In the Packers Bye Week Report, I stated that the passing game is what really keeps Green Bay rolling on offense. Well, the passing game was sub-par against Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers really didn’t seem like his normal self, putting up a mere 142 yards on a 15-26 clip. He kept the ball with the offense, throwing no interceptions, but with no touchdowns that wasn’t enough. Especially when the opposing quarterback put up better than him. Gus Frerotte, a guy that would be standing on the sidelines for most teams, may have thrown three interceptions, but the positives made up for it. He threw 15-for-28, had 151 yards and threw two TD’s. In my book he had a much better day than Rodgers.

I also said in the Bye Week Report that Ryan Grant needed to pick the running game up, because when the passing game fails the team will need him. Today he ran better than he has been this season. Grant had 16 carries for 75 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and a scores, really keeping Green Bay alive when the ball was in their hands. But, like Rodgers, the guy on the Vikings outplayed him. Adrian Peterson almost had a 200-yard day. His 30-192 line had him averaging over six yards per carry, and he also scored. His stats easily pales Grant’s game. Without AP, Minnesota would still be searching for a win over the Packers.

But if there was one group of players to blame for this devastating loss, it has to be the offensive line. The typical holding calls and a false start moved the ball back, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The margin of the loss was one point, and you can credit the O-Line for giving up four. Trailing 10-7, Rodgers dropped back and lineman Kevin Williams penetrated and rushed Rodgers. The ball was hit, rolled into the endzone, and Rodgers made a smart play of forcing a safety instead of risking a Viking touchdown. Later in the first half, Jared Allen blew by the offensive line and brought down Rodgers for another safety. This did two things. The most obvious one is giving up four points, which could have been the key to Minnesota’s win. The second was giving the Vikings the ball and more possession time. In a game like this, it really didn’t help that the Packers had the ball 12:10 less than the Vikings. Even though Minnesota didn’t score on the drives resulting from the free kicks, they kept Rodgers and the gang off the field. If each team had equal possession time, it could have (and probably would have) been a different outcome.

After a Peterson-led drive with little time left in the game, the Vikings went on top, 28-27. Green Bay moved the ball downfield, and the last play of the game would be a 49-yard field goal by Mason Crosby. The game in a dome and it isn’t an impossible kick. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick was all but good. It seemed as though it could split the uprights, but at the last second the kick glided past the right goal post. Just off. Some people could be quick to judge the last play and say “if he would have made that kick, they would have won. Crosby’s fault.”, but the Packers were lucky that they even got in that situation. The way they were playing this game, it wasn’t all skill that took the offense to the 32-yard line.

So the game is over, and like in every week, win or lose you just have to move on. But unlike last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, there isn’t even a moral victory to take if they wanted to. Against Tennessee, Green Bay showed that they had a legit shot against any team in the NFL. Against Minnesota this past Sunday, they showed that they could give any team in the NFL a legit shot.

How can the Packers solve their problem? Well, here are three things they really need to do:

1) Make sure Rodgers passes well. As of right now, the team scores points when he has a good game. When he’s off, the offense struggles a bit more than usual. Just like when they had Favre, the passing game is a must for the green and gold.

2) Step up the running game. Grant needs some 100-yard games. He doesn’t need anything spectatular like AP just did, but to balance out the offense more, he needs to be more effective. The road will be less rocky when he puts up solid games.

3) Block! Without the two safties, Green Bay could have easily won that game. But the offensive line blew assingments when backed up against the ropes twice, and it came at a heavy price. Giving Grant holes, Rodgers time, and, well, relieving the pressure as a whole could really help.

Right now the defense is going somewhat smoothly, but the rush defense needs to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, veteran linebacker Nick Barnett tore a ligament in his leg during the game and is out for the rest of the season. The pass defense is great, but the rush defense is near the bottom of the league. Barnett being out makes things even worse, so the backup has to perform well and the defense all has to bail him and and step it up themselves if they want to succeed.

Looking ahead, at 4-5 Green Bay needs to play as close to perfect as they can. It’s a three-team race for the NFC North crown, and they are only one game out. In that aspect, it looks good, but a glance at the team’s upcoming games makes things seem a bit tougher. Up next is the Chicago Bears, who gave the Pack two of their three losses last year. Kyle Orton may be back, and the two games against the Bears are must-wins for Green Bay. After that are the New Orleans Saints, a team that is beatable. If they don’t give them the game, the Packers have a nice shot against the Saints. Three weeks from now, though, are the under-the-radar Carolina Panthers, who are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the NFC. Green Bay will have to play like they did agaisnt the Titans to outplay Carolina.

It seems like there will be plenty of drama coming up for the Packer Nation. The journey will be tough, and the team will have to play it’s best, but they can do it. 4-5 isn’t where they want to be, but it isn’t a place where they can’t improve from and win the division. Anything can happen; it just depends how the guys play on the field.

Coaching

Mike McCarthy really miffs me sometimes.  I give him props for owning up to making a mistake in challenging Adrian Peterson‘s touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, costing the Packers their second timeout, which would have been vital to a two-minute drill.  Having the second timeout would have given the Packers at least one more play, which would have allowed them another chance to get the ball closer for Mason Crosby.  No matter who the kicker is, I’d feel more comfortable with a 48-yarder than a 52-yarder.  Heck, a 50- or 51-yarder probably would have been good the way the ball was flying.

Tying into this, throwing a one-yard pass to Donald Driver with just over 30 seconds left on third-down was not the smartest decision on Aaron Rodgers‘ part and the play call was not the best on McCarthy’s.  I know the Vikings were bringing the house and if Driver breaks Madieu Williams‘ tackle, it’s a big gain, and Crosby’s field goal is a chip-shot.  However, a five-yard out along the sideline would have been a much better play call by McCarthy or a better throw by Rodgers.  I hate second guessing McCarthy, as I have tremendous respect for him, but that play just really left me scratching my head.

Another decision that I was really curious about was McCarthy going away from Ryan Grant and the running game.  Grant was having one of his better days, with 75 yards on 16 carries against a stout Vikings run D.  Earlier in the season, 16 carries would have barely netted Grant 20 yards against an average team, but Grant was showing that his stride is coming back.  McCarthy rode this horse to the NFC Championship Game a year ago; he needs to get back on it.  I love McCarthy was a coach, I have to say.  But that being said, he just makes some real head-scratching decisions.

Passing Game

Rodgers was fairly efficient in this game, completing 15 of 26 passes, but only for 142 yards and he could not connect with any of his receivers for a touchdown.  It would have also helped if he could have spent some more time on his feet.  The Vikings were in the backfield the whole entire game.  Jared Allen had two tackles, a sack, and helped force a critical safety.  Napoleon Harris was a human torpedo, leaping into the backfield on more than one occasion, getting a sack.  Linebacker Ben Leber probably had the hit of the game, as he absolutely laid-out (and I do mean absolutely laid-out) Rodgers as Rodgers attempted to go deep.  The Packers quarterback was visibly shaken up and you have to wonder how his shoulder has to be holding up after taking a beating like this.  I would say pass protection is the main reason that the passing game was struggling.  Chad Clifton was absolutely owned by Allen, and Scott Wells did not have a good game at center.

The Packers did bust out “The Big Five” for the first time this season, using the five-receiver set six times.  They netted four completions and 51 yards out of it, but it may have been counterproductive, exposing Rodgers to a vicious pass rush and some unnecessary hits.

Speaking of the wide receivers, the Packers star pass catchers were kept silent for most of Sunday.  Driver led all receivers with five receptions for 46 yards, including a great catch on a deflection during the Packers frantic two-minute drill.  Greg Jennings was shut down, catching only three passes for 37 yards.  He needs to have big games for the Packers to do well, and he was been neutralized in recent weeks.  One name appearing in the box score I haven’t seen in a while is James Jones.  Jones had one catch for five yards late in the game.  The second-year wide receiver was a key to the Packers early season success in early 2007, but has basically fallen off the map after his infamous two-fumble game against the Chicago Bears in Week 5.  I personally blame Brett Favre for Jones’ disappearance, but let’s not get into that.

Running Game

I just about covered this earlier.  Grant had a good game with 76 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but was basically written out of the game plan.  He needs to get going for the Packers to win.  It is absolutely imperative for Grant to have good games down the stretch for the Packers if they even want to make the playoffs, let alone win in them.  It was just total crap.  I know the Vikings have a great run defense that was holding Grant back and that the offensive line play was suspect, but give Grant the ball and let him make plays.

Pass Defense

The pass defense is what kept the Packers in the game for this one.  The secondary held Gus Frerotte to 151 pass yards on 15 completions out of 28 attempts.  The team picked him off three times, with Nick Collins returning one for a touchdown to cut the Vikings 21-10 lead to 21-17.  Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams also got in on the party.  Williams’ interception, however, was canceled out, as he gave up an early touchdown pass to Sidney Rice.  Williams foolishly gave up inside leverage on Rice near the goal line and Frerotte easily hit him for six.  Frerotte also had another touchdown pass to Chester Taylor after Taylor broke a Desmond Bishop tackle attempt and scampered for six.  Bishop was replacing Nick Barnett who had left with a knee injury.  Taylor was the Vikings’ lead receiver with four receptions for 84 yards with half coming on the aforementioned touchdown catch and run.  Peterson was the second-leading receiver with three catches for 33 yards.  Bobby Wade led all Vikings wide receivers with 24 yards on three receptions.  The Packers pass defense performed the best of all the units on Sunday.

Rush Defense

Can you say, “sieve?”  Well say it again, because that is what we were looking at folks.  The statline for Peterson: 30 rushes, 192 yards, one touchdown.  The Packers were absolutely gashed.  There is no way to really describe it, other than the fact Peterson was a man among boys, breaking tackles and turning gains of nothing into gains of something.  Just reading that statline should show how bad the Packers rush defense played.  There is really nothing else to say about it.  Young running backs seem to be the Achilles’ heel for the Packers: Peterson this week; Chris Johnson and LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans last week; how will Matt Forte of the Bears do next?

Special Teams

As I alluded to earlier, Crosby’s miss had a direct correlation to McCarthy’s timeout mismanagement and questionable play calling.  I trust Crosby’s leg moreso than any Packers kicker since Ryan Longwell.  People should not get down on the kid for missing this field goal.  It was makeable, but he missed.  Life goes on.  The Packers should have even been in this situation where they needed a game-winning field goal.  Why?  Field position.  The Packers took it somewhere oh so unpleasant on this facet of the game.  Their best field position came at the end of the game after a great kickoff return by Will Blackmon.  If the Packers field position had been better and they had not ended up with the ball inside the ten-yard line on numerous occasions for certain reasons (I’m looking at you, Blackmon), the Packers could have easily avoided those two safeties.  Take the safeties away, and what’s the score?  27-24.  Packers win.  But instead it was 28-27.  Packers lose.  So although I apologized to Blackmon yesterday for calling for bad things to be happing to him after his horrible decision and subsequent punt return for a touchdown, I’m not totally happy with him.  If he could get the ball out of deep in Packers territory, the safeties would have been avoided, causing at least a four-point swing.

The Packers could have come out of Minnesota with a 5-4 record and a share for the division lead.  Instead they come out 4-5, gasping for air and trying to stay above the water in the NFC North.

But what is going on with the Packers? Early season prognosticators would have had them at about 5-3 or 6-2 at this point in the year with a comfortable division lead, not at 4-4. They would not have expected the Packers to lose to the likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tennessee Titans. Aaron Rodgers was thought to be the preseason bust; not Ryan Grant. Rookies would not be calling out their quarterback (cough, Jermichael Finley, cough), and the team would be more united after trading Brett Favre to the New York Jets. But the Packers are struggling with these issues. They are forced to take “moral victories” as they did after the Titans loss.

The main problem for the Packers this year has been injuries. Last season, the only major injury I can think of off the top of my head was losing cornerback Charles Woodson for the game against the Dallas Cowboys with a broken toe, a game in which the Packers sorely missed him. The defensive line also had numerous injuries last year, but none to the same magnitude of the Woodson injury. This year, however, the injury tide has turned against the Packers. Woodson hurt his toe again. Al Harris ruptured his spleen. Nick Collins, Aaron Rouse, and Atari Bigby have all been banged up in the secondary. Grant, after reporting to training camp late, hurt his hamstring, an injury he still hasn’t fully recovered from as he has yet to hit his stride. Rodgers suffered a severe shoulder injury in the 30-21 loss to the Buccaneers, but has Favred-up and played through it. The offensive line has been beset by small nagging injuries, such as the ones to Scott Wells and Chad Clifton, causing a lack of unity which could also be affecting Grant’s abilities. Last season, these injuries weren’t a huge problem for the Packers. This year, they have been.

Luckily for the Packers, though, the rest of the NFC North has stumbled. The Vikings, a sexy preseason pick for the Super Bowl (I’m looking at you, Dr. Z), have stumbled to the same 4-4 record as the Packers. Tarvaris Jackson was not the quarterback they (and I) thought he was at the beginning of the season and he has been benched for Gus Frerotte. Adrian Peterson has performed, but he hasn’t had the 295-yard game everyone has been looking for. On a good note for the Vikings, Bernard Berrian, acquired as a deep-threat in the offseason, has been coming on strong; look for a good matchup between Berrian and Harris on Sunday. The Vikings pass defense, thought to have been shored up with the acquisition of Madieu Williams in the offseason, has been an utter failure. Despite the great pass rush generated by the defensive line, they can’t defend the pass game.

The Bears have been a surprise this year.  Lovie Smith gave the job to Kyle Orton and Orton responded nicely, leading the Bears to a 5-3 record so far.  However, Orton suffered an ankle sprain, giving the keys to the offense to everyone’s favorite quarterback, Rex Grossman.  Orton is going to miss at least a week, possibly two, making everyone ask themselves, “Is Sexy Rexy going to rear his ugly head anytime soon?”  For the Packers, hopefully yes.  The Bears have been winning the close ones, hanging in tough and pulling it out at the end.  The Packers have had a little difficulty coming back late in close games, which they will need to do, as the meet the Bears twice in the last eight weeks of the season.  Remember, Chicago swept the Pack in 2007, costing the Packers homefield advantage in the playoffs (not that it mattered anyway).

The Lions.  Ah, the Detroit Lions.  Matt Millen is gone.  Rod Marinelli is still there (for now at least).  What isn’t there is a quarterback.  Jon Kitna‘s season ending injury gave the offense over to Dan Orlovsky.  Who was horrible.  Flat.  Out.  Horrible.  I don’t think I’d seen a worse quarterback in the NFL.  Besides him running out of the back of the end zone in the game against the Vikings, he just didn’t have it.  His throws were lame ducks.  And he couldn’t run a two-minute drill.  Orlovsky trying to drive the Lions downfield at the end of the team’s 25-17 loss to the Washington Redskins on October 26 was one of the most comical things I have ever seen.  It made me want to cry.  And now the Lions are supposedly going to start Daunte Culpepper on Sunday.  Daunte Culpepper.  Yes, that Daunte Culpepper.  It’s ridiculous.  The Detroit Lions have gone from lovable losers (to an extent) to an absolute joke.  It’s not even inept management anymore.  It’s just like God is screwing with the people of Detroit now.  It’s that bad.  They could actually go winless.  I wish they were playing the Cincinnati Bengals this year.  Now that would be a game to watch.

There is a lot of time for the NFC North to shake up, at least the top three spots.  The Packers have four divisional games left this year, and all will be critical to the postseason push.  The schedule doesn’t get any easier, either.  Besides two dates with the Bears, a date in Minneapolis, and the Lions in Lambeau to close out the year, the Packers have games at the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars, along with home dates versus the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans.  The Saints sit at 4-4 with a dangerous offense consisting of Drew Brees and Reggie Bush and whoever Brees will throw the ball to.  Harris and Woodson will both need to be at full strength for that match, as New Orleans will want to turn it into a track meet.  The Jaguars have disappointed this year at 3-5, but have a dangerous defense and are a superb two-minute drill run by Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers away from the .500 mark.  Jake Delhomme‘s Tommy John surgery has not had a negative impact on this season, as the Panthers sit atop the NFC South with a 6-2 record.  The Packers are 0-2 against the South so far this year, and will want to even that mark against New Orleans and Carolina.  Finally, the Texans, at 3-5, look like the easiest team remaining on the schedule, but with young playmakers Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton, anything can happen when Houston comes to town.  That being said, the Packers still hope to finish up strong.

Best case scenario for the Packers looks like them finishing 10-6.  The only way into the playoffs looks like through the division crown, as the NFC East teams are tearing up the league and making it difficult for any team to rip a wild-card berth away from that division.  Of course, a 12-4 or a 4-12 finish isn’t out of the question, but 10-6 looks like a happy medium.

Today Jackson was benched for veteran Gus Frerotte.

I was wrong.

I honestly thought Jackson could do something with this team and with his skills. Even though I am a Packers fan, I wanted to see him succeed and do something, with all the doubt surrounding him this offseason amid the Brett Favre rumors to the rumors about Minnesota going with someone else. Jackson had the vote of confidence from Brad Childress. He just couldn’t do anything. Which is unfortunate. As an NFL fan, I wanted to see the kid succeed. As a Packers fan, this works for me. Nothing beats having an immobile journeyman quarterback under center for the rival.

Chicago Bears

- The Bears named Kyle Orton the starting quarterback over everyone’s favorite Rex Grossman.  This is not good for the Packers, as Bears-quarterbacks-not-named-Rex Grossman (aka Orton and Brian Griese) swept the Packers last year.  The Viking Age also puts forth some other scenarios that could come out of this.

- The age of some of the Bears offensive lineman is also appearing to become an issue.  Which just makes things easier for Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.  And whoever else starts at defensive end now.

- The Bears make the right choice for their franchise player on ESPN.com.

Detroit Lions

- Apparently, wide receiver Calvin Johnson is “scary good.”  Are you listening, Al Harris and Charles Woodson?

- The Lions fans and writers are pretty excited about a 2-0 preseason record!

- Another guy thinks Johnson is a beast.

Minnesota Vikings

- Overpaid free agent wide receiver Bernard Berrian is having toe problems.  Which is good for the Packers, bad for my fantasy team.  Damn autodraft.

- The Vikings defensive line depth is continually thinning.  Good thing for Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson.

- Is Chris Simms coming to Minny?

- Veteran quarterback Gus Frerotte will start the third preseason game for the Vikings due to Tarvaris Jackson‘s sprained MCL.

That’s all folks.