Nice to finally get back on the winning side of things. Still some gripes on certain aspects of our game, but it's hard to argue with a win and REALLY hard to argue with a defensive performance like this one.

If we don't overlook anyone, we have the talent on this team to be 7-4 after Thanksgiving. At the same time, the deficiencies on this team are glaring enough that any game can become an adventure if we don't game plan correctly and execute.

Now, onto impressions from this game.

*Charles Woodson is a special player. We better enjoy watching him while he's still in his prime. 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles. Absolutely unbelievable.

*The line held up better than I expected tonight, even when we went to Clifton, Dietrich-Smith, Wells, Sitton, Lang due to injury. A few breakdowns, but nothing at a critical times or enough to really allow it to sway the direction of the game like in previous weeks.

*McCarthy adjusted the playbook correctly for the first time all season. The slants and quick routes were noticeable, we tried to get the screen game working (though only one was truly successful - to Brandon Jackson for a first on 3rd and 9-ish). The run/pass balance was pretty decent. I still get irritated by certain decisions, for instance, packing in a drive on 2nd and 23. Heck, try to get 11 or 12 back, and then do it again, keep the drive alive. Instead, we run twice and punt the ball back. Every drive in the NFL is an opportunity to score. No need to just give them away because they don't start well. But all in all, a much more sound game plan, and one tooled more to our personnel and current protection situation. Even though we only put up 17, the long drive was easily out best of the season (15 plays, 80 yards?).

*Rodgers was so-so today. There's still times where I'd love for him to get the ball out quicker, but when he's on, it's something special. His two best throws of the day came on third down to extend the drive that eventually resulted in the QB sneak TD. For the first time, I saw Rodgers really throw a ball prior to a receiver's break. The throw to Donald Lee on 3rd and 11 might have been his best of the season. I didn't see that route even developing, and the ball was out before Lee turned, right in the breadbasket in tight coverage for a first. And once again, no turnovers. Now if he can do that consistently, he'll truly be among the elite in the NFL.

*Some great individual performances deserve recognition on defense today. Let's start with the man in the booth, Dom Capers. He had these guys ready to play and everything he called was getting to Romo. Next, Barnett was all over today and managed to get to Romo twice. Cullen Jenkins has an incredible motor, and chased down at least two screen plays (from memory) from behind. For a 300 lb. man, that's impressive. Clay Matthews continues to progress, leaving Flozell "the hotel" Adams in the dust on QB pressures multiple times, as well as recovering a Woodson-forced fumble. For as much hell as he gets around here, Hawk played really well today, flowing to the ball and being assignment and tackle sure.

*Good to see Jordy Nelson back, he jumped right in to being a focal point of the offense. It's nice to have that extra option. Would like to have Jermichael Finley back soon.

*All the RBs ran hard today. Grant didn't post huge numbers but got tough yards, and Brandon Jackson ran over Terrence Newman for a first down.

*Please, McCarthy, for the love of God, do not design any more plays that require Donald Lee to pass block. Under ANY circumstances.

*One of two things needs to happen: Mason Crosby needs to start making 50+ yard FG attempts, or Mike McCarthy needs to stop trying them. No more excuses here.

*Plays of the game: Rodgers' 3rd down throw to Donald Lee. Anything involving Charles Woodson.



Awesome to be back on track today. This was an enjoyable performance all around, and with Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas (obviously) taking one on the chin this weekend, we're right in the thick of the playoff hunt if we keep improving every week and play well. We're not good enough to let up, though. Have to stick to the adjustments that are working, and compensate for the weaknesses we have at this point in the season. I'll be at Lambeau for the 49ers game next weekend, and I couldn't be more pumped.

GO PACK!

Nice post BF...Good analysis......I tend to agree on the O line... I was really concerned....also on Rodgers... I Saw some pretty throws today....Very Tight Spirals...

Same on RB's ... I think Green added to the team since his arrival have seen them running pretty hard ..Coincidence....I guess....

Lee and Havner missed some blocks or in Lee's case he did not block..he just held....

And yes we are back in the hunt....

I'll be at Lambeau too next week...but they gotta keep this up, else it doesn't mean much!

Wow talk about a wildly inconsistent team, they look like crap against some very bad teams and the next week totally dominate one of the better teams in the league. Hopefully the defensive play was not a fluke and is a sign of good things to come from a more experienced Caper's defense.

The ofensive line still looks bad but Rodgers has started to adjust better to the poor blocking.

Woodson should be the NFL defensive player of the week.


Way to go Pack!

I had the Packers losing this game by 2 TDs if I remember right. They came out and played hard. There was still mental mistakes by the team and the coach and but it certainly looked better all around from the past couple weeks.

This team has a chance to go 7-4 before a couple tough games with Bal and Pit. Hopefully they dont take this win and sit on their laurels. They have to make a run if they want any chance of making the playoffs AND being successful in the postseason.

Kind of surprised today that I'm not seeing anything about Hawk's play. Several superb stops for him today and a couple of BIG sticks. We like to bash the guy so I thought I'd give him props today. No turnover type plays but his presence was known out there.

Hawk has been great the last few weeks. He's playing with some swagger that I don't think I've ever seen him play with.

Good to see more of a West coast-style offense from Mac, but the predictability is still very apparent. Can we all just pencil in a draw play on 3rd and long?

I'm not saying chuck it up, but seriously Mike, Sherman was doing that back in 2004. Time to change it up, buddy.

I don't think it can be stressed enough how better off we are with Jermichel Finley in the lineup. He's the kind of guy that defenses will actually have to plan around and will take a lot of pressure off our quarterback.

I would add one more thing to a great list.

MM needs to delegate the Red Flag to another coach. He makes extremely poor decisions on whether to challenge or not and will end up costing the team games.

What he said!!!

I wasn't happy with the Packers giving up on 2-23 either at the time, but in retrospect the D was flat-out beating the Cowboys in every part of the game -- McCarthy was relying on that and not risking a bad situation (INT near the goal line).

It's been such a long time since the Pack could rely on the D like that, I didn't recognize it at first.

I assume that he's getting word from the booth to throw those.

Frankly, the third flag looked stupid, but it completely disrupted the Cowboy's hurry-up and effectively got the team another time out -- stupid or crafty?

They may give him advice, but he is the head coach and has the flag to make the call. Whether Nelson was in the end-zone or not, the risk-reward for being 'right' was not worth it. IMHO, if we cannot score the TD in 3 tries from the 1 yard line, we do not deserve to win.

Also, the 3rd flag SHOULD have cost us a 15-yard penalty. The officials messed up.

If I am not mistaken, he does have one of the better percentages in the NFL with challenges. He just maed a bad call last night.

I cannot find the data yet. Aikman mentioned in the broadcast the McCarthy was one of the least successful at winning challenges...if I am not mistaken.

Last I Checked all coaches get the call for a challenge from the Booth, I beleive even Aikamn stated to that, when he was speaking about the guys in the booth should have reviewed it more before sending it to MM to challenge.

In stating that , if you get the call that it is a TD then it could be worth it , just maybe it is calculated, if you lose it , you get a TO and set up your O, the ball is placed down at the 1 yard line and they have 4 downs to get it in, could also fumble and get no score...Maybe the guys in the booth only saw one angle and were hoping it was right..Not sure I wasnt in the booth or have prevy to what was stated on the headset to make the decision..

From where we are sitting the TV audience always gets the views and analysis of the play and the challenge.

I am unsure on the penality on the 3'rd challenge, could be wrong , but have not seen that called, why the officials did not recognize until they went UNDER the hood is beyond me..The officials should know what challenges are left for each team just like TO's. Also the Coaches in the Booth along with MM should know how many challenges are left...and maybe its like Sky Stated it could have been done to disrupt the Boys... But if correct on a penalty called on the Packers for calling a challenge when they are out of challenges then that I would categorize that as Dumb.

Just an FYI...Below is a list of 15 yard penalities from NFL rulebook: Just wanted to know myself ...

15 Yards

1. Chop block.
2. Clipping below the waist.
3. Fair catch interference.
4. Illegal crackback block by offense.
5. Piling on.
6. Roughing the kicker.
7. Roughing the passer.
8. Twisting, turning, or pulling an opponent by the facemask.
9. Unnecessary roughness.
10. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
11. Delay of game at start of either half.
12. Illegal low block.
13. A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.
14. Any player who uses the top of his helmet unnecessarily.
15. A punter, placekicker, or holder who simulates being roughed by a defensive player.
16. Leaping.
17. Leverage.
18. Any player who removes his helmet after a play while on the field.
19. Taunting.

however there is an Automatic First down for these infractions:

Automatic First Down
1. Awarded to offensive team on all defensive fouls with these exceptions:

1. Offside.
2. Encroachment.
3. Delay of game.
4. Illegal substitution.
5. Excessive time out(s).
6. Incidental grasp of facemask.
7. Neutral zone infraction.
8. Running into the kicker.
9. More than 11 players on the field at the snap.

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/digestofrules

Now do they get that interpertation for the Excessive TO's based on throwing the red flag when you are out of challenges , or did the Packers actually have any TO's left. Not sure... But nothing I could find on challenges and throwing the red flag when you are out of challenges....JMO

And Holmgren back in '95.

That said, I didn't mind those calls. I found it refreshing to see Mac thinking about field position for once. A 10-7 win counts every bit as much as a 35-34 win.

The defense was out of this world. The win felt great. However, I'm not convinced by the whole 'turning point' argument. Even playing a more conservative offense, there were four sacks, a dozen penalties, and some crummy line play. I'm not sure that's going to go away, whatever plays get called.

If Mac wants to run a genuine west-coast offense, the line is going to have to learn how to block a screen pass — it's embarrassing right now.

Also on a skeptical note, while the special teams weren't as dire as the past three weeks, they're still a cause for concern. Averaging 35 yards a punt (only one inside the 20) isn't going to cut it, especially bearing in mind the Packers coverage unit. Neither is fair catching every opponent's punt.

One last niggle, to whomever has been complaining about the Packers' bad luck this year. The Packers have fumbled 12 times this year and lost three (25%). Recovering fumbles is basically random, and the NFL average is about 50%. Yesterday Green Bay recovered four of the game's five fumbles. We deserved to win, but we had a bunch of luck, too.

That's a great point that I think gets overlooked -- challenges are effectively extended time-outs as well. Just because a coach challenges a play and loses out doesn't necessarily mean that the coach didn't achieve his goal in that situation.

Again, yesterday McCarthy basically created a time out from thin air. That's pretty good right there.

Just saw this on GBPG.....

On challenges: First one (Williams fumble) came from both upstairs and on field. Second one (Nelson) was a time-clock issue; wasn't sure would get call in, so once got below 10 seconds on play clock, would have had to take timeout anyway so decided to challenge. Emotions factored, but in hindsight, "you probably don't want to do that because we're first-and-inches."


JMO...But I can live with that...it is a reasonable response since this was a must win Game..I can imagine emotions would factor in... And I am glad he states that is something he should not have done in hindsight....

I was thinking this to myself. Who cares if he got across. We have 1st and goal on the 1. If you can't punch it in in that situation you don't deserve to win. That was a STUPID challenge. The timeout proved to not be costly but losing the ability to challenge later could have been very costly. As it is, they should have been penalized for 15 yards. That was a horribly officiated game heavily favoring the Packers. As much of a homer as I am, the Cowboys got some bad breaks in that game.

Good Call Torveaux...I stand Corrected...Still cant find it anywhere...But from the preverbial Horses Mouth....MM

On jsonline:

On third challenge: "I made a mistake." Was supposed to get a 15-yard penalty.

The refs heard all the crap that MM's been taking and cut him some slack

I disagree.

I didn't like the challenge in that particular instance, but in general you should challenge a play if the ref makes the wrong call in the end zone. Anything can happen - fumble, a holding penalty, or just good red zone defense. The Packers have struggled in the red zone this season, so it was no given that the Packers were going to score.

A few years ago, the Patriots stuffed the Colts on the one or two yard line for four straight plays. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL.

I think the Packers caused some bad breaks(fumbles,int's)
but except for the 15-yd penalty for trying a 3rd challenge,
I don't think the Cowgirls were hosed at all.

Not the refs fault a fumble recovery was not reviewable.
And aren't the refs supposed to let plays go instead of blowing a "quick whistle"?

Agree he shouldn't have challenged the goal line play,
but didn't it used to be that the correct spotting of the ball
(1/2 yd line vs 1 yd line) was a good challenge?
Maybe they have changed that.

All in all a great defnsive effort and a very good win!!

Go Pack!!

Who in the heck is the guy upstairs who relays to MM whether to challenge a play or not?? This wasn't the first time MM has challenged a play and caused us all to scratch our heads. Somebody has to teach this guy when to throw out his red hanky and when to leave it in his pocket.

Couldn't he have done it in reverse? Once MM decided it would take a time out, couldn't he have taken the time out and then decided if the challenge was warranted? Wouldn't they just count the time out if he lost it?

No, if McCarthy took the timeout, then challenged, and lost, it would be two timeouts charged to GB. We, as fans, didn't like the call to challenge because we were looking at those replays for 40 seconds while McCarthy was on the field looking at nothing but the big screen, if anything. I'd have to blame the guys upstairs for not getting McCarthy the definitive word soon enough. I mean, if you're the coach, and they're taking a long time to get the word to you, logic dictates that it would at least be a close call that could go one way or other and at least worth a challenge.

I agree. Some people on here could P&M about anything. What a miserable way to go through life.

Here here to the King.... heard of the ole saying Misery Loves company....in My view it was a good Defensive Game ...and those kinda of games are never pretty...

You mean like the fumble on Romo in which Felix Jones clearly recovered the ball and was touched by a Packers player? The official actually told Phillips that the call was blown but that it wasn't a reviewable play. If you recall this play setup a Packers TD as they were given 1st and goal on the 3 yard line. The official admitted it was a blown call. The game should have been much closer than it was. No matter how much of a Packers fan you are, you have to admit that the refs helped us out big time in this game. I bleed Green and Gold but even I had to admit that the game should have been much closer than it was. It was a poorly officated game in our favor. Sure we forced some bad breaks on the Cowboys but we clearly helped on a few plays. The Packers should have never scored that TD that put them up by 17 points and they should have been penalized 15 yards for attempting a 3rd challenge. Both of these could have completely changed the game if they had been officiated properly. I came out of the game impressed by the defensive play but let's not kid ourselves. Our offense completely sucked. In reality they only scored 10 points. They were given 7 points by the officials.

Then again, we've had our fair share of games where the officiating wasn't in our favor. So I'll look at it as payback. There were several games last year and even this year that were heavily impacted by officiating.

"No matter how much of a Packers fan you are"
you have to admit that even if Jones is downed
with the ball at the 20, making it a 3rd and 18,
the Cowgirls would have had to punt giving us
the ball in "ok" field position and "probably"
adding to our 10-0 lead.

Bad calls ???

I felt like I got to know Mike Pereira
personally last year as often as he was apologizing
to the Packer organization for "blown" callls.

The Packers also could have beaten the Queens
in either of our meetings
if the officials would have called
a penalty on them before the 4th quarter.

The Cowgirls avoided the shutout in the
LAST MINUTE of the game!!
Our defense cost them the game,
not the officials.

Go Pack!!