future (I'm sure I wasn't alone) and he surprised me with a 100 yard game. The running game won't carry them but the offense works a lot better when they're getting something on the ground. It's also his 2nd consecutive 100 yard game in Minnesota, and he ran for 94 yards with a touchdown in the Metrodome during his rookie season, so there's something he likes about playing in Minneapolis.

The defense recorded 6 sacks. The Packers' defense is all about getting pressure on the quarterback, and when the pass rush isn't working, they end up with the bad defensive performances they had in Denver and Charlotte. The defense wasn't unstoppable, QB Teddy Bridgewater was very good when he wasn't running for his life, but they also did a very good job against RB Adrian Peterson (and forced a fumble). Bridgewater can't carry the offense by himself and the Packers did a very good job of taking away his pass protection and his running game.

The game was closer than the score in a lot of respects but the Vikings were flagged for 110 penalty yards and gave up a 70 yard return to WR Jeff Janis. That's a lot of extra yards to overcome.

There were a couple injuries to DB Micah Hyde and C Corey Linsley that weren't talked about after the game, hopefully they aren't serious, and they'll have to bounce back quickly because of the short week before their Thanksgiving game against the Bears.

Reaction: Packers to retire Favre's #4

With it being the early offseason, there isn't much to talk about around the NFL. However, there was one piece of Packers news this week: the overdue but still likable announcement that Brett Favre will have his number retired by the team this summer. 

Ever since the months leading up to Favre's 2008 trade to the Jets, it seems few in the Packers' fanbase are still supporters of the former quarterback. The common argument appears to be that his playing for the Vikings is simply unforgivable, no matter how much he previously did for Green Bay. 

But I guarantee you: those 16 seasons from 1992-2007 would've been a lot worse had Favre not been there.

He won a Super Bowl, simple as that. Some teams only dream of contending nowadays.

We should just admit it, this generation of Packers fans is spoiled. While the Bears and Vikings get a new quarterback every few years, the Packers have been blessed with Favre and Rodgers. They've made us view an 8-8 season as a failure and an appearance in the conference title game as okay. Some people's refusal to like Favre right now is an obvious side effect of their unfamiliarity with losing.

I'm a younger fan, so I'm more attached to Rodgers than Favre. But I will say that if Rodgers takes off in six or seven years to become a Viking/Lion, I'd forgive him. He'd still have done a lot for the organization, as is the case with Favre.

Bottom line: I'm happy Favre's getting his number retired. I don't think it'll be as well received as it should be since some still view him as an enemy, but I'm glad to see it finally happening. 

You should be too. 

Lacy a Limited Participant in Practice Thursday, But "Making Progress"

Packers RB Eddie Lacy is still recovering from a hip injury he suffered in Monday's win over the Falcons, but may be nearing a recovery.

According to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky, Lacy was limited participant in the team's practice Thursday, something that's not necessarily good considering how late in the week it is.

He is, however, "making progress" in the words of Mike McCarthy, which can't be bad. Lacy was one of the biggest reasons the Packers won their last road game over the Vikings November 23, rushing for two first downs in the final minutes to run out the clock.

Let's hope he gets a chance to do so again this Sunday, when the Packers play arguably their toughest contest left on the schedule in Buffalo.

Masthay: This Has Been a Weird Year

Packers P Tim Masthay is beginning to notice that he's punted less (37 times) than anyone else in the league this season.

"This has been a weird, weird year, but particularly weird the past month for me and for our punt team," Masthay recently told The Green Bay Press-Gazette. "Minnesota, the game at Minnesota, was a fairly normal rhythm. We had four punts, and they were scattered throughout the game. At least in my time here, we've never been a team that's punted heavily, because we've always had a strong offense. So having four or five punts a game, scattered, that's kind of the normal."

Masthay has a point, as the Packers have had two games this year in which both they and their opponents never punted. Prior to this season, that had only ever happened once, proving its unusualness. 

Packers Listed as 3-Point Favorites For Sunday's Patriots Game

The Packers have been listed as three point favorites for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

The Packers have won seven of their last eight after starting the season 1-2, including their last two contests at Lambeau by 30+. However, last week in Minnesota they didn't look too great, limping their way to a 24-21 victory. 

The Patriots, meanwhile, have a similar story. beginning the year roughly before going on a hot streak. They're currently 9-2 after being 2-2, and are 3-2 on the road.

Nonetheless, since the Packers are the ones with the home field advantage here it seems more likely they'll find a way come out on top, as tough as New England is.

Rodgers Admits He Didn't Mean to Throw Unusual Touchdown Pass to Richard

The unusual touchdown one-yard touchdown pass Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw to TE Richard Rodgers might've been cool, but that doesn't mean it was intentional.

Aaron admitted so to the Green Bay Press-Gazette yesterday.

"Well, that was a little bit of freestyle, if you will," he said. "The play is not designed that way. It's a play-action with (Andrew Quarless) as the first look in the right flat and there's only two guys in the route. Richie is the other option."

That's too bad, as it's fun to think that something like that could be on purpose. 

Still, the play was pretty unique, as the ball is said to have traveled 39.4 yards through the air on it.

Reaction: Packers Road Struggles Continue vs. Vikings, But They Still Win

The Packers didn't play that well today in Minnesota, but still, they won 24-21. Here are my takeaways from it:

1. Road Struggles:

They're not an illusion. This team is just not the same outside of Lambeau, and they need to fix that.

2. Eddie Lacy Can Make Big Plays:

On the last drive of this one, Lacy carried the ball five times in a row, and picked up the necessary two first downs to run out the clock. Not bad.

3. First Place:

With this and the Lions' 34-9 loss to the Patriots, the Packers are in sole possession of the top spot in the North for the first time this season. Finally.

On to the Patriots. 

Packers/Vikings Final Prediction

My prediction for tomorrow's Packers/Vikings game.

Score: Packers 34, Vikings 17

I've learned my lesson here. The Packers are better than good, and will play as such. They might not necessarily win by 30, but still, this one won't be close.

Why?

Because the Vikings just aren't a proven offensive threat. Since the Packers defense tends to struggle on the road, I wouldn't be surprise if they puts up 21+, but that still doesn't mean they'll win. The Packers will score at least 35, and that's being generous.

Leave your thoughts below on how accurate you think mine are.

Packers OL Tretter Fined $16,537 For Leg Whip Vs. Eagles

Packers Offensive Lineman J.C. Tretter has been fined $16,537 by the league for his leg whip late in Sunday's game against the Eagles, The Green Bay Press-Gazette's Weston Hodkiewicz reports.

Tretter swung his leg at Eagles LB Trent Cole with four minutes left to play Sunday after apparently missing a cut block. The move knocked Cole over, and drew a 15-yard penalty for unecessary roughness.

However, the league doesn't seem to think that that punishment was enough, taking away 56.8% of Tretter's weekly salary. Tretter, though, is expected to appeal.

This is the second time this season a Packer has been fined for an in-game incident. The first came back in Week 2, when Andrew Quarless was punished for grabbing the face of the Jets' Sheldon Richardson. 

Packers Listed as 9 1/2 Point Favorites for Sunday's Vikings Game

The Packers have been listed as 9 1/2 point favorites for Sunday's game at the Vikings.

The Packers have won six of their last seven, including each of their last two by 30+. However, they are just 2-3 on the road this season, with that pair of victories coming over the Dolphins and Bears.

The Vikings, meanwhile, have gone 4-6 this year, and 2-2 at home. They were blown out by the Packers at Lambeau 42-10 back in Week 5, but didn't have Teddy Bridgewater available to start that  contest.

Nonetheless, it's still unlikely that they'll find a way to come out on top this time around, regardless of how interesting Bridgewater may make things.

Reaction: Packers Blowout Eagles to Move into First Place Tie

The Packers walked all over the Eagles 53-20 today in a fashion most probably didn't see coming. Here are my takeaways from it:

1. The Packers are the best team in the North:

After today, that seems clear enough. I know Mark Sanchez was starting, but wow, 53 points.

2. Mason Crosby:

I know the Packers won here by 33, but that doesn't mean Crosby looked particularly sharp. He barely made two short attempts, missed a usually-automatic 50-yarder, and had an extra point blocked. Might be something to think about.

3. Now the Road:

If this team is as elite as they seem, they'll do this same thing next week in Minnesota. Just getting a close victory would prove they're only good at home.

Leave your thoughts below.

Packers No Longer Favorites to Win NFC North, According to FiveThirtyEight.com

The Packers are no longer the favorites to win the NFC North this season.

Or at least that's what the analysts of FiveThirtyEight.com think. According to them, the Lions, who currently lead the Pack by one game in the division's standings, now have the better chance of playing at home this postseason, in spite of the fact that the Pack don't seem to have another hard contest left on their schedule:

The site's full numbers:

Lions (6-2): 56 percent chance to win the division; 77 percent chance to make the playoffs.
Packers (5-3): 37 percent chance to win the division; 60 percent chance to make the playoffs.
Bears (3-5): 4 percent chance to win the division; 8 percent chance to make the playoffs
Vikings (3-5): 3 percent chance to win the division, 8 percent chance to make the playoffs. 

Agree? Disagree? Leave your thoughts below.