We give out donuts.

And, with the Green Bay Packers improving to 5-3 on the season with a 9-0 road win over the New York Jets on Sunday, we’d like to do just that.

Now.

(Sorry we never did a Minnesota edition of this, by the way. For the record, those [...]]]> We here at OBOD don’t give out gameballs.

We give out donuts.

And, with the Green Bay Packers improving to 5-3 on the season with a 9-0 road win over the New York Jets on Sunday, we’d like to do just that.

Now.

(Sorry we never did a Minnesota edition of this, by the way. For the record, those donuts would have gone to Chad Clifton, Desmond Bishop and Pat Lee).

Offense

A strawberry-filled, glazed-covered donut goes to…Greg Jennings. Okay, so it was not a perfect day for No. 85. He only came up with receptions on half his targets (12), for example. But when you consider that he was spending his day on Revis Island, Jennings’ six catches for 81 yards starts to look pretty damn good, doesn’t it? Included in there were several key grabs that led to first downs. On a day when the offense was scuffling, to say the least, against an elite defense, someone needed to make things happen. Jennings was that someone, as it looks like he’s finally beginning to have the season we all knew he could.

Defense

A chocolate-glazed, chocolate donut goes to…Tramon Williams. Frankly, I’m running out of ways to describe the impact he’s having for this defense. Williams was once again outstanding Sunday, making an impact in multiple facets. His main job was to hold down New York’s Santonio Holmes. Done and done, as Holmes finished with just three catches for 43 yards. Everything after that is, as they say, gravy. Well, “Big Play Tra” certainly provided a lot of gravy then. Williams came up with two turnovers – a gritty, gutty interception in which he wrestled the ball away from Jerricho Cotchery and a fumble recovery. There is no doubt he’s Green Bay’s No. 1 corner now, Williams turning in a Pro Bowl season and on the verge of becoming an elite player. He’ll be a rich man very shortly. Teddy, make that happen, please.

Special teams

A multi-color sprinkled (they are the special teamers, after all) goes to…Tim Masthay. Sure, go ahead and credit the wind for Masthay’s strong showing, his first since, well, week one, really. That’s partially true, after all. But, for one week, at least, we finally saw why Masthay won the punting job in camp. Eight punts, 352 yards (44-yard average), including one touchback and five – five! - punts inside the 20. His long for the day? 55 yards. In games like these, you need the punter to be a weapon for you. Masthay was just that. Here’s to hoping he can build on this.

Finally, a two-day old, plain donut goes to…Actually, no one. Yeah, the offense struggled. But, hey, the Packers pulled off a huge road upset of the Jets. We’ll keep it positive for this one.

-Chris Lempesis

The Packers claimed neither, though, dropping a gut-wrenching 37-36 road decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay now sits at 9-5 on the season and while the Packers still hold the top wild card [...]]]> A sixth consecutive win and a spot in the postseason were there for the taking for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

The Packers claimed neither, though, dropping a gut-wrenching 37-36 road decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay now sits at 9-5 on the season and while the Packers still hold the top wild card spot, things are definitely tighter than they were heading into the weekend.

Unacceptably bad kicking from Mason Crosby and shoddy, ineffective defense wasted a great, gutsy performance from the offense.

We have to begin with Crosby. In short, it’s time for the Packers to suck it up and get rid of the third-year kicker.

His miss on a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter marks the fourth game in a row where he’s missed a kick of less than 45 yards. Those points ultimately made the difference in the final score. You can say it should have never come to that – and, in part, you’d be right. But in close games, you have to get points when points are there. And on a 34-yard field goal, they’re there.

I just wrote on Friday that the Packers had been able to cover up for Crosby’s mistakes as of late. Well, they weren’t able to Sunday. It’s unfair to ask a team to cover for the mistakes of a kicker, which is why a new kicker needs to be in the fold. Do not stand up there and tell us you still have confidence in him, Mike, when he doesn’t have any in himself.

Despite Crosby’s miscues, the team still had multiple shots to win this game.

The offense did its part.

Aaron Rodgers, after a sluggish start, finished with 383 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions (he also had one rushing score). He was dead-on with most of his throws in the second half. The receivers rebounded in similar fashion and were great in finding open spots, hanging on to the ball and making defenders miss. Jermichael Finley (nine catches, 74 yards and a great, leaping touchdown) continues to look like a future Pro Bowler and the offensive line held up against a tough, hard-charging front seven. You can argue that the team should have run the ball more – eight carries for Ryan Grant? – but when you put up 36 points, 22 of which came in the fourth quarter, that should always, always be enough.

But the defense, so good over the past five weeks, ultimately let Green Bay down.

There were, of course, multiple reasons Big Ben (I’m refusing to type his last name) threw for 503 yards and made Packers fans have awful flashbacks to Bob Sanders’ defenses of last season.

One was the overall effort. It wasn’t there. Outside of Clay Matthews, Nick Barnett and Cullen Jenkins, the defense simply did not play with the same passion it had played with recently. The Steelers outhustled Green Bay for much of the game. The Packers looked gassed at the end, but really, they didn’t look that sharp at the beginning of the game, either.

Secondly, Dom Capers did not call as good of a game as he had been doing as of late. Coverage was emphasized over pressure far too often. Against a bad offensive line, such as Pittsburgh’s, Capers needed to focus on bringing the heat. Big Ben is hard to bring down, yes, but you cannot let him sit back there and pick you apart, either. If you’re thin in the secondary – as Green Bay is minus Al Harris but with Jarrett Bush – you have to make up for that by bringing pressure. Eight defensive backs against five wide receivers should play into your favor – but not if more than one of those defensive backs stinks.

That was the case through and through on the Steelers’ game-winning drive, especially on the game-ending touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, and it brought back too many images of the coverage-heavy defenses Capers ran earlier in the season, when the pass defense struggled.

Finally, Pittsburgh’s ability (or maybe it was Green Bay’s inability) to find the right matchups for its playmakers played a huge part in the defensive woes. B.J. Raji on Heath Miller? Bush on Hines Ward? Barnett on Santonio Holmes? How did these things continually happen? I’m not sure, but I do know that Capers’ unit was continually outsmarted until the defending champs finally walked out victorious.

In the end, as much as this loss hurts right now (and believe me, it really hurts…I mean, Adam texted me that he was so sick over it he wasn’t even able to drink whiskey, which, believe me, says something), it might not hurt the Packers’ chances that much.

They are still the top wild card team and have games against a decrepit Seattle team (at home) and an Arizona team (on the road) that might not have much of anything to play for left on the docket.

Win even one of those games and the postseason should be a lock.

Still, the troubles seen Sunday must be corrected – and now – to avoid them coming back to hurt Green Bay in the more meaningful games that, hopefully, lie ahead.

-Chris Lempesis

I know I am.

There have been plenty of titles for Sunday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers (4-2) and Minnesota Vikings (6-1), set for 3:15 p.m. Lambeau Time at, well, Lambeau Field.

I’ve pretty much stuck with “Round Two” because, to me, it most encapsulates everything this game is.

It’s another shot [...]]]> Are you ready for round two?

I know I am.

There have been plenty of titles for Sunday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers (4-2) and Minnesota Vikings (6-1), set for 3:15 p.m. Lambeau Time at, well, Lambeau Field.

I’ve pretty much stuck with “Round Two” because, to me, it most encapsulates everything this game is.

It’s another shot to take over first place; it’s another shot for the o-line to prove its mettle; but, more than anything, it’s another shot to bury that  hillbilly traitor Judas.

How will the Packers go about winning the second round? Well, let’s find out as we at OBOD break down Packers vs. Vikings.

Current line (not that we encourage gambling): Green Bay by three with an over/under of 47 1/2 points.

Weather forecast: A high of 42 degrees with a low of 28 degrees and a 30 percent chance of precipitation. In other words, a typical early November afternoon at Lambeau.

Injury report

Green Bay

Korey Hall (knee) and Jordy Nelson (knee) are both once again out.

Jason Spitz (back) and Jermichael Finley (knee) both missed practice Friday. I don’t think Spitz’s back is so bad that he can’t play. Rather, it’s a case where the team feels comfortable with Scott Wells at the position and he will likely start. I would be surprised if Finley plays. Mike McCarthy is saying he could go, but I think he’s just trying to give Minnesota one more thing to worry about.

Chad Clifton (ankle) was back practicing Friday and saw some time with the No. 1 offense. Still, I really believe T.J. Lang will get the start at left tackle Sunday. Clifton just isn’t 100 percent; that’s not good enough against Jared Allen. I do think Clifton will be kept close by if Lang struggles.

Mark Tauscher (knee) has been given the medical green light and has been practicing all week. As ready as he might be, the guess here is that Allen Barbre will get the starting nod. Tauscher, like Clifton, will be at the ready if Barbre fails.

Minnesota

Minnesota’s top corner, Antoine Winfield, is out with a right foot injury.

Wide receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring) is questionable, as is Percy Harvin (illness). Is it just me or is Harvin always ill? I didn’t know weed could make you sick.

Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson (knee) was limited earlier in the week but has now been upgraded to probable.

Key Matchups (different from the first Vikings game, I promise)

Offense

Green Bay wide receivers vs. Minnesota defensive backs

With Winfield out, that means everyone on the Vikings’ depth chart moves up a peg yet again. That could lead to numerous big plays for the Packers’ receivers. After all, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are very good – but they are not Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

With the offensive line clearly at a disadvantage heading in, it’s up to the receivers to break free very quickly. That cuts down on time Rodgers has to hold on to the ball.

The receivers didn’t do a good job of this in the first game. Simply put, they – Jennings in particular – have to do much, much better.

Defense

Green Bay CB Al Harris vs. Minnesota QB Judas

I almost – wait never – do a specific player vs. player matchup for this section. In this case, though, an exception must be made.

Say what you will about him, but Judas was very smart to throw right at Harris in the first game. He knew he’d be in trouble if he threw too much at Charles Woodson. A backup strong safety (Derrick Martin), combined with Harris’ propensity for getting way too keyed up for big games, equaled a big day for Old Graybeard.

Harris must stay calm and be his normal aggressive self. With Atari Bigby covering him on the back end, there’s no reason for Harris to panic.

Special Teams

Green Bay kick/punt returners Tramon Williams and Brandon Jackson vs. Minnesota coverage teams

The Vikings’ coverage teams aren’t quite as bad as they were last season. But they still aren’t that good either.

That bodes well for Williams and Jackson. If they can bust a big return or two, that can really get the crowd into the game. Not that it won’t be anyways, but big returns always seem to turn the home volume up a notch or two.

The winner of the return battle also tends to win the game in close matchups like this.

The Green Bay Packers will win if…

1. Rodgers is sacked no more than four times. Rodgers got beat up the first time these teams met. Some of it was his fault; some of it wasn’t. Regardless of who is to blame, Rodgers can not suffer a similar pounding Sunday. Four seems like an acceptable number. Anything higher means the offensive line is really, really struggling and if that’s the case, Green Bay will have a hard time winning this one.
2. McCarthy really incorporates screens, draws and three-step drops. Whenever McCarthy ran these types of plays in the first game, guess what? They worked. That, combined with Baltimore’s highly successful use of these plays two weeks ago against the Vikes, should be enough to convince McCarthy to make them a big part of the plan Sunday. These plays are the perfect counter to an aggressive defense like Minnesota’s. They don’t allow the defensive linemen to pin their ears back and tee off. More importantly, they can quickly tire out those d-linemen.
3. Dom Capers employs an exclusively bump-and-run approach for the corners. Green Bay played far too much zone defense in the first game. That allowed the Vikings’ receivers to find open spots all day as the Packers were generating no pressure with their front seven. A bump-and-run approach is more likely to cover Green Bay in the event it fails to get to Judas once again. Plus, it’s what Harris, Woodson and Williams do best. Let them do it then.

What I think will happen

Whatever cute title you want to use, let’s call this game what it really is: The Packers’ last shot at first place in the NFC North.

A win puts the Pack a half-game out (with a trip to winless Tampa Bay the next week). A loss and Green Bay is essentially three games behind Minnesota as the Vikings would then have the tiebreaker. Crazier things have happened, yes, but a loss and we’re likely just hoping to make the playoffs as a wild card.

And you want to know something? I really believe the Packers will show that desperation Sunday – but in a good way. You’re going to see the hardest, toughest, best 60 minutes of football this team has played all year, if for no other reason than it has to. This game isn’t Minnesota’s season; it’s Green Bay’s, though.

Still, the Vikings are just too good for this thing to be a blowout. Judas will hit a couple of throws and Adrian Peterson will break a couple of runs. That said, I think the defense will hold more times than not. There will also be a turnover or two in there somewhere. Nick Collins – now is the time to step up and prove you’re a big money player.

Offensively, the line will hold up more times than not. That’ll allow Rodgers to have his way with the Vikings’ secondary. And I really believe McCarthy will call a smarter, more efficient game this time around. If he doesn’t, you have to wonder what’s going on in that block head of his.

Throw in a rabid, angry, anti-Judas crowd (don’t let me down, Packers fans) and that’ll be enough.

Hope is a good thing. But, sometimes, so is desperation.

See you Sunday night after we win.

Prediction: Green Bay 28, Minnesota 24

-Chris Lempesis