Watching KC, you see relentless pressure.
++++++ Extended Home Opener wins to 12 games. Great Job guys!!!!
You play a running QB a bit different, where sacks are less important than contain. That's what the Pack did. They will start to get mare sacks against less mobile QB's. Just sayin.
@DurangoDoug posted:You play a running QB a bit different, where sacks are less important than contain. That's what the Pack did. They will start to get mare sacks against less mobile QB's. Just sayin.
We'll see. Rashan Gary and Luke Van Ness have generated next to no pass rush so far this year. Gary has one sack on a play where the center snapped the ball before the OL was ready. Van Ness had a nice tackle for loss on a read play today, but nothing in terms of rush pressure.
Time of possession 40+ minutes, points scored, 16. Normally, when you allow a team to hang around like that, you'll end up losing, but the Colts are just bad enough for that not to have happened.
Also, can we jettison the Malik Willis rah-rah stuff.
Colts had 3 points through about 58 min of football
”We” did pretty damn good
whatever the Colt X4 is, they have to be clamoring for the team to fire the whole damn coaching staff.
@titmfatied posted:
What BS.
and lets take today to remember one of the greatest Packers of all time
Headline:
3rd Year QB Beats Out 2nd Year QB
+ I liked 1st half game plan…
- until last drive when we went into turtle mode for rest of game. Lucky to eek out win.
+ Malik didn’t force it and made some nice throws, most of his runs looked planned. Jacobs hitting his stride.
+Narveson had decent showing but he is undrafted work in progress.
- Gary and Watson no shows.
Happy to get the W, O will need to switch it up again next week, D still finding their way but love the TOs.
I was not able to watch or listen to a single play of the game. On the surface, it appears, we should be grinning ear to ear about this result.
I admit, my confidence level for this game was not high. Willis had not proven that he could win. Top that with the short amount of time he's been with team, this was a dumpster fire in the making. All he did was throw his first NFL touchdown. not commit a turnover, QBR of 82.5, run for 41yds, and dealt with a football covered in vomit.
The defense gave up only 10 points and had 3 turnovers.
Other than a missed FG, it doesn't sound like the ST had any major issues.
The offense dominated the TOP. Jacobs had the fumble but rushed for 150yds (more than any Packer's RB last year) while the opposing team knew they weren't going throw it.
When Love got hurt, I think we all knew that to win any games in his absence, this team would have to run the ball, Willis needed to be a game manager and protect the ball, winning the turnover battle was essential, and the STs couldn't cost us the game.
Seems like we should be impressed.
I'd like to see the 22 for an idea of what happened to Watson. Could he not break off from the coverage? Was he mostly double teamed? Did Willis not look his way much or simply miss seeing him/not have opportunities, or some combination?
@Shadow posted:I'd like to see the 22 for an idea of what happened to Watson. Could he not break off from the coverage? Was he mostly double teamed? Did Willis not look his way much or simply miss seeing him/not have opportunities, or some combination?
Almost every pass Willis threw was out of his hand right away, except for the long one to Doubs. He didn’t do any deep drop backs or rollouts where Watson or other receivers would have time to get downfield.
I doubt much of that was in the game plan either. What I liked most yesterday is the team learning to perfect the run game like this is going to benefit Love when he gets back and open up all kinds of fun nonsense.
@ilcuqui posted:Almost every pass Willis threw was out of his hand right away, except for the long one to Doubs. He didn’t do any deep drop backs or rollouts where Watson or other receivers would have time to get downfield.
Agreed that the plan was to take the decision making out of Willis’ hands and make things as basic as possible. Maybe the coaches will trust Willis more as time goes on.
As far as yesterday went, they decided if they were going to lose, it was going to be for reasons other than letting Willis try to do too much and make critical mistakes.
I think we all know a game plan this simple won’t work most of the time but it was appropriate for the circumstances yesterday. Willis needed a lot of help around him to win that game, and he got great performances from his surrounding cast.
@packerboi posted:Doesn’t matter what the details, the Pack wins. No major injuries, this is a great win,
Plus:
It is the NFL it's tough to win in this league just win and move on. I don't care if the score is 2-0 or 66-0 a win is a win.
I personally think this may have been one of MLFs best game plans yet. They knew Indy struggles against the run, and they took advantage of it.
No major injuries
Malik took care of the ball and no he wasn't a world beater, but he helped win the game.
I do like seeing the defense getting some turnovers it is great to see that
Negatives:
I still am not completely sold on the defense. For all the talk of how aggressive the scheme will be they still at times sit back in that damn soft-shell defense.
+Colts we’re playing an 8 man box and we still ran all over it in the first half.
- Colts switched to a Bear front, 5 man line, in the 2nd half and we didn’t have a counter.
+ Wyatt had a great game, looking worthy of a 1st round pick.
+ DB’s all played great except Nixon. We should be looking to replace him in the slot.
Summary: Packers dominated the game, just a couple things didn’t go their way and it made the game closer than it should have been. BS holding call on Walker cost 4 points. Jacob’s fumble cost 7. Missed FG cost 3 more. We left 14 points out there IMO.
That said, the Colts offense played like dog shit and made the D look better than they are. MLB is a serious problem and the edge pass rush should be way better.
Any good coach can and must adjust what they do to fit their players. Matt LaFleur didn't just try to plug Malik Willis into the existing offensive structure, he essentially reinvented the offense on the fly to fit what Willis could handle and what he does best. 👍
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) September 16, 2024
Heard quite a few say it might have been one of MLF's best games since he's been here.
Got caught up in the "too conservative" mindset during the game but MLF was correct.
- My biggest issue was at the end of the game....why take the delay penalty and punt instead of trying a 55yd FG to put you up by 9 and effectively end the game? Unless the kicker said he can't go that distance but I know he can.
- MLF's clock management before half and at end of game.
- Jacobs fumble at goal line. C'mon son!🤬
+ Romeo "Davante" Doubs - WHAT. A. CATCH!
+ Willis = Z-E-R-O turnovers big key
- Packers really need Love back in a hurry. I'm happy for Willis but he's clearly a backup QB and it shows.
+ Defensive takeaways. More of that will go a long way to securing wins, when the offense is sputtering.
Solid win. Individual performances or the lack of are unimportant in a game like this. Haven't watched th 22 yet, but I'd bet Watson did exactly what they wanted him to do. Block hard on run plays and pull a safety to his side on pass plays. IND surely knows Willis has a big arm and wouldn't want to give GB easy scores. Great OL play was the story.
On to TEN.
Interesting post-game comment from Willis. Wilde asked him when he found out he was going to be the starter. MW said "yesterday"... "because, you know".
Love is closer to being ready than not.
IND's passing game looked like CHI's yesterday. I was surprised at how many off throws and drops they had. Definitely made our D passing stats look a lot better. Richardson looks like a throttled Randall Cunningham. Built like him, same canon, lots of running talent. We just didn't see him take off as much as RC used to.
What I saw on offense in the first half was a lot of motion, misdirection and WR runs to get the D's eyes spinning, which softened them up for the easy throws that MLF had for Willis. It was a beaute. Can't say the same about second half but the other side gets paid too.
Willis overall looked so much better than the 2nd stringers we've had here since Flynn flew the coop.
@H5 posted:Hot take. GB trades Willis for a 3rd rd pick in the next 2-3 years.
The Packers have started 5 backup QBs in their "modern" QB era - when Favre, Rodgers, and Love were the starters.
Willis, Hundley, Tolzien, Seneca Wallace, and Matt Flynn.
Willis is not a better backup QB than Matt Flynn. Not even close.
I'm not sure Willis is any better than any of those other guys right now. If the Colts could have stopped the run at all, we might all be worried about how we would get into an 0-4 hole to start the season and why we didn't go sign Tannehill. He threw one ball more than 5 yards past the LOS and that was a lob pass/wounded duck to Doubs (which was fine given the situation - a third down and long play where an interception way downfield is as good as a punt).
Willis had one throw where he looked like someone who was an NFL-level QB which was the TD throw where he had to place the ball perfectly to avoid the DB cutting under the route. That was an elite throw. Other than that, there wasn't a single throw he made that any decent college QB couldn't make.
He didn't screw anything up and MLF was able to devise a game plan where Willis was able not to lose the game for them, but he did not look like a starting NFL QB yesterday.
McKinney looks less twitchy and quite a bit slower than Darnell Savage.
Xavier also has 2 INTs in 2 games in a Packer uniform, seems to be in the right place all the time (a key aspect of playing Safety in the NFL), and appears to know how to tackle. Did I mention that Savage was a great athlete?
Any Packer fan miss the better "athlete" Savage? Anyone?
Not comparing the two situations, but Quay Walker is supposed to be a Hell of an athlete and, like Savage, was a Gutey 1st round pick.
Eric Wilson is a journeyman who has mostly kept his place on an NFL roster mostly by being a STs demon.
Yesterday, I saw Wilson make a huge play on a 3rd and 1 that led to the Colts missing a long field goal. He also intercepted a pass when he was in perfect position and Richardson made an ill-advised pass. He also stripped a Colts player from behind which almost led to a fumble recovery.
Are impact plays like the ones Wilson made yesterday to much to expect from Quay Walker? And to the extent Wilson is being asked to do different things than Walker is a role change worth considering?
On a completely separate note, Wilson was PFF's highest-rated defender (albeit on just 8 defensive snaps) at 99.4 and Walker was the lowest-rated defender at 40.1
Top 5 defense
1. LB Eric Wilson: 99.4
2. S Javon Bullard: 78.3
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 70.7
4. CB Eric Stokes: 69.1
5. CB Carrington Valentine: 65.9
Bottom 5 defense
1. LB Quay Walker: 40.1
2. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 43.7
3. DE Rashan Gary: 45.5
4. DE Lukas Van Ness: 47.2
5. DL Kenny Clark: 48.6
@SteveLuke posted:McKinney looks less twitchy and quite a bit slower than Darnell Savage.
Xavier also has 2 INTs in 2 games in a Packer uniform, seems to be in the right place all the time (a key aspect of playing Safety in the NFL), and appears to know how to tackle. Did I mention that Savage was a great athlete?
Any Packer fan miss the better "athlete" Savage? Anyone?
Not comparing the two situations, but Quay Walker is supposed to be a Hell of an athlete and, like Savage, was a Gutey 1st round pick.
Eric Wilson is a journeyman who has mostly kept his place on an NFL roster mostly by being a STs demon.
Yesterday, I saw Wilson make a huge play on a 3rd and 1 that led to the Colts missing a long field goal. He also intercepted a pass when he was in perfect position and Richardson made an ill-advised pass. He also stripped a Colts player from behind which almost led to a fumble recovery.
Are impact plays like the ones Wilson made yesterday to much to expect from Quay Walker? And to the extent Wilson is being asked to do different things than Walker is a role change worth considering?
On a completely separate note, Wilson was PFF's highest-rated defender (albeit on just 8 defensive snaps) at 99.4 and Walker was the lowest-rated defender at 40.1
Top 5 defense
1. LB Eric Wilson: 99.4
2. S Javon Bullard: 78.3
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 70.7
4. CB Eric Stokes: 69.1
5. CB Carrington Valentine: 65.9Bottom 5 defense
1. LB Quay Walker: 40.1
2. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 43.7
3. DE Rashan Gary: 45.5
4. DE Lukas Van Ness: 47.2
5. DL Kenny Clark: 48.6
Walker continues to disappoint. Hoping he can play better on the weak side and that a change will be made.
@SteveLuke posted:McKinney looks less twitchy and quite a bit slower than Darnell Savage.
Xavier also has 2 INTs in 2 games in a Packer uniform, seems to be in the right place all the time (a key aspect of playing Safety in the NFL), and appears to know how to tackle. Did I mention that Savage was a great athlete?
Any Packer fan miss the better "athlete" Savage? Anyone?
Not comparing the two situations, but Quay Walker is supposed to be a Hell of an athlete and, like Savage, was a Gutey 1st round pick.
Eric Wilson is a journeyman who has mostly kept his place on an NFL roster mostly by being a STs demon.
Yesterday, I saw Wilson make a huge play on a 3rd and 1 that led to the Colts missing a long field goal. He also intercepted a pass when he was in perfect position and Richardson made an ill-advised pass. He also stripped a Colts player from behind which almost led to a fumble recovery.
Are impact plays like the ones Wilson made yesterday to much to expect from Quay Walker? And to the extent Wilson is being asked to do different things than Walker is a role change worth considering?
On a completely separate note, Wilson was PFF's highest-rated defender (albeit on just 8 defensive snaps) at 99.4 and Walker was the lowest-rated defender at 40.1
Top 5 defense
1. LB Eric Wilson: 99.4
2. S Javon Bullard: 78.3
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 70.7
4. CB Eric Stokes: 69.1
5. CB Carrington Valentine: 65.9Bottom 5 defense
1. LB Quay Walker: 40.1
2. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 43.7
3. DE Rashan Gary: 45.5
4. DE Lukas Van Ness: 47.2
5. DL Kenny Clark: 48.6
Bottom 5
Engabare -round 5, the other four are all first round picks.
Obviously, Alexander and Stokes are first round picks too, but the Packers seem to end up drafting a lot of DL and LB high in the draft that end up being just sort of "there." They aren't terrible players. They are good enough they can't afford to let them go because they have no one behind them, they sign them to high dollar contracts, and then they are just "there" for years. They do just enough to convince you that they are good enough players to keep, but they never become truly consistent difference makers.
Gary and Clark are going to make about 46 million a year between the two of them. Both are solid players, but is either really a difference maker?
I've seen what I need to see from Walker. I liked the flashes from his rookie year but he never built on them and never established any consistency. Too bad, as this defense has always been missing a great athlete at OLB. But being an athlete means nothing if he can't figure out where to be.
Hard to criticize anything from this coaching staff today. Willis is not a good QB right now so the fact MLF and crew put together a gameplan to limit the QB from actually having to be a QB and you get a win, you celebrate.
With the Titans up next, they have a real chance to get to 2-1. That means worst case, they're 2-3 when Love is back which is much better than I expected.
While Willis definitely exceeded all expectations, Jacobs really needs to get the bulk of the credit here. 32 carries for 151 yards against a team that knew he'd be running at them all game. And they still couldn't stop him.
I love Aaron Jones but this is exactly why we signed Jacobs. He's an every down back. Jones would have never touched the ball 32 times in a game. His most ever with us was 25 touches 5 years ago. This week for the Vikes Jones had 9 carries and split reps (and also had a fumble).
32 carries is the 2nd most Jacobs has ever had in a game in his career. Outside of the fumble, he almost single handedly won us this game.
He kind of looks like what people expected Dillon to turn into when he was drafted. Tough N/S runner with some speed for the size.
@CUPackFan posted:Hard to criticize anything from this coaching staff today. Willis is not a good QB right now so the fact MLF and crew put together a gameplan to limit the QB from actually having to be a QB and you get a win, you celebrate.
With the Titans up next, they have a real chance to get to 2-1. That means worst case, they're 2-3 when Love is back which is much better than I expected.
IND had some limitations stopping the run coming into the game. TEN has an elite pair of IDL that will not get easily moved this weekend. CHI beat them but they beat then with their D. Not sure we can pull that off. Willis will have to do more.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:He didn't screw anything up and MLF was able to devise a game plan where Willis was able not to lose the game for them, but he did not look like a starting NFL QB yesterday.
Neither did Brock Purdy & he looked a damn sight better than Purdy yesterday. 2 INT's and a fumble
@Boris posted:Neither did Brock Purdy & he looked a damn sight better than Purdy yesterday. 2 INT's and a fumble
I agree on Brock Purdy. As a Packers fan, I hope the Niners pay him 60 million a year.