Fugly Fortune At Fabric-Covered Facility » Brats & Beer

November 12, 2006
posted under: Packers, Post-game, Vikings

Note to the marketing department of the NFL and the Green Bay Packers: I stay tuned to every Packers game through to the end even if it’s a blowout, so making these contests into nail-biters is doing nothing for your audience numbers; it’s just giving me an ulcer.

Boo-ya! The Packers go into the Humpty Dump and come away with their fourth win of the season, securing second place in the division. Brett Favre had a heck of day with 347 yards passing and two touchdowns, even though he completed just 57% of his passes. Credit Donald Driver with much of that success as he ensured his place in the Packers Hall of Fame with a 191-yard, one touchdown performance. Greg Jennings, too, put himself in the Green & Gold pantheon with some big plays, not the least of which was that hook & ladder to Driver that led to a field goal in the third quarter.

But let’s be clear, this win came against a Vikings offense that had all the potency of a eunuch taking a bath in a cold mountain stream. Brad Johnson, as predicted, was a sitting duck for the pass rush, taking four sacks, and when he wasn’t on his back his passes were overthrown or dropped. Credit the Packers defense, though, with shutting down the running game and making Minnesota one dimensional.

But the Packers offense, after an explosive first half, gained just five first downs and scored six points on six possessions in the final thirty minutes. It was a maddening second half of football with Green Bay holding the dagger but unable to strike paydirt. For the game they scored just one touchdown on four red zone possessions. That’s just sick. A big factor in that was the lack of any real running game; Ahman Green had just 55 yards rushing on 22 carries.

But it’s still a Green & Gold win and I’ll take it any way it comes. Next week they host the suddenly-struggling Patriots, who lost today against the Jets. Is there hope yet for a winning record? Yes, but only if the Packers being their A-est of A-games down the stretch.