Well, the Lions took advantage of a bad team and got a very nice win. Stafford didn’t make crucial mistakes, and Megatron is simply the best player I’ve seen since Jerry Rice. The run defense was very good, and even the questionable secondary was able to take advantage of Eli Manning’s suckitude. Nice win for the Lions.
Well, the Bears did lose their Center, best OL at LG and top 2 WRs for a big chunk of the game. Santonio Holmes managed to drop at least 3 balls on critical 3rd downs. The refs swallowed their whistles on the final drive of regulation and helped force OT. It was absolutely a few typical shitty plays for Cutler, but as usual he’ll take more of the grief than is fair. Such is life as a high-paid QB with no rings.
Yeah I was pretty happy. The discipline issues of the first half disappeared in the second, and I am still hopeful enough about Crawford that, for now, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that the first half was the aberration.
Not real impressed with Ebron yet, but one game is not condemnation time. Fairly is a freaking joke though. How much we paying for that slow tub of lard? Suh did look good though, even though he didn’t have the stats. Eating up two linemen plus a look from another every down really opened the line to pressure the QB, and hobble the run at the same time.
But I think the Giants are overflowing with suck this year, so we’ll have to see what happens against real competition.
Man though, ending the year at CHI, then at GB; no favors from the schedule this year for the dome team.
This week’s schedule (Times are in Central because to heck with the East coast):
Week 2: (Sun, Sept. 14) Patriots at Vikings (1-0), 12:00
Week 2: (Sun, Sept. 14) Lions (1-0) at Panthers, 12:00
Week 2: (Sun, Sept. 14) Jets at Packers (0-1), 3:25
Week 2: (Sun, Sept. 14) Bears (1-0) at 49ers, 7:30
I see the Patriots walking away with the win against the Vikings. Lions vs. Panthers is a tougher call but I think Lions offense and defensive line will make the difference here. Jets and Packers is another one that I think could go either way but I think that if it turns into a shootout then the advantage goes to the Jets.
With the Bears, I want them to win, I hope they win, but I have a tough time thinking that they can. So far, the defense hasn’t proven that they can stop the read option and I’m going to assume that Harbaugh is smart enough to run it just enough to give the Bears the fits. Bears have some injuries and while I’m certainly fine with De la Puente at center, I am not as sure about Ola at guard. Both Jeffery (hamstring) and Marshall (ankle) are on the injury report so the passing game is affected. If Cutler can play smart, Forte can make some plays, and the defense can step up, the Bears have a chance. Like I said though, I have a tough time seeing them win.
Some big happenings going into these games. Adrian Peterson beats his child and the team doesn’t wait for a guilty verdict before taking him out of the lineup (cough Greg Hardy cough Rey MacDonald cough). I think the Vikings get a wakeup call this week and realize there is a difference between playing the Patriots and the anemic Rams offense from last week. I don’t think it will be a blowout, but Asiata doesn’t scare anyone, and Cassell can’t put the team on his back, so I expect a Vikings loss this week.
The Lions go to the Panthers this weekend. The Panthers finally decided to do something about Greg Hardy and he’s inactive, which will certainly help Stafford stay clean-ish in the pocket. The Panthers defense is for real, but I have never been sold on Cam Newton as a passer, so I think this game will be close too. I expect Stafford to make at least one mistake this game, which will make the difference.
The Packers are at home against the Jets. I dislike Geno Smith, but the Chris Twins (Ivory and Johnson) are talented enough to carry this team. To beat the Packers, you need to control the clock, run the ball, and not make mistakes, two of those three the Jets can do. But after last weeks debacle, I expect Rodgers and the Packers to come out hot and get a decisive win this week.
In other big news, the Bears could be without their two stud WR’s, which could mean big problems for the Bears offense. And they’re playing a 49ers team that runs the ball very well, which isn’t good because the Bears defense can’t stop the run. And while the 49ers defense has suffered some losses, I don’t think they’ll have too much trouble if Marshall and Jeffrey can’t play. I look for Cutler to be Captain checkdown since he can’t just throw the ball up and hope his studs come down with it. I think the Bears lose this one by a big margin.
I love watching Adrian Peterson run the ball, so his backward-ass, violent beating of his child makes me very sad. Another guy I like watching play football is actually a major asshole. It’s getting a bit repetitive.
Yep, same ol Lions. Failure to finish, dropped passes,stupid mistakes, dumb turnovers, and a few missed tackles turn a game that was easily winnable into a crushing defeat.
My brain told me not to, but my heart said go for it…sip the kool aid. Damnit!
I didn’t watch the game and I don’t know if I would have been happier watching it or stick to just grumbling at the lowlights.
Not a horrible week for the NFC North, with a 2-2 record. The Vikings got their teeth kicked in, mostly due to some atrocious play by Matt Cassel. The Lions offense couldn’t get anything done against Carolina, and their defense couldn’t stop the passing game of Cam Newton (which is a very bad sign). The Bears get a win gift-wrapped by Colin Kaepernick, a team that committed a ton of penalties, and some really shitty coaching (why the hell would you only run the ball 18 times and have Kaepernick pass 34 against a team that just sucks against the run?). It was an ugly game, with the Bears not looking good for 3 quarters, but a win on the road against a tough team is good. The Bears are 1-1, as I expected. I just didn’t think that they’d lose to the Bills and beat the Niners. Go figure. And the Packers start horribly slow, but thanks to a bad QB in Geno Smith and an amazing game by Jordy Nelson, they get the win.
So it’s a 4 way tie in the NFC North with every team sitting at 1-1. Now it gets fun.
Week 2 is done and we’re into week 3.
Week 3: (Sun, Sept. 21) Packers (1-1) at Lions (1-1), 12:00
Week 3: (Sun, Sept. 21) Vikings (1-1) at Saints, 12:00
Week 3: (Mon, Sept. 22) Bears (1-0) at Jets, 7:30
Everything is all tied up in NFC North but that will change this Sunday. I’m thinking Packers, Saints, and the Bears will come out with wins this week.
This Lions-Packers game(through 25 minutes) isn’t quite what I expected.
Well, got the win.
But…
Stafford was absolute shit,Secondary devastated, Tulloch, the “steady,smart” defensive player injured himself on a sack dance :smack:
Damn the Lions defense looked good this weekend. They completely dominated that game, with their front 4 making the Packer offensive line look … well, offensive. Nick Fairley had a great game, forcing a fumble and pressuring Rodgers all day. The Lions suspect secondary played very well, and the game plan was very well tailored to beat the Packers.
Aaron Rodgers has been average. That’s not good enough to help this team win; he needs to be great. It seems to me he’s uncomforable, too quick to get rid of the ball, not making great decisions at the line, and is accuracy, usually his strong suit, isn’t awesome. It doesn’t help that the O line has been bad, that he’s missing a playmaking TE, and that they can’t decide who the #3 WR is, but he’s not making it easier on them.
Matthew Stafford looked like the old Matthew Stafford, making bad decision and throwing picks, and the Packer defense wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t enough to win. The Lions got a great win, even when their offense wasn’t great, which is a boost to that team.
The Packers need to get their shit together.
The Vikings are looking at the future. A future without Adrian Peterson, but with Teddy Bridgewater, who took over when Cassell (thankfully) got hurt. Bridgewater looked pretty good for a rookie QB, but the lack of a running game and trouble getting a pass rush made it a long day for them. The Vikings didn’t play too poorly, and Bridgewater looked OK, so there is hope. But it could be a long, rebuilding season. They also need to sign a free agent RB, because Asiata isn’t good and McKinnon isn’t ready.
And the Bears are the Bears. Somehow they get teams to hand them games, and, in their defense, they grab the opportunity. This week it was Geno Smith throwing a couple interceptions and the refs taking a TD away from the Jets defense that helped them win, but a win is a win, especially in a weak NFL North.
On the positive, the run defense for the Bears was pretty good overall, and they were able to rattle an easily rattled QB into throwing bad passes, which is always nice. Martellus Bennett had a great game, and the O line, while they can’t block the run worth shit, were pretty good against the Jets blitz packages. And maybe it’s my bias against Cutler, but damn the Jets dropped a lot of balls that could have turned the game.
So the Lions and Bears are the cream of the NFC North, which isn’t saying much at all. None of these teams have impressed me at all, but, come to think of it, not many teams in the entire NFL impress me yet. The Niners may be pretenders, Seattle is still the best, but not nearly as impressive as last year. Maybe it’s the CBA’s limits on practices, but NFL football through 3 weeks has been defined by mistakes, sloppy play, and only occasional glimpses of greatness. Here’s hoping it improves.
Don’t forget to vote for Kyle Fuller as your Pepsi Rookie of the Week over at NFL.com.
I consider myself a very calm and rational football fan, I can see the bigger picture on the teams I love more than most I feel, and I’m noticing a trend about my beloved Packers.
No one is noticing that Aaron Rodgers is playing…well…not good.
He’s not being godawful, he’s not playing “bad” per se, but he’s not playing like the elite QB he is. He’s holding on to the ball WAY too long (a knock on him since the beginning) and he’s just not accurate. He’s overthrowing a lot, he’s forcing balls that end up just careening into the ground, and he’s not playing well…and that’s a lot of why they are looking so bad.
I don’t think all hope is lost though.
The first game we lost because we played pretty well against a very good team
The second game the defense was crap, but the offense shined
The third game the offense was crap, but the defense shined
If they get their shit together they can make a run…if not they can fire Mike McCarthy(and I will rejoice)
Week 4. It’s Packer’s week for some of us. For others, it’s Packers week every week.
Week 3: (Sun, Sept. 28) Packers (1-2) at Bears (2-1), 12:00
Week 3: (Sun, Sept. 28) Lions (2-1) at Jets, 12:00
Week 3: (Mon, Sept. 28) Falcons at Vikings (1-2), 3:30
With the thumping the Falcons put on the Bucs last week, it’s not hard to imagine that they can do the same this week. It’s not tough to foresee the Vikes struggling on offense and defense as well.
Do the Lions build on last week’s win or do the Jets come back from their loss? It can go either way but if Stafford plays this Sunday like he played the last one, it’s going to go in the Jets favor.
A lot of questions on the Bears side for Sunday. Because of injuries, both safety spots are now a revolving door personnel-wise, Jared Allen is without a sack, the wire receivers are hurting, and the running game has yet to get off the bus. The Packers are smarting from their loss last week and could use the win. They’re not going to get it.
I think the Falcons are a different team at home than they are away, and that works in the Vikes favor this week. The Vikes defense is still hard to figure out, but if they can generate some pressure, I think they’ll do OK this week. They really need some improvement running the ball, which also favors them against a questionable Falcons run defense. But Asiata isn’t very good at all. If they can get the running game going, if Bridgewater limits mistakes (which he can do), and they get a pass rush, I think the Vikings have a good shot to win this week.
Geno Smith is easily rattled, and with Suh and Fairley looking to eat his children, he’ll throw a pick or two this game. I think the Lions win easily, they’re stout against the run and pretty good in coverage with their linebackers, which is all the Jets have on offense.
The Packer offensive line needs to play better, because they are not giving Aaron Rodgers any help and almost every yard Lacy and Starks gets is because of their own work. If the offensive line doesn’t suck and the defense can be physical (big if), the Packers should win this one. But if Cutler doesn’t throw a pick or two, if Marshall and Jeffrey push everyone around, and if Young and Allen bring the pass rush, the Bears should win. It’s really tough to know what is going to happen because both teams are horribly inconsistent.
I think the Packers get their shit together and get a win, with Nelson and Cobb just eating that secondary (except that Kyle Fuller, he’s been pretty awesome so far) for lunch and Rodgers getting back in his groove. But we will see. It should be an exciting game.
Go Pack Go.
Well you can’t be more far off than I was here. The Vikings offense didn’t seem to have much of an issue here and completely outperformed the Falcons.
The Lions took it to the Jets as well.
And boy was I way the heck off on the Bears/Packers game. Not much of a pass rush gives Rodgers a great game. Cutler… Cutler… well he had a great game as well for the Packers. He just couldn’t stop throwing it to them. Youch. There were a couple of nice spots – Forte had a good game after struggling for the past few weeks and I thought that TD to Alshon was cool. Not much else.
For the last 5 years the best QB on the Packers has been Jay Cutler.
Why would anyone ever throw on the Packers I have no idea. Can’t stop the run for anything, and when you DO throw you just need to throw it in the middle because that’ll always be wide open.
First off: Wow, that was a fun Bears/Packers game wasn’t it? The Packers just R-E-L-A-X and have a get well offensive game against an overmatched defensive team, while Jay Cutler is just Jay being Jay and throwing a couple interceptions. Dom Capers should send Cutler a few game checks.
The Bears were actually impressive on both sides of the ball in the run game. Forte had some massive holes to run through and took advantage of them, and the front 4 did a good job of containing Eddie Lacy. One thing that really impressed me for the Bears was just how good of blockers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey are. Everyone knows how dominant they can be in the passing game, but they’re also out there busting their humps to stop corners and safeties from making tackles. Impressive.
The Bears pass defense? Not so impressive. They didn’t get much pressure on Rodgers at all (the O line played tons better this game than last week, especially Bulaga who handled Lamar Houston easily), and the secondary looked lost. That move Cobb put on Conte in the end zone was just sick.
The Packers defense still needs a ton of work. They were pathetic against the run, with their (too little) fat guys getting pushed around and their secondary missing tackles and getting caught flat footed. They had issues in the passing game also, but thanks to Jay Cutler, they got the big plays when they needed them and took the game away from the Bears. Still, that rush defense needs a ton of work if they expect to be able to play against power running teams like the Niners and Seahawks.
The Lions defense had some troubles against the run also, with Ivory and Johnson putting up 128 yards on just 23 carries, but the Jets have Geno Smith, so it’s all good. Two turnovers for Smith made the game a bit easier, but the real story was that Stafford had a very good game without relying on Calvin Johnson. He played very well, using a variety of receivers, and protected the ball. Those are good signs for the Lions coming up.
And, surprise surprise, I was right about the Vikings. They took advantage a couple Ryan picks and Teddy Bridgewater looked great, so they get a big win against the Falcons.
It’s a short week this week, with the Lions and Packers playing on Thursday night. It will be hard to make that game as much fun as I had watching the Packers annihilate the Bears, but we will see.
Packers/Vikings on Thursday night, Hamlet.
Also good to see the turf at Soldier Field tackled nearly as many players as the Bears and Packers did themselves. Thanks Chicago Park District. At least no one blew out any ligaments.