My Take -> Week 7

Greetings, G-Force.

4-1. A brutal loss. Sobering, in fact. After the 1st Quarter, the vibes were high. The the team looked capable of beating anyone in the NFC, anywhere. Then, on one pass, the buzz completely changed. And, suddenly, there was an all too familiar feeling in the air. Once again, the Packers were being physically demolished against an NFC opponent on the road.

As I write, I listen to the Grateful Dead’s 5/23/72 show from the Lyceum Theater in London. I’d encourage everyone to see a show at the Lyceum someday. Beautiful venue. I was fortunate to see the Lion King there on my honeymoon. I sip a 2014 Crooked Stave Autumn Surette. It’s a spiced up, funk bomb of a beer. A light, soft sipper. A true treat.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

It’s nearly impossible to hate on LaFleur and Rodgers for the game at Tampa. Gutekunst was exposed for his inability to add anything worthwhile to the right side of the line. Yes, I realize that Lane Taylor got hurt. Gutekunst was exposed for his inability to add a weapon at WR. Yes, I understand Funchess opted out. Gutekunst was exposed for his blatant miss on Josh Jackson. Where was Preston? Where was Za’Darius? Where was Clark? Those were the shortcomings. Not LaFleur and Rodgers. Even when the Packers led 10-0, the Packers were getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage. I hoped the tides would change as the game wore on. They never did.

The pass protection was pathetic. The weaknesses were exposed. Even with poor protection, LaFleur dialed up some decent creativity with near misses to Jones and Adams down the sidelines. There were also had misses to MVS and Lewis over the middle.

Oh well. I’ll take 4-1. I thought the Packers were destined for 7-9 to 9-7 before the season. Feels like this team will compete for the Division throughout a 16-game season. I do struggle with the thought of envisioning the Packers blocking the Bears though. So, less confident in that matchup than I’d like to be.

Krys Barnes continues to impress.

Yes, the Packers need a WR. But, they also need a run stopping DT next to Kenny Clark. They also need a RT. These are major holes on the roster. Lowry never developed like Gutekunst imagined he would. Turner isn’t a high quality starting RT. It’s well documented that Gutekunst flat out ignored the WR position. I’m also really worried about Kevin King’s injury lingering. Josh Jackson isn’t good enough to play on the outside.

I cannot believe that Travis Fulgham was in the Packers camp this year and that he didn’t make this roster. How is that possible?

Maybe I’ve lost my filter throughout 2020, but who are you super stoked about that Gutekunst has added to the offensive side of the ball in his 3 years as GM? Jenkins, yes. I like Lazard. Ervin fits the offense. Maybe we will be thrilled to have Deguara, Dillon or Runyan in the future? But, man, it’s tough to chew on that thought.

Again, I’m fired up that the Packers are 4-1. The LaFleur and Rodgers combination is dialed in. We are fortunate to have them. If the starters can stay healthy, we have the makings of a really enjoyable season ahead of us. LaFleur and Rodgers are simply smarter than their competition.

Gutekunst should offer a 5th round pick to the Giants for Golden Tate.

This week - it’s the Texans. You’d think this would be an easy victory for the Packers with all of the holes on the Texans roster. Not so fast. The Texans aren’t a very good team, but their strengths are the Packers weakness. And, the Packers injuries are going to show the limited depth on the roster.

Watson is an elite QB. But, he’s playing with a below average OL. The Smith Bros. must dominate. Kenny Clark must be the most physical player on the line of scrimmage. Gary must make a play. Watson is elusive and will make plays with his feet. The Packers have to contain him and keep him in the pocket. If not, I fear that Will Fuller could have a monster game. Darren Fells will also test the Packers ability to cover the TE. You know that Randall Cobb is going to show up with his best effort. David Johnson has had big games against the Packers in the past.

How in the world will the Packers try to block JJ Watt? I mean, shouldn’t Houston just line Watt up against Lucas Patrick and Mercilus against Turner? You’d think the Texans would win that side of the ball more often than not.

Romeo Crennel has a history with the Green Bay Packers. I was at the game when he was named interim Head Coach for the Chiefs and the Chiefs beat the 13-0 Packers in Kansas City. I imagine that Crennel will draft up a similiar game plan as he did that day. He'll eat up the clock. He'll slow the game down. He'll work to keep Rodgers off of the field. And, then, he's going to expect his front 4 to win the battle on defense and drop 7 into coverage. He'll occasionally send a 5th man on the blitz, but for the most part, he'll trust his defensive front to be the more dominant match-up.

Rodgers is going to have to be patient. He'll have to use the checkdown to Williams and Jones. Assuming Jones plays.

The Texans don't have anyone to cover Adams on the outside of the ball. I'd love to see a double move to Adams. It'll result in a big play.

I expect the Smith Bros. to each grab a sack. I also expect Jaire to snag an interception.

This one will be a nail biter. It'll be frustrating at times as the defense struggles to get off of the field. But, in the end, the Rodgers and LaFleur combination will be too good.

Packers 27 Texans 23

Go Pack Go!

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