Heart Attack Packers Finally Get A Win » Brats & Beer

September 25, 2006
posted under: Lions, Packers, Post-game

There was no doubt a lot of rejoicing across Packer Nation yesterday following Green Bay’s 31-24 win over the Lions, the team’s first victory of the 2006 season, but it took me several minutes to recover from how the game ended before I could get to the part where I felt happy and not just relieved. Ever the performance artists, the Packers needed to inject one final element of drama in a back-and-forth game, and just like a bad Hollywood movie, I saw that last twist — Ahman Green’s fumble with 54 seconds remaining — coming a mile away. But instead of grousing about what went wrong (running game, pass defense, turnovers) and sounding like I’m actually pissed about the outcome of the game, I just want revel in the fact that the Packers won.

Some might be saying today that it wasn’t a quality win because it was against the Lions, but it was a big win for Green Bay on several different levels and showed a team actually improving in a lot of ways. Most significantly, they actually played the whole 60 minutes of the game instead of letting it get away. Even in the face of adversity, like Noah Herron’s fumble inside the five-yard line, the Packers didn’t lose composure and they didn’t give up on themselves.

Brett Favre had an outstanding game, passing for 340 yards and three touchdowns without a pick. That makes two straight games where he’s racked up more than 300 yards through the air with multiple TDs, so let’s not hear anything more about how the old man can’t play. This game more than last week’s loss to the Saints showed what can happen when the offensive line actually gives him time to throw the ball and his receivers actually make catches.

Tight end Bubba Franks also had a good game after struggling last week, with three big catches for 39 yards. Donald Driver continues to be an absolute stud and Greg Jennings showed again his potential to become that kind of player. Heck, even Koren “Menace 2 Society” Robinson had a big third-down catch and made some plays on special teams. On defense, AJ Hawk continued his evolution from rookie to stud linebacker, making several big tackles and getting his first sack as a pro.

Finally, this was a big game for first year head coach Mike McCarthy, not just because it was his first win and got the team off the schneid, but because I think it helped him start to build some respect — and some believers — among Packer Nation and the rest of the league. His basic philosophy about how he wants to run the team hasn’t changed, but from game to game you can see him making adjustments within that system to fit the personnel he has. He’s still trying to pound away at the run, no matter how ineffective it looks (and maybe he’s right and it’ll come along at some point), but in this game McCarthy found other ways to produce positive yards, sustain drives, and score points. That’s a big deal and goes a long way towards giving us fans hope for the future of this season and this team.