The Packers are a different team when they take an early lead. There’s something about the offense asserting itself that gives the defense and the whole team a swagger.
This “momentum grabbing,” cuts both ways. Against Seattle and Miami, the games seemed well in-hand by early in the 2nd quarter. While three drives and no points early against Detroit felt like too much to overcome, and it was. Yes, the Packers had second half leads against Detroit, but with so few possessions the empty drives early were decisive.
Big Edge
Josh Jacobs and the offensive line were impressive early against Seattle. Jordan Love had a, “ho-hum” 123 passer rating, with two TD’s and no interceptions. Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson looked like quality veteran receivers and the offensive game plan used Jayden Reed effectively. Yet, these performances didn’t tip the balance, Edgerrin Cooper did.
The rookie linebacker was ridiculous. A sack, several pressures and tackles for loss, an interception, and another near interception. The kid was a terror. Earlier in the year Cooper showed promise. Sunday night he made his second round selection look like a steal.
This defense badly needs a game-changer. Is it possible that Coopers’ elite speed is the key that unlocks our defensive front? Against Seattle his explosiveness jumped off the screen. Looking back, only Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews in their prime and Zadarius Smith, for about a season and a half, have had that kind of impact in the last 15-years. Cooper is still a rookie and needs to show it game after game. But he could be “the guy” opposing offenses have to account for.
A big December win on the road. Beating a quality opponent. Quieting a loud environment on route to a comfortable win and a virtual lock on a playoff spot. These are all signs of a good win.
Nice to nitpick
Of late, the Packers have played so well it seems like nitpicking to point out problems. The thing is, it’s not. Some of these could be the difference in a close playoff game.
Matt La Fleur led his team in blunders Sunday night. It’s hard to see what he, or his booth advisors, saw to challenge on a Kenny Clark batted pass the Packers recovered. It was obviously an incomplete pass, but La Fleur challenged and lost. His challenge record in 2024 stands at 0-6.
Worse than the ill-conceived challenge was the end of first half clock management. To his credit, La Fleur owned his clock management failure when he seemed to be channeling his inner Matt Eberflus by frittering away 20+ seconds while he had timeouts in-hand. It’s easy to overlook in a 17-point win, but it cost the Packers 4-points and left the door open for Seattle.
Let’s hope ranting and complaining after 17-point road wins becomes a trend.
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