My Take -> Week 15

Greetings, G-Force.

10-3. NFC NORTH Champions. Atop the NFC. 3 weeks to go. In control of their destiny to have home field to go to the Super Bowl. As we sit now, the road to the Super Bowl would go through Titletown, U.S.A.

As I write, I sip a North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin. I figure, that if I’m going to reflect on a vintage Aaron Rodgers performance, I might as well sip a classic. This one has aged since 10/16. Just about the time when Rodgers was going to begin his RUN THE TABLE stretch. In a ‘tis the Season moment, John Lennon is presently belting “And, so this is Christmas” in my ear.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

There’s love in this locker room. The bond between this team is remarkable. There’s a strong connection. A deeply rooted unification. They seem to genuinely care about one another. Matt LaFleur deserves a lot of credit for building this culture.

Aaron Rodgers willed this team to victory. The offense struggled to find its rhythm. But, Rodgers was dialed in. A grind it out performance. A gritty display. With three weeks to play, Aaron Rodgers is the NFL’s MVP.

Davante Adams continues to play at an extraordinary high level. Each week - he’s the 2nd best player on the field, behind Aaron Rodgers.

I am worried about the Aaron Jones teaming with Drew Rosenhaus move. I hope this one doesn’t turn out ugly. My gut says that he wants to stay in Green Bay.

Mason Crosby! Unbelievable!

Dance Tavon, dance. Dance, I say. Dance Tavon, dance. Dance all night with a hole in your pants.

Again, the Big Bob Tonyan TD comes due to a beautifully designed play call by LaFleur. Adams comes in motion to the right side. It looks as though it’ll be a quick out to the Superstar WR. Rodgers looks that way after the snap. It’s all disguise. Instead, Tonyan is wide open on the back side for an easy TD. Lovely!

Matt Freakin’ LaFleur. Play calling expert.

Sure, this defense frustrates. There’s still too much zone defense. Preston continues to roll backwards on occasion. They struggled to get off the field on 3rd down. There were annoying penalties. But, if you look at the whole body of work, there were many positives. The Savage sack before the half. The 3 and out to start the 2nd half, which put the Packers in position to grab a 2-score lead. Holding the Lions to a FG after the blown special teams kickoff coverage. Those were major wins.

Would’ve been overwhelmingly sublime if Za’Darius would’ve held on.

Jaire is elite.

I just had to change my music. I went to Natalie Merchant’s “These are the Days” as they truly are the days that we will remember. These are our glory years. These are our “remember when” days. Two years ago, the franchise was completely broken. Devastated. Headed into a scary downward cycle. Two years ago, Aaron Rodgers looked broken. Unhappy. Disgruntled. Today, this team is 10-3, Divisional Champions, and leading the NFC. Thank you, Matt LaFleur. Embrace these days, my friends. We will talk about this season forever.

Game on the line. Need a first down to seal it. Or you can run the ball to eat up the clock. What does LaFleur call? Play action to Tonyan in the flat. Dagger!

Kenny Clark played his best game of the year.

It was great to see Dean Lowry making plays as well!

Rashan Gary continues to impress. He’s making giant leaps forward. So, is Darnell Savage. Suddenly, I’m holding out hope that Gutekunst found winners in both 1st round picks.

Quietly, Vernon Scott is playing like a guy who seems to belong.

Another solid play by Ramsey on special teams.

Speaking of special teams, these blunders cannot continue. ESB looked unwilling to make the tackle.

An ESB positive: how dope was that 15 yard dart from Rodgers to ESB on the run. Broken play. Mental connection. Made me smile.

Aaron Jones has a big game coming up. I can feel it.

Up 14-7. The defense gets back to back sacks to get off of the field. The Packers were driving to make it a 2-score game until the Bakhtiari penalty stopped the drive. The defense did its part to create the separation in the 2nd Quarter. The offense didn’t finish. Even a FG would’ve felt big.

MVS! I guess you have to take the bad with the good, maybe? Happy to see him grab that back shoulder throw after looking miserable on the two previous attempts earlier this year.

I love you, Davante Adams.

Mason Crosby. Gamer!

I wouldn’t be surprised if Chandon Sullivan has an interception on the horizon. He’s smart and in position.

Kirksey is in the bottom half of starting ILB’s in the NFL. He might even be significantly lower.

Rodgers to Lazard for a 1st down on 3rd down will never grow old.

The Rodgers TD run was all heart. Simply put - he wanted this game more the anyone else. He was the ultimate competitor.

Said it last week and I’ll say it again. Kevin King is close to making a big play. He’s breaking in the ball. It’s only a matter of time.

Soak up our time with Aaron Rodgers. It won’t always be this way.

To show the difference in coaching: it baffles me that Dominique Dafney can be signed and called up, pressed into action. Yet, he knows how to motion in unison with MVS and Adams. Yet, on the defensive side of the ball, on two occasions, they have 12 men on the field? The devil is in the details. On offense, the Packers couldn’t be more dialed in. On defense and special teams, there’s clearly room for improvement.

In December, it is fun to scoreboard watch. A Packers win on Saturday night would mean a fun weekend of lying on the couch and watching football. Scoreboard watching. If the Packers win on Saturday night, it’d be epic to see Washington beat Seattle along with a Kansas City win against New Orleans. If so, the Packers would be in a golden position with two weeks to go. Especially because Seattle plays the Rams the following week.

I love this team so much. If they win the Super Bowl, I’m forever referring to the Red Zone as the Gold Zone in memory of the 2020 Season.

Jenkins’ false start prior to Crosby’s vital kick shows that the young Jedi has not fully mastered the Force.

This defense will give up yards + points. They’ll struggle to stop the run and the screen pass. But, they’re also going to get sacks, draw holding penalties and force turnovers. I’m banking on it. But, they must stay out of zone defense. Play man to man. Go straight up!

Rodgers is still nimble. Rodgers is still quick. Rodgers still jumps over that first down stick.

3rd and 1. It’s beautiful to watch Lazard blocking and Williams running. Soon, we will see Lazard motion in. A fake to Williams. And a play action pass down the sideline for a big play. LaFleur loves to show something on film and set the opposition up for mind games later on.

It’s so much fun to watch King and Jaire in run support!

I wonder if Matt LaFleur listens to DJ Khaled when he pulls into 1265 Lombardi Ave each day? After all, all he does is win.

This week - it’s the Panthers. At Lambeau. Prime time. Saturday Night football. I’m unbelievably stoked!

The Panthers will be without Christian Mccaffrey. That’s a huge win for the Packers. But, the Packers cannot overlook Carolina. They’re much better than the record suggests. They’re fighting for their young, high spirited coach. Matt Rhule was highly coveted this offseason. He was a huge catch for the Panthers. He is a creative coach who will pound the ball and then take a shot down the field. Kevin King will be tested with the speed of the Panthers WR’s. Moore, Anderson and Samuel can all run. Mike Davis has played well all year. He’s been a very good back. The Packers can expect a heavy dose of Davis all night long. Ian Thomas is a talented TE. Teddy Bridgewater is a likable Leader. He takes care of the football and manages the game in a great fashion. He’s smart. He uses his legs to extend plays and grab yardage. He needs to be monitored in the pocket.

Carolina has been very competitive. They just haven’t been able to win games late. They lose numerous one-score games. They haven’t been able to finish.

The weather doesn’t appear as though it’ll be an issue. Look for Rodgers to attack the vulnerable Carolina CB’s. Davante is going to have another terrific game. Look for Jones to get loose as well.

The Packers grab a 2nd Quarter interception. The offense delivers to give the Packers a 2-score lead. They never relinquish it.

Packers 34
Panthers 23

Go Pack Go!

Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com