Post Game Thread : Packers hold off Lions 34-27

[eyecatcher]

A lot of defensive woes in 2nd half fall directly on Capers.

How so? I didn't see the second half but it seems like the secondary got burned one on one and that isn't a defensive scheme issue. Not arguing here by any means. I'm genuinely curious what you think Capers did wrong or what he could have done differently?

 

[rpiotr01]

How so? I didn't see the second half but it seems like the secondary got burned one on one and that isn't a defensive scheme issue. Not arguing here by any means. I'm genuinely curious what you think Capers did wrong or what he could have done differently?

Capers played a lot of zone with the idea of forcing Stafford to throw short and underneath and bleed the clock. Instead he found gaping holes deep down the middle and to the sideline for 20+ yards a pop. It's tough because without Clay or Datone or even Guion there was little pass rush so you pick your poison against a veteran QB like Stafford, but at the same time I think I'd try sticking with man and getting the right match ups with the DBs you have.

 

[eyecatcher]

Capers played a lot of zone with the idea of forcing Stafford to throw short and underneath and bleed the clock. Instead he found gaping holes deep down the middle and to the sideline for 20+ yards a pop. It's tough because without Clay or Datone or even Guion there was little pass rush so you pick your poison against a veteran QB like Stafford, but at the same time I think I'd try sticking with man and getting the right match ups with the DBs you have.

Thanks rp. Was that different than what worked in the first half? If it was then yes that is on Capers for sure. I don't watch the defense with that critical of an eye while the game is live. I'll also rewatch to get a better feel for it. I guess at a minimum he should have adjusted when it wasn't working in the 2nd half.

 

[GBP4EVER]

MM and Capers like to play consertive when having a lead. They let up on the gas not wanting to put a team away

 

[eyecatcher]

I don't think the offense went conservative in the second half. Lacy was tearing it up and they used that momentum. They ran at least 8 pass plays out of 18 plays in the first three drives of the 2nd half. There were a couple drops, a sack and Rodgers ran a couple times.

 

[rpiotr01]

that was nice, but i thought the earlier pass to jordy going across the middle was even more important. that has been a big missing element in our offense too. think of how many times we saw jordy streaking across the field, snatching a pass in stride and taking it for a nice long ride.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-...-Nelson-makes-a-49-yard-catch-over-the-middle

That was nice but more a case of taking advantage of a bad match up. We were able to get Jordy matched up in a LB, which he's going to take advantage of every time. The second TD throw was big IMO because it was a case of him beating tight man coverage and AR throwing the ball accurately. Two big things missing since last year.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

Good game. Loved the 1st half. Good balance of pass and run. Not too thrilled with the 3rd quarter. Although Lacy had some really good runs. I am not a fan of run, run, run.

It was good to see Nelson start to look like the old Nelson.

 

[Pugger]

I get your point about the vets missing on D. At one point I think we had Clark, Lowry, Fackrell, Elliot, Ryan, Thomas and Martinez as the front 7, which is both scary and kind of amazing at the same time. We missed those players dearly in pass rush, but the problems on the back end were due to players with more experience, not the rookies up front. I want to re-watch but my sense is that Randall and Hyde had particularly rough games, and DC just couldn't find something that consistently slowed Stafford down (and for the record, tip of the cap to Stafford, he was fantastic).

If you can't pressure the QB your DBs are gonna be exposed. Not having Burnett and Shields back there was a killer along with an inconsistent pass rush.

 

[TW]

Quick analysis. Watched the game off DVR last night. Still traveling to South Texas.

The Packers played 25 minutes of football. You do that against a team that's decent, and you watch that big lead evaporate, and you lose by 10.

There's obviously issues in making adjustments on the fly. That falls on the coaches. It's also time that McCarthy dump the "Prevent offense and defense mentality." Despite the win, the players have to be looking at the last 35 minutes of the game and asking themselves, "What the hell went wrong?" It's obvious the fans at Lambeau Field saw it, and so did anyone else who watched the game.

You're not going to win a Lombardi Trophy if you don't have the killer instinct in games.

 

[Pugger]

I doubt the players are wondering "What the hell went wrong?" They know the W is the goal. Come January nobody is gonna give a rip what the score was. You won't hear NE fans moan about beating the Dolphins by "only" 7 at home.

It appears to me that when we are playing a team deemed inferior and we don't blow such a team out of Lambeau by a big margin that that win is tainted in some way. Half of our defensive starters were out so it shouldn't be a shock that a QB like Stafford would do his thing. I suspect every member of the Lions would gleefully give back all those yards for the W. smh