(Before we begin: I’d normally apologize for this recap going up so late. But there was a reason for it tonight. I wanted to wait and see how the Philadelphia/New York game turned out.)
I was waiting to say it. I wanted to say it, but I didn’t want to rush. It’s a problem I have.
Now, though, I think we can officially say it: Reserve a spot for the Green Bay Packers in the tournament. They’re going to the playoffs.
The Packers’ 21-14 road win over the hated Chicago Bears on Sunday – their fifth win in a row – puts them at 9-4 on the season. Couple that with losses by the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants and Green Bay now has, essentially, a two-game wild card lead on both teams with just three games remaining.
The game with Chicago was itself a showing that a Packers postseason appearance will not be a fluke.
As I’ve done so many times over the past five weeks, I’m going to start with the defense. When you’re No. 1 in that area, you kind of have to.
Outside of two drives where Jay Cutler was, in a word, perfect, Green Bay’s defense shut Chicago down. Drive after drive, the group continues to play at an elite level. The best thing about that is that it’s happening at all three levels. The defensive line was without Ryan Pickett (hamstring) – and his absence was noticeable – but the group still did its job, particularly in the run game as Matt Forte was held to just 51 yards rushing.
The linebacking corps was perhaps even better. Nick Barnett is officially back to 2007 Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews had a sack and drew two huge penalties on Bears left tackle Chris Williams and A.J. Hawk was – gasp! – pretty good in multiple facets.
And if those two groups are good, what the hell do you say about the secondary? Charles Woodson made numerous big plays (and IS your 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year), Nick Collins had the game-changing interception (his fifth in sixth games as he continues his “Pay me Ted! Tour”) and the oft-picked on Tramon Williams came up with a big sack on Chicago’s final drive.
Opponents almost have to be perfect to have success against this defense. That can take you a long way in January.
The offense wasn’t great, stumbling and stammering at times, but the group did some nice things Sunday, things that can also take a team a long way come next month.
No. 1, of course, is that the offensive line protected Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was only sacked twice and pressured very few other times. Sunday wasn’t his best effort (just 180 yards and no touchdowns), but that’s because the focus, offensively, was on running the ball.
The unit did that pretty damn well, too. Ryan Grant had one of his best days in awhile with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He continues to run with grit and determination. Grant, like Barnett, is looking a lot like he did two years ago and his resurgence has been an underrated part of this team’s recent successes. And if he keeps this up, the Pack could have an edge in those cold-weather playoff environments.
One final thing that we saw Sunday that bodes well for Green Bay in the postseason: The bona fide matchup nightmare that is Jermichael Finley.
At one point during the game, I said to one of my friends that if you were to build the perfect weapon in a lab somewhere, there’s a good chance you’d build Finley. If your defender is quick, Finley uses his size and strength to beat him. If he’s big and strong, Finley uses his athleticism to gain an edge. He had five catches for 70 yards (one fumble lost) as it was clear the Bears could not figure out how to stop him. He’s one of Rodgers’ top reads on almost every play. At this point, I’d say that’s a smart approach. He’s another x-factor for the Pack come January.
And if none of these things make you feel extremely excited about where this team is heading, keep this simple fact in mind: This is a game Green Bay loses last season.
Once the Bears went up 14-13, last year’s Packers would have deflated a bit. The defense would not have kept fighting and the offense would have fallen out of synch, likely done in by poor playcalling.
Not this year’s Packers, though. This team kept its wits and kept battling until it was able to turn things its way and come out with a win. That should tell you all you need to know about this Green Bay squad.
The talent has always been there. A potent dose of resiliency has been added to the mix.
January’s coming. And the Packers will be a tough out. Bank on that.
-Chris Lempesis
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