SB Nation - Ray Rice

How To Beat The Detroit Lions

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:05:29 -0000

After last night's great game, where the Cleveland Browns handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their fifth straight loss and effectively knocked them out of the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens need to understand that just showing up will not be enough to win. The Ravens need to play with that "sense of urgency" phrase that has been repeated over and over again lately. Over confidence is one attribute that this team has no business having, evidenced by losing six of their last nine games after starting off 3-0. At the same time, if they can continue to beat the teams that they are expected to, then they surprisingly still have a legitimate shot at the post season.

One thing about this game scares me more than any other, and I'm sure you've all thought about it as well.

The Detroit Lions will not be able to run the ball against us with any success Sunday. Their defense will not be able to shut down our offense. Our greatest obstacle, offensively, will continue to be ourselves, with drive stopping penalties derailing our momentum way too often. Otherwise, the Ravens will be able to put points on the board against one of the league's weakest defenses. While we need to get back to where our success came from last year, whether we run or pass the ball shouldn't matter and perhaps Joe Flacco can regain his confidence against the Lions by throwing the ball around to his receivers. Ray Rice should be able to pad his statistics with both running and receiving yards piling up in the process. It will be cold and a ball control offense producing long, time consuming scoring drives will be a fresh change of pace to prepare us for the Chicago Bears and then the final two road games of the season at Pittsburgh and the Oakland Raiders.

What scares me and most other Ravens fans is the Calvin Johnson factor. Johnson, a huge, fast receiver with great hands, is Detroit's only real threat, yet he continues to get targeted with success no matter what the defense seems to do to try to adjust their coverages. With the Ravens lack of pass pressure, Lions QB Daunte Culpepper should be able to have the time to set up and chuck the ball downfield in Johnson's direction. Combined with the poor coverage that the Ravens have shown, along with the current possibility that Ed Reed may not play again this weekend, there is every reason to be concerned.

Be it double coverage, over and under coverage, or just leaning the safety towards his side of the field, the Ravens need to limit the damage that Johnson can inflict on the team. If they can hold him from having a career game against this hurting pass defense, there is no reason that we shouldn't be able to put this game away early for a change of pace. If not, well we all saw what the Browns could do last night, when allowed to stay in the game.

Preview: Green Bay Packers at Bears

Brandon — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:00:28 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

5 days ago: Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) makes a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

View full size photo »

Despite the Bears 5-7 record, it might be easy to overlook this game since they just ended a 4 game losing streak with a close win over the 1-11 Rams, and they haven't beaten a team with a winning record this season. They did beat the Steelers in week 2, but both the Steelers and Bears have fallen on recent hard times (Steelers have lost their last 5 games, and Bears have lost 4 of their last 5). Here's the Sports Network's Packers vs Bears preview.

Here are the official NFL rankings, based on yardage, from NFL.com:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Packers	13	8	4	3
Bears	31	16	25	9

Taking a closer look, the official stats by yardage are making the Bears pass offense and pass defense look better than they really are. While the pass offense is moving the ball, QB Jay Cutler is also turning it over, and he has a league leading 20 INTs. Their pass defense has only given up 4 pass plays over 40 yards (tied for 6th best), but they've given up 21 TD passes (tied for 6th worst) and only grabbed 11 INTs. That doesn't make them bad, just average, and they're currently ranked No. 16 overall by Football Outsiders.

RB Ryan Grant vs. the Bears' run defense. His last two games have been forgettable, but that doesn't mean the Bears can stop him. In recent games, the Eagles RB LeSean McCoy had his best game as a pro (99 yards and 1 TD), and RB Steven Jackson ran for 112 yards despite QB Kyle Boller offering nothing to fear from the Rams passing game. They did hold RB Adrian Peterson to 85 yards (3.4 yards/carry) two weeks ago, but only because they put everything into stopping the running game, and the Vikings rolled for 378 yards and 3 TDs through the air. In the cold weather, the Bears might do what the Ravens did last Monday night: keep the safeties in tight and make QB Aaron Rodgers throw down the field, so I'm not expecting a huge game from Grant.

Rodgers vs. the Bears' pass defense. They shut down Boller last week at home, but that was just Kyle Boller. The last time they faced a good QB at home was three weeks ago, when QB Donovan McNabb went for 244 yards, 1 TD, and a QB rating of 101.6 against them. Rodgers just had 263 yards and 3 TDs against the better Ravens pass defense in the cold, so he should be productive again this week.

RB Matt Forte vs. the Packers' run defense. They were great against RB Ray Rice last week, so Forte isn't a bigger challenge. While Rice is ranked by Football Outsiders as one of the best RB this season, Forte is ranked as one of the worst. RB Kahlil Bell had 11 carries last week, but still over 60% of his career yardage has come from one 72 yard run he had against the Eagles. Forte has averaged only 3.4 yards/carry this season, and only had 1 game when he had over 10 carries and averaged over 4 yards/carry. He remains a greater threat as a receiver than as a runner. Despite the numerous injuries on the Packers' defensive line, they should have no trouble limiting the Bears' running attack.

QB Jay Cutler vs. the Packers' pass defense. Cutler had 4 INTs in their first meeting and he hasn't been much better since. LT Orlando Pace is not likely to play, but the 7 time Pro Bowl LT appears to be at the end of the road anyway. The Packers did a great job shutting down Ravens' QB Joe Flacco last week, and the Ravens' best passing play was to try and draw a flag on CB Tramon Williams. That could work again this week, but penalties alone aren't going to win it for the Bears.

Special teams and penalties. While the Packers have an advantage in nearly every other area, here's where the Bears can make it a close game. According to TeamRankings.com, the Bears are 5th worst with 54.3 penalty yards per game, but the Packers are in a league of their own (though the Ravens aren't far behind) with 75.4 penalty yards per game. The Packers special teams continue to be the worst in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders, while the Bears are one of the best. WR Devin Hester isn't the most dangerous punt returner this season, but rookie WR Johnny Knox might be the best kick returner.

If the Bears have a strong return game, and can force a couple turnovers, then this one could be close. But the Packers have taken good care of the ball this season, and should be able to win in Chicago for the first time since 2006. Packers 27, Bears 17.

Flacco's Progress?

Bruce Raffel — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:35:58 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

All we've heard through the Castle and all across the football media is how Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco has progressed from his rookie year to his sophomore season. After Monday night's career worst performance, where he "earned" a 27.2 QB rating, I decided to look back at the stats to see how both seasons measured up against each other to determine his real progress.

Everyone knows that the Ravens have reversed their offensive tendencies to be more of a passing team this year than last year's run oriented offense. Yes, the type of offense that wore teams down, dominated the time of possession and got the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game with a the first rookie QB to ever win one, much less two road playoff games.

Now we are a pass first offense and sit at 6-6 with the need to sweep the remaining four games to even get a sniff of the post season. So how much better has Joe been this year compared to last year? Well, the stats don't lie and here they are:

It is ironic that we are doing this now and you will see why that is. Flacco accumulated his 2008 stats in 16 games last year but we are comparing all 16 games of 2008 to the first 12 of 2009 because due to the re-focus of the game plan this year, Flacco has virtually the same passes attempted and completed through 12 games this year compared to 16 games last year. What does that mean? Basically, it shows that the Ravens are having Joe throw 25% more often in 2009 than he did in 2008. Regardless of his success, it goes away from the way this team has been defined and achieved success from the Super Bowl year of 200 through even last season.

Let's look at the amazingly similar passing stats:

Year Games Att. Comp. %-age Yards Avg. TD INT Long Sacked Rating

2008 16 428 257 60.0 2971 6.9 14 12 70 32 80.3

2009 12 406 257 63.3 2881 7.1 14 11 72 26 84.6

Less important, but noteworthy are his rushing stats comparison:

Year Att. Yards Avg. Long TD 1st Downs Fumbles

2008 52 180 3.5 38 2 16 5

2009 28 51 1.8 10 0 7 2

The stats show very similar numbers, including the exact same number of completions both years, and almost the same numbers the rest of the way around. The rate of throwing picks is actually up from last year, as he's thrown almost the same number in less attempts. His yards per completion are surprisingly down, most likely due to the recent reliance on Rice Rice out of the backfield rather than throwing downfield. While his sacks are down, the season still has four more games left and those numbers, as well as his TD and interceptions, will surely increase.

While obviously less important, the noticeable difference in his rushing stats tell a tale themselves. He is staying in the pocket or throwing the ball more on the run rather than running this year much more than last. He scrambling last year that resulted in many more first downs may have defenses sitting back waiting for the late release and possible interceptions, many of what we have seen in the Red Zone this season.

Most fans would have said he has made huge strides this season before they read this. Now we have to possibly scratch our heads and say what were we thinking? Better yet, we need to ask the coaching staff if they've seen these same stats and what are they thinking? Isn't this the best evidence presented to make a case for returning to our success by running the ball as the first option and passing as the second option? Utilizing all three running backs like we did last year and not putting Flacco in the position of having to carry this team at a point in his development that he is obviously just not ready to do after only one full season in the NFL. While I accept the fact that he had a pretty good year last season as a rookie, there was too much read into that success and the next step the team expected him to make was just too big of a jump from year one to year two.

Now is the time to say the stats on paper tell the true story and let them be a reminder of what we were able to do with Flacco not being the one to lead the team to success with the weight of the offense on his young shoulders. Go back to what we did and still do well and that is run the ball as Flacco is on pace to make close to 600 passing attempts which could put an unnecessary strain on his young shoulder and arm. I have no problem featuring Ray Rice as the feature back, but give Willis McGahee 10-12 carries a game an LeRon McClain 8-10 as well.That would also limit the wear and tear on the smaller Rice, who should still get 20 touches a game combined rushing and receiving.

Is the possibility of Flacco throwing for close to 4000 yards true progress? Not in my opinion, as the reason is that this team is just relying on him way too much and while the stats are showing the same results as last year, the team as a whole is not.

Packers-Ravens Retroactive Live-Blog

Mitchell_M — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:13:49 -0000

It's been two months since I've really been active on the site. For some of you, that is a terrible tragedy. For many, many more, it is a source of endless joy. But today I decided to cater to the minority and make my presence known by throwing a mini-fiesta with my DVR, a bowl of Reese's Puffs, and a strong pot of coffee.

Before we get going with the retroactive live-blog, let me just share some of the knowledge I've gained over the course of working for 80 out of a possible 168 hours in a week:

There are few things more traumatic than the transition from college-life to real-life. I imagine it's somewhat like being born, except you're slightly more conscious and slightly less sticky.

Unlike most co-eds, I worked my way through and avoided drinking my way out of school, but nothing can truly prepare you for the real world. There's chores? You have to do them, otherwise you're living in filth. There's bills? You have to pay them, otherwise a large Italian gentleman will break your ribs. There's family gatherings you'd rather not attend? You have to go to them, because you don't have the homework excuse anymore.

Real life blows, I'm going to grad school.
Trying to keep in shape? Don't work overnights. You will have no energy whatsoever during the daytime hours. I play basketball to keep myself in shape and satisfy my over-competitiveness, and I love it. But I haven't played in two months, and I've gotten noticably soft. Amazing, considering I've lost weight.
Dry spells. Guys, when women say that they're too tired, it's generally a toss-up between them actually being tired and not wanting to deal with you. When a guy says it? Definitely tired.
Caffeine has an odd effect after consuming too much for it. The most noticeable symptom is when you're lying down after finally getting home and you get the ringing in the ears. It keeps me up for at least half an hour, and my mom (who worked 3rd shift for over a decade) says it doesn't go away. Awesome.
Watching sports is a major hassle. Not only do I miss the majority of my Sunday NFL-watching, but working nights has ruined any chance I have of watching any NBA games during the week. DVR has been my best friend, but it somehow isn't enough.

On to the live-blog! I DVR'd this last night and watched it immediately as I got home. I did not check the score at any time on Monday night, and I have no knowledge whatsoever of the outcome. Enjoy!

Pre-game observations:

I forgot how cool of an environment Lambeau is on national TV at night. Other cities have their stadiums surrounded by other big buildings with big, bright lights, but Lambeau sort of stands alone in the still-tiny Green Bay. It's kind of cool, even though it's quaint.
Another thing I forgot? Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski are still in the MNF booth. Let's put it this way: it took roughly two minutes for Gruden to make the first (of what I predict will be many) "Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood" jokes. Ugh.
Ed Reed is announced as inactive for the game. Good timing to get the Ravens without their ball-hawk extraordinaire, not to mention good time by ESPN's cameras, who immediately cut to Reed spitting an enormous loogie. Between that and the beard, he looks like a homeless guy (who makes roughly 100,000x my salary).
Ray Lewis may have lost a step or four, but he's still quite the motivational speaker. It's like if Lil' Jon was coherent and dread-less.
The Nike Kobe and LeBron puppets are back. Frowny-face.
And here comes the Ray Rice love. Am I pleasantly surprised by my alma mater's best football product? Yes. Am I ecstatic to have drafted him (against my then-better judgement) in the ninth round of my keeper league? Yes and yes.

Alright, enough of that. Let's play some ball, gentlemen.

First Quarter!

15:00 - Green Bay receives, and Jordy Nelson avoids both tacklers and fumble-itis all the way to the 43-yard line. Decent start.

14:34 - A play-action draw pass? Sounds terrible, but it gained 7.

13:59 - So that's why we still have Brandon Jackson. Excellent scramble by Rodgers to find Jackson in the flat for the first down.

12:44 - Ravens call a timeout (symptom of missing Ed Reed #1), and the next thing we see is Jimmy Football. If someone were to kick him in the groin, I would not object. Extra points for wearing a Billy Mays mask and demanding royalties from Budweiser.

12:32 - ESPN shows a graphic illustrating Aaron Rodgers' awesomeness on 3rd down, and he promptly finds James Jones for a first down. Outstanding blitz pickup by both Chad Clifton (the blocker) and Scott Wells (the center).

11:22 - Korey Hall and Josh Sitton pancake Ray Lewis, opening a hole for Grant to gain a first down. In other news, Did you know that Ryan Grant is 8th in the league in rushing yards? When did that happen?

10:08 - ESPN continues the Rodgers love-fest by displaying his red-zone stats. Apparently, he has 30 TDs and 0 INTs over the past two seasons when inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Yikes.

9:17 - Mark Tauscher comes up with a tipped pass and gets tackled for a loss. I'd criticize his decision to catch it versus batting it down, but whenever linemen get the ball, they seem so damn happy. I can't ruin it for him.

8:41 - Mason Crosby nearly shanks a 28-yarder. The Green Bay offense stalls in the red zone again, settling for the "easy" 3. Sadly, neither are surprises this season.

8:30 - Le'Ron McClain's smile is hilarious. Mark Clayton looks like 50 Cent. I can't wait to see the offensive linemen.

8:30 - And for good reason. Not only is Marshal Yanda's name funny, but he looks like an uncomfortable 7th grader who hasn't gotten used to his new body yet.

7:40 - Good containment on Ray Rice in the flat, but not good enough. First down, Baltimore.

7:01 - Flacco tightropes for a just-barely first down after being flushed out of the pocket. He may have looked like an idiot doing it, but it was probably better than getting pasted by Cullen Jenkins. I'll make fun of him either way.

5:05 - Bad decision by Nick Collins to go for the pick instead of batting down the ball. Another first down for Baltimore.

4:18 - Well, a fumble recovery certainly absolves Collins of any wrongdoing on the previous play. Clay Matthews is closing in on the "if a huge defensive play happens he must've had something to do with it" status currently held by Charles Woodson.

4:08 - Ryan Grant tries to return the favor, but his right knee looked like it could be down. Maybe. Possibly. Could go either way. This time, it goes the Packers' way.

3:48 - A great play by Dominique Foxworth that was (un)fortunately flagged as interference. The replay shows a grab or two, but probably

3:39 - No matter, Rodgers throws it directly to Tom ~~I-can't-spell-his-last-name-unless-I-check-the-recap-which-will-ruin-the-ending~~ Zbikowski.

2:06 - Now that's how you commit pass interference! Thanks ~~Atari Bigby~~ Tramon Williams! /facepalm

1:52 - Nick Collins makes everyone forget about Williams' transgression by picking off an ill-advised flea-flicker pass into quadruple coverage. Yeah, Flacco shouldn't have done that.

0:00 - An underwhelming first quarter filled with above-average defense and one boneheaded interception for both sides. 3-0, Green Bay.

Second Quarter!

14:52 - B.J. Raji sheds a block and drops Ray Rice for a big loss. Lucky he didn't get called for face masking, but a good play nonetheless.

14:12 - Derrick Mason just barely misses a catchable ball to force 4th down. I thought veteran receivers were supposed to make that play? I guess having Donald Driver on your team gives you a skewed expectation for aging wideouts.

13:14 - Great adjustment by James Jones to come back and grab the ball for a first down. He's definitely taken control of the 3rd WR spot on this team lately.

11:59 - By my count, that's three catches in this game that Jennings should have had but failed to come up with. This troubles me.

11:55 - Punting inside the 50-yard line? Greg Easterbrook would be appalled, then proceed to write a 10,000 word article about it. Shoot, if I included random interstellar factoids, referred to certain teams by ridiculous self-coined nicknames, and added superfluous cheerleader facts that allowed me to post their photos, I'd be Greg Easterbrook.

11:13 - Trey Wingo informs us that Jimmy Clausen will be entering the 2010 NFL Draft. Brady Quinn advises him to stay in school.

11:06 - Charles Woodson gets busted for mauling Derrick Mason. The groping wasn't necessary, Chuck.

11:01 - Clay Matthews asserts himself all over Joe Flacco. Jared Gaither doesn't know what just happened.

10:21 - Offsides on Clay Matthews? Jared Gaither claims to know what happened on the previous play.

9:48 - I know Jordy Nelson was dynamite at Kansas State, but I haven't seen enough promise out of him to merit keeping him on punt returns. Then again, it's more important to keep Woodson and Williams fresh, and Will Blackmon made his yearly trip to I.R. early this season.

8:30 - Haloti Ngata owns Daryn Colledge to drop Ryan Grant at the line. I wonder how long until Colledge loses his spot?

7:51 - It's plays like this that got Frank Walker traded. Thanks for the yardage!

7:42 - Ahman Green exhibits remarkable blitz pickup to spring Jermichael Finley on a big gain. Mike Tirico noted this, and Gruden promptly refers to him as Brandon Jackson (twice!) before correcting himself.

5:08 - Jermichael Finley makes another big play, thanks to another great third down throw from Rodgers. First and goal, Packers.

4:35 - I'm no psychic, but as soon as I saw Finley split out wide, I saw the quick fade coming. Fantastic throw, outstanding catch, b-e-a-utiful play. 10-0, Packers.

4:35 - I just remembered my fantasy football situation. Going into this week, three teams in my division were 7-5, with me among them. I play one of them this week and the other next week, and the other already has his victory wrapped up. I'm up 130-24 in a game I need to win to move into a tie for first place and help secure a playoff spot next week (the final week of the season). My opponent has Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, and the Packers defense playing. I have Ray Rice. Man, am I glad that his other players (Adrian Peterson, Reggie Wayne, Ricky Williams) all laid eggs.

2:00 - The two-minute warning comes up, and Mike Tirico just got done "highlighting" the Packers' 38-28 loss to Tampa Bay. In the team meeting the described, he said that the offensive line stood up and said something to the effect of "hey, you have to help us out too". I hope I misheard him.

1:50 - Rodgers gets the first on a sneak, and a fight nearly breaks out because Brandon Jackson is protecting Rodgers from what he thought was a late hit. Whether he was right or wrong, it is nice to see that kind of fight in your team.

1:24 - Donald Driver goes flying, earning Baltimore its 11th pass interference penalty on the year, leading the league.

1:18 - Green Bay ruins the momentum by giving up their first sack of the game. /facepalm

1:09 - And Rodgers gets it right back with a 20-yard scramble right up the middle. I take back my /facepalm.

0:38 - Rodgers delivers a Jon-Gruden-Quarterback-Fraternity-Approved LASER to Greg Jennings' back shoulder. Nice, except for Gruden's rambling.

0:32 - Rodgers connects with Donald Driver for a score, punctuated by two acrobatic leaps by Driver (one into the end zone, one into the stands). The Packer fan in me is ecstatic: the fantasy football owner is frantic.

0:00 - A solid defensive stand by Green Bay keeps the shutout alive. 17-0 Green Bay, at the half.

Halftime observations:

None. I have to be at work again in 8 hours (as of 1 PM), and I haven't slept yet. But the score doesn't lie. This game is totally worth staying up for.

Third Quarter!

14:07 - I don't know how they practiced for the past week and a half, but Green Bay is absolutely starving Ray Rice. He's trying his damndest, but he can't make anything happen. Why'd I start him against the #1 defense again?

12:31 - Brad Jones notches a sack from the strong side. Rookie 7th round pick? No matter. Boring name? Who cares? Buried on the depth chart? Not for long, I hope.

12:05 - Ryan Grant doesn't gain a ton of yards on this play, but it looks as if he's churning his legs and fighting for extra yardage more than I'm used to seeing from him. Did anyone else notice this?

9:57 - Rodgers gets time in the pocket, makes even more time, dances around, and finally gets sacked. Somehow, the play is negated by an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty. It seems like one of those games for Green Bay tonight.

9:30 - Then Scott Wells gets called for holding. Yep, it's definitely one of those games for Green Bay tonight, even if the score doesn't reflect it.

9:04 - Wow, I'm going to stop complaining about stupid penalties. I almost feel bad for Ravens fans. P.I. number twelve on the year for Baltimore.

8:27 - Jermichael Finley re-injures his knee. Not at all happy to see that.

8:23 - Nice connection to Driver that results in a fumble that quite possibly could be ruled an incompletion, if it was reviewed. Blah, a 17-0 lead in the third quarter shouldn't be this frustrating.

8:01 - Jon Gruden: "Somebody has to rescue the Ravens' offense right now." Yeah, that's Ray Rice's job, and he didn't come in today.

7:50 - As if on cue, Ray Rice rips off a big run. Jon Gruden gets to feel smart, and I lose a little bit of my soul.

6:07 - Jon Gruden praises Charles Woodson's ball-raking ability. The adolescent-me giggles uncontrollably.

5:18 - "Nobody strips a ball like Charles Woodson!" Adolescent-me is now crying with laughter.

5:13 - Todd Heap drops a sure-fire 1st and goal, then Tramon Williams forces Mark Clayton to drop one in the end zone with a slightly-more sneaky arm bar. Illegal? Yes. Effective? Absolutely, that's why it's illegal.

3:35 - I don't know what the refs were talking about before this drive, but they are letting the defense play. You don't see many drives last this long against a defense that's getting away with everything.

3:28 - A free play and a Kelley Washington touchdown deflates the stadium. The play gets challenged, but I'm skeptical.

3:28 - Modern Warfare 2 commercial, set to Eminem's "Til I Collapse". Best 30 seconds of non-football I've seen today. Get that game, if you can handle it.

3:28 - Turns out that I was right; the score stands. Green Bay is out of challenges for the game, unless of course they used the item cheat and got one for free. 17-7, Packers.

3:22 - Evan Dietrich-Smith comes up with the kickoff. My immediate thought: "This cannot end well." Of course he fumbled, but Green Bay was lucky enough to regain possession.

3:14 - Jared Johnson gets an interception off of Driver's shin. I'm not liking this third quarter. Too much bad mojo.

3:07 - More bad mojo with Tramon Williams' P.I. in the end zone. Actually, this one is relatively tame compared to other plays the refs have allowed tonight (today?).

2:58 - Willis McGahee pushes his fantasy-irrelevant self in from the 1. Makes my Ray Rice decision feel even better. 17-14, Packers. /double facepalm

2:43 - Jennings manages a nice gain on a 3rd and 10 slant. I was just about to start considering wondering whether or not Green Bay was possibly maybe starting to lose it.

1:52- Ray Lewis nearly decapitates Greg Jennings, and the flag takes forever to come in. But it does, which is all that matters.

0:42 - A Mark Tauscher hold takes Green Bay out of the red zone the same way they got in: on the yellow cloth road.

0:00 - I knew this game seemed too sloppy to be a blowout. 17-14, Packers, but our guys are in scoring position.

Fourth Quarter!

14:50 - Mason Crosby shanks a field goal, leaving the drive with nothing to show for it. Same score, same story. I sure hope the defense can regain its first-half composure.

13:53 - Flacco unleashes the dragon deep, Derrick Mason gets past Charles Woodson and makes the catch over him, but somehow got called for offensive pass interference. At this point, I don't know which team is trying to give the other team more breaks, honestly. And an unsportsmanlike penalty on Mason is tacked on at the end of it. A huge gain turns into a huge loss in a heartbeat. 3rd and 32 (!).

13:05 - So of course Baltimore decides to run the ball and Ray Rice nearly fumbles. Green Bay gets the ball back with decent field position.

12:30 - And here comes the replay of the Mason interference/unsportsmanlike penalties. There was definitely a hook-and-push around Woodson's waist, and Mason follows up that number with a plea for leniency to the referee. Pretty standard, right? Nah, just kidding, he pretty much shouted in the ref's face, "What the f--- was that, man?" Yeah, that's a flaggin'.

10:31 - Jermichael Finley gets another touchdown after a couple of nice short passes to get within 20 yards. Aaron Rodgers' red-zone stats improve, Jermichael gets the "Mr. Monday Night" nickname, my fantasy team starts to quiver in terror, and the score jumps to 24-14, Packers.

10:21 - Ah, Green Bay special teams, you never cease to disgust me. A massive kick return puts the Ravens deep into Green Bay territory. Then again, how hard is it to juke out Mason Crosby? The goalposts do it to him on a weekly basis.

9:46 - Tramon Williams earns yet another pass interference flag in the end zone. I thought there was a cap to how many times a player could get flagged for the same thing over and over?

/conveniently forgetting the Ahmad Carroll era

9:30 - How? How? How does a cornerback make that play? Tell me how Charles Woodson just stopped McGahee when he had a massive opening to go through? Between that and flustering the Ravens to the point of calling a timeout, I'm pretty sure Charles Woodson should gain an edge for the DPOY award after tonight.

8:47 - Joe Flacco rolls nearly 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage, avoids a sack, and tosses it nicely into Tramon Williams hands. Mike Tirico exclaimed "That is terrible!" as the ball was still in the air! I cannot believe Flacco made that throw. Downright Bad Favre-esque. Kudos to Williams for not retreating into the fetal position after all the penalties tonight.

8:38 - Still trying to figure out the last three plays of that Baltimore drive. Tackle for loss, timeout, interception, all from within the 5-yard line. When's the last time Green Bay came up with that kind of stop?

7:12 - Baltimore's defense forces a 3-and-out as the King of Third Down and James Jones miscommunicate on a fly-stop route.

6:48 - Yeah, Joe Flacco's having a bad day. This time he throws it right into the hands of A.J. Hawk, who was quietly having another solid game (which is EXACTLY WHY WE DRAFTED HIM! FOR QUIET, SOLID GAMES!) before this play. Back-to-back interceptions for the Unibrow, and I'm almost sad to see it. Remember, my fantasy team is up 130-24, but I'm playing Rodgers, Finley, and the Packer defense while starting Ray Rice. The offense I can deal with, but this stifling defense is killing me!

6:00 - Ahman Green smashes his way to gain a short first down, and the running out of the clock commences. How much time can they milk from the clock?

2:56 - Turns out they can burn a whole lot of time. Interesting graphic on Green Bay receivers, going from Sharpe to Brooks to Freeman to Driver to Jennings.

2:15 - "Hey Coach Gruden, I found a pair of your old practice shorts." If there's a better setup for a pasty white guy wearing green-and-gold short-shorts in below-freezing weather, I've never seen it.

1:56 - Crosby avoids the shank-osaurus and makes it 27-14, Packers. Solid lead.

1:52 - Gruden brings up the possibility of a Vikings-Packers rematch in the playoffs. I say, don't get ahead of yourself, but the prospect of facing what might be a slowly-fading Favre, a possibly nicked-up Peterson, and a banged-up defense in Minnesota isn't nearly as terrifying as it seems.

0:29 - Fittingly, Clay Matthews chases Flacco down for his second sack of the day. Ted Thompson deserves all the slack in the world for having the stones to trade up for this guy. He could draft Jimmy Clausen next season and I'd still like him.

0:00 - The sack is the last play of the game, and the Packers earn the win, 27-14.

Post-game thoughts:

Not many, again due to my exhaustion. But I will say this: the offense played relatively well, Aaron Rodgers carried the team with his passing. The defense was stifling for much of the game, and Charles Woodson should be the front-runner for DPOY, and even in the conversation for defensive-players-who-deserve-the-MVP-but-won't-get-it-because-they're-not-a-quarterback-or-running-back (if he wasn't already). The playcalling was really well thought out on both sides of the ball, and the execution of many of the plays was awfully impressive.

But two things stand out as glaring negatives. First was the penalties. So many penalties. If Baltimore didn't flag it up more than we did, it would stand out more. Tramon Williams has a lot of talent, but he cannot ~~get caught using~~ use that armbar anymore. It simply costs too much yardage. And Chad Clifton needs to get his business together, because he's smarter than he's playing.

The second thing was the final score. 27-14 seems like a solid win, but with all of the opportunities that the Ravens gave up, it should have been a much wider margin. Playoff teams win games like this soundly, which the Packers did. They should, they're a playoff team. But championship teams beat their opponent senseless when they come up with as many takeaways as they did (4).

All that said, this is Green Bay's fourth straight win after falling to 4-4. You can't ask for a better setup for the final quarter of the season.

And my fantasy team? They hung on for a 137-80 victory, largely because I had actually started Rashard Mendenhall instead of Ray Rice. See what working third shift does to you?

Brief Recap: Packers Defeat Ravens 27-14

Brandon — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:44:44 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Browse more photos »

Well I'm exhausted after watching the Green Bay Packers beat the Baltimore Ravens. Man that was a long game with all the passing, timeouts, and lots and lots of penalties. There were many similarities for both teams.

For the Packers: 175(!!!) penalty yards, 3 turnovers, 3.5 yards/carry.

For the Ravens: 135 penalty yards, 4 turnovers, 3.1 yards/carry.

The big difference was QB Aaron Rodgers. While neither team could stop committing penalties and turnovers, and neither team could run the ball, Rodgers was still productive with 3 TD passes, 263 yards, and QB rating of 87.8. Not his best game when you factor in the 2 INTs, but when compared to QB Joe Flacco (1 TD pass, 137 yards, 27.2 QB rating, 3 INTs) it was a clearly superior game.

The defense was outstanding, when they weren't committing penalties. The defense only allowed 185 total yards of offense, which almost equaled the 175 yards the Ravens earned on Packer penalties. They did a great job on the dangerous RB Ray Rice, who only had 71 yards from scrimmage and 1 fumble. CB Tramon Williams had an awful game by committing two pass interference penalties in the end zone, but he did attone for one of them by intercepting Flacco in the end zone.

It was another poor performance by the Packer special teams, with 1 fumble (the Packers did recover it), 1 missed FG, and they allowed a 68 yard kickoff return. But that wasn't enough to swing the game in the Ravens' favor.

Overall, it was a sloppy game, but a good win. The Packers never trailed against a good team that came into the game with a winning record. It was important just to get another W, and keep ahead of the 7-5 Giants for a playoff spot.

Ravens @ Packers: Prediction & Gametime 'Open Thread'

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:37:09 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

Come back all day long and stick with Baltimore Beatdown throughout the Monday Night Football game to post your comments on the Baltimore Ravens at the Green Bay Packers tilt on prime time TV. As noted before, while the Pack has played night games before, this is the very first ever in December because it's always thought to have been way too cold to schedule one at this time of year. However, the NFL powers that be have decided to grant the Ravens the honor of being the first visiting team to experience the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field in this way. Temps are expected to be below freezing and at the time of this writing, it is snowing in Green Bay. However, it is not expected to continue through the game, so it will just be very, very cold tonight.

Don't expect the weather to have any effect on the game tonight in terms of the excuse why one team wins or loses. Both teams will pretty much be experiencing this bitter cold for the first time in 2009 and will handle it just fine once the whistle blows for the opening kickoff. How the teams execute will be the sole determining effect about who comes out ahead, and this is why I see both teams' record being 7-5 by the end of the game:

The Green Bay Packers are considered a 3.5 point favorite tonight. For a home team to just be picked to win by a field goal is the oddsmakers way of saying this is an even game. While the Packers are 7-4 and 4-2 at home, with both losses to teams that have also beaten the Ravens (Cincinnati, Minnesota). However, Green Bay has exactly one win over a team with a winning record (Dallas), and that team, other than a Thanksgiving Day home win over Oakland, has been an unimpressive 2-2 over their last four games.

On the Ravens side are wins over the AFC West's San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, teams that would be in the playoffs if the season were to end now, and three wins over teams with winning records at that time. In fact, every loss that the Ravens have had this season have been to teams that are in first place in their division. The Packers sit in second place in the NFC North, so if the trend holds true, the Ravens should win this game.

The lack of the Packers wins being over quality teams combined with their loss at Tampa Bay giving up 38 points in that game, lead me to believe that they can be scored on by the Ravens offense. I can see the running attack being distributed enough to give all three backs enough carries to wear down the Green Bay defense and keep them creeping up to stack the box. That leaves our wide receivers pretty much in single coverage and other than Charles Woodson, are susceptible to the big play. The Green Bay linebackers will not be able to cover Ray Rice out of the backfield and I expect the Ravens offensive line to not only open holes for the running attack, but to adequately protect Joe Flacco so he can find his open recievers and know where Woodson is at all times.

So that leaves the Ravens defense to do what they can to slow down the Packers prolific passing attack. Slow down is the key word, as stopping it altogether is pretty much out of the question. Keep the big plays to a minimum and don't let anyone get behind you for the long ball completions to a great group of wideouts and tight ends. I do not see Ryan Grant having a good game, so it will all come down to the pass rush to decide the contest. As mediocre as the Ravens pass rush has been this season, Green Bay's pass protection is the worst in the league. QB Aaron Rodgers tends to hold onto the ball too long and hopefully that will lead to a few sacks, but more importantly, poor decision making and turnovers through interceptions that the Ravens defense gives the ball to the offense on short fields to put points up. An Ed Reed pick-six certainly wouldn't hurt either and I see a couple of defensive turnovers giving the Ravens the edge. It should be a close one, but I like the Ravens chances to win this game and continue sticking with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card playoff slot.

Ravens: 27-24

Week 13 Preview: Rams (1-10) @ Bears (4-7)

wiltfongjr — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Browse more photos »

When you are sitting at 4-7 there isn't a lot that can put your team in a good mood, but taking on the worse off 1-10 St. Louis Rams could be a good start. If things go as they have all year the Bears should be able to win. They lose to the real good teams and beat the real bad teams. However if the flip side occurs and the Bears actually get dropped by the hapless Rams, in Chicago no less, then it could be a start to the end of season house cleaning many fans want.

Week 12 Recap

The Rams: Seattle running back Justin Forsett had a career day in St. Louis last week with two tuddy's and 130 yards rushing as the Seahawks won 27-17. The Rams actually out gained Seattle 364 to 265, but that Seattle D picked up 4 sacks and 2 picks. Ram QB Kyle Boller (yes the former bust out with the Ravens) threw for his third most yards ever, 282, and hit 10 different receivers while doing it. He also added 26 yards on the ground. A less that 100% Steven Jackson still racked up 89 yards rushing and chipped in with 5 grabs out of the backfield for 29 yards.

The Bears: Chicago looked like a Sophomore team trying to take on the Varsity. The Vikings whipped up on the Bears in every possible way winning 36-10, and it wasn't even that close. Brett Favre had one of the better days of his stellar career and Jarred Allen's 2 sacks led the Viking D to a dominating performance. Here are the ugly final yardage totals, Minnesota 537 - Chicago 169, and don't forget the Bears only had 2 yards of total offense in the second half. U-G-L-Y.

Quick Numbers:

20: A career high (so far) interceptions for Jay Cutler.
8: Number of interceptions the Rams defense has picked off so far this year.
7: Turnovers by Kyle Boller in just 4 games played.
6: Charles Tillman leads the league with 6 forced fumbles this year.

Key Injuries:

STL - RB Steven Jackson - Questionable (Back) Likely will play

STL - FB Mike Karney - Questionable (Neck)

STL - OT Jason Smith - Out (Concussion)

CHI - OLB Lance Briggs - Out (Knee)

CHI - LT Orlando Pace - Out (Groin)

CHI - Desmond Clark - Questionable (Neck)

CHI - Charles Tillman - Probable (Concussion) Likely will play

When the Rams have the ball.
Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson, and more Steven Jackson. Jackson leads the team in rushing and receptions and the Rams look to get him the ball as much as possible. Look for QB Kyle Boller to target Jackson early to try and get his confidence up.

The key match-up for the Rams: Rams OL vs. Bears DL
The Rams offensive line should welcome back starting guard Richie Incognito and center Jason Brown. If the interior of the Ram line is able to neutralize the Bears DT's look for them to methodically pound the 231 pound Jackson inside all day. With the way the Rams defense has been playing controlling the clock is their best chance at a win.

The X factor on offense for the Rams: QB Kyle Boller
As I mentioned above Boller tossed for his third most yards ever, if the Rams are able to establish the run, their play-actions and roll outs could give the Bears fits. Boller is a mobile QB and won't hesitate to take off and pick up what he can.

When the Bears have the ball.
The Rams have given up the fifth most total yards and are fifth worst against the rush (148.5 per game), so I would expect the Bears to try and get the run game going. After only 8 rushing attempts against the Vikings last week the Bears have to try and get it going vs. the Rams. Matt Forte rushed for 139 yards last year in St. Louis, his most as a pro, and should be a big part of the offensive game plan this week. Jay Cutler has played much better at home this year, but the Bears should allow him to easy into the game this week. And for the love of God, could we not see the wide receiver screen this week?

The key match-up for the Bears: RT Kevin Shaffer vs. DE Leonard Little
I alluded to this match up in my preview I did on the Sporting News, so it makes sense to bring it to light here as well. The Bears picked a heck of a week to plug Shaffer in at RT. Little is the best pass rusher the Rams have with 5.5 sacks on the year (and 86.5 on his career), but Shaffer played mostly right tackle in Cleveland so it isn't new to him.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: QB Jay Cutler
Can someone of the stature of Cutler be an X Factor? I'm not sure, but he is this week... Since I had Boller as the X Factor for St. Louis why not throw Cutler in there for Chicago? The only way I see the Rams having a chance this week is if Cutler allows them, with a few more interceptions. Play in the system, take what is given to you, and run when some open field presents itself. I can see another unsatisfying win just like the Cleveland game, but at this point the Bears will take any win they can get.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Vikings: Sunday Night Football and a trip to Arizona, this may be the last team on the schedule that could trip up the Vikings.

Packers: Baltimore is a tough place to play and Ray Rice is gonna be a tough test for the Packers, he's #2 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

Lions: Look for the Bengals passing game to make quick work of a banged up Lions secondary.

How To Beat The Green Bay Packers

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:07:12 -0000

As part of our weekly stories, this week we turn to trying to figure out which Packers team will show up to protect the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Monday Night Football. Will it be the one that has one three in a row, including an impressive almost-shutout of the Dallas Cowboys (17-7) or the one that barely beat the 49ers and lost in Tampa Bay?

I can pretty much guess which one both the Ravens and Packers' fans hope to see in what will be the first night game in December in Packers history this Monday. Last I heard, temperatures are expected to be in the teens with a chance of snow. The weather will certainly play to Green Bay's favor, as they are a lot more used to those conditions than the Ravens are, and the worse it is, the bigger the Packers' advantage, which is already big enough, considering the game is on prime time TV and the Packers, along with the Ravens are both still thick in the middle of the playoff hunt.

Both teams are fighting for Wild Card berths, with the Packers three games behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North and the Ravens the same distance behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. So then how do the Ravens go onto the hallowed grounds of Lambeau and roll out of there with a win to go 3-0 on national TV this year?

Simply put, this game appears to break down to just one of the group battles that we talk about so often on The Beatdown. Usually we go right to the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball. I usually say it all starts and stops with the big guys inside and if we control the offensive and defensive lines then we will win the ballgame. This week, we can get even more specific than that. The Packers either win or lose their games based on their ability to protect their prolific passer, Aaron Rodgers in the pocket. He has been sacked and hit more often than any other NFL quarterback and when he is pressured and harassed, he is nowhere near effective then when he is comfortable sitting back there waiting for his great group of wide receivers and tight ends break into the open. When untouched, he will torch the secondary and the Ravens DB's can ill afford him that luxury. We have not been very good at all at covering for any length of time and with so many solid targets, time is absolutely at the essence of what the Ravens need to do in order to win.

Therefore, it all is pointing at Baltimore's ability to get a pass rush on Rodgers enough to force him to release the ball sooner than he intends to or hold onto the ball too long that will lead to either sacks, hits and ultimately, interceptions to shorten the field for our offense to score. Better yet, rather than sack Rodgers, make him throw into coverage (translated: Ed Reed) so that we come away with a sweet defensive TD for a change of pace and to unlevel the playing field.

I have a lot of confidence the Ravens will be able to move the ball against Green Bay's #1 rated defense. Ray Rice should make their linebackers miss and if they choose to put Charles Woodson on Rice, then Derrick Mason will make their other DB's pay with key completions off the rocket arm of Joe Flacco. Mark Clayton seems to make the difficult catches (even if he also drops the easier ones!) and the Ravens have proven in the past that they can move the ball and score on anyone. If the Ravens can get off to a good start with points early in the game, they can put the pressure on the Packers to play catch up. If the game plays the other way around, it could be difficult for the Ravens to play from behind and that could get ugly.

However, if the Ravens go back to the formula that had them beat the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and almost catch and beat the Minnesota Vikings, then they can certainly hang, compete and even defeat the Green Bay Packers. That means going back to the old fashioned gameplan of giving the ball to our running backs and let them wear down the defense with the pounding form our big FB and the darting around by our elusive RB. Then throw when they least expect it and are forced into tougher coverages as they creep up to stop the run game.

Solid Special Teams play on both sides of the ball and not allow the big play from the Packers high flying offense (or at least not too many of them!). Play like a Raven (did last season and the beginning of this one!). Pressure the QB, pressure the QB and after that, pressure the QB.

Is that clear enough?

Preview: Ravens at Green Bay Packers

Brandon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:00:29 -0000

by Tony Dejak - AP

View full size photo »

This is going to be a good game. On paper, the Green Bay Packers seem to be the better team, but it's not a huge advantage. The Packers are favored by 3, but it's probably a pick if this were played on a neutral site. Every play is going to count, and any missed opportunity might be the reason someone loses.

The official team rankings (based on yardage) from NFL.com:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Packers	11	6	4	6
Ravens	14	13	6	12

RB Ryan Grant vs. the Ravens run D. Opposing running backs are only averaging 3.5 yards/carry against the Ravens. While this makes it appear that the Ravens have the advantage, it's been hard to predict how Grant will play lately. The offensive line was great at opening running lanes against the 49ers excellent run defense, but they didn't help him much against the Lions when he only had 3.1 yards/carry. Also, the 49ers run a 3-4 defense, just as the Packers and Ravens do, so since the Packers see the 3-4 in practice, maybe that gives them some advantage against a 3-4 defense during a game.

QB Aaron Rodgers vs. the Ravens pass D. Based on the yardage rankings, this looks like a matchup that would favor Rodgers. But the Ravens have held opposing QBs to a rating of 79.0, with 12 TDs (12th fewest) and 12 INTs (7th most). Their pass defense is currently ranked No. 5 overall by Football Outsiders, which would be the best pass defense he's faced so far this season. Though they have lost both starting CB Fabian Washington (torn ACL) and star pass rusher LB Terrell Suggs (torn MCL) in recent weeks. Those injuries are similar to what the Packers have gone through, except LB Aaron Kampman is gone for the season and Suggs should return later this month. In their 2 games without Suggs, who has 3.5 of their 21 sacks on the season, the Ravens were without a sack against the Colts or Steelers, which should help the struggling o-line avoid any disaster. This is a tough matchup for Rodgers, but he's been good to outstanding in every game this season and I wouldn't bet against him.

RB Ray Rice vs. the Packers run D. The Ravens ran the ball a lot in 2008 (37 carries/game), but not nearly so much in 2009 (27.5 carries/game). But their yards/carry has actually gone up from 4.0 to 4.2, in large part to the outstanding season by Rice. I'll still pick the Packers great run defense to win this battle because they haven't struggled against an opponent since RB Cedric Benson's big game in week 2.

QB Joe Flacco vs. the Packers pass D. WR Derrick Mason and RB Ray Rice are having great seasons, and are the leaders in their passing game. Unfortunately they aren't getting much help from the rest of their receivers, though WR Mark Clayton had a great game against the Steelers last week. Football Outsiders has the Ravens pass offense ranked No. 12 overall, but the Packers pass D is ranked No. 3 by them. This looks like a matchup that would favor the Packers, but with two contrasting points. Flacco has a 90.2 QB rating with 13 TDs and 8 INTs, which is similar to QB Carson Palmer (86.7 rating, 15 TDs, 8 INTs) and he threw for 3 TDs against the Packers, in Lambeau, back in week 2. However, that was the first and only game started by SS Aaron Rouse, who was so bad he was released shortly after the game. If the forecast for snow holds up, that might throw all those stats out the window.

Special teams and penalties. Though Mike McCarthy won't admit the special teams have been a disaster in 2009, they've been a disaster. The Packers have been getting killed by hidden yards lost on sacks, special teams, and penalties all season. The sacks might not be a problem, as I noted above, the Ravens haven't had a sack in three weeks. The Ravens special teams have been generally good this season, and they recently signed K Billy Cundiff to have fix their only significant weakness: FG attempts. The Packers will lose at least some yards to the Ravens on special teams. Though the Packers have been awful with penalties this season (66.4 yards/game), the only team worse is the Ravens (66.6 yards/game). This has been an area that's killed the Packers this season, but the Ravens can only expect a slight bump from it.

If the snow turns this game into another HD Bowl (aka 2008 playoff win over the Seahawks) I've got no idea how it could turn out. Which ever team can control the line of scrimmage will win a snow game. Assuming there's no snow, this is still a game I expect the Packers to win. Packers 24, Ravens 17.

Mike McCarthy's Monday Press Conference

Brandon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:14 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

View full size photo »

The players don't report back until Tuesday morning, so not much news about the Green Bay Packers on Monday. It's nice that the team has an 11 day break between the Lions and Ravens games, following a tough 3 game stretch that began against the Cowboys (11/15) and ending on Thanksgiving (11/26).

Some players, like LB Nick Barnett, used the time off to spend Sunday in Middleton, WI. (Really?) While RB Ryan Grant retweeted Ravens RB Ray Rice.

Meanwhile, Mike McCarthy had a press conference. The following is some excerpts from it:

(Do you anticipate anybody else missing practice time this week?)

I think Chad [Clifton] is really my only concern. I think Jordy Nelson is going to be OK. Allen Barbre, Ahman Green and Brandon Underwood all worked out, so I think they definitely have a chance. These decisions will be made tomorrow, but those are the five guys that have a chance to possibly miss practice.

Clifton, Nelson, and Underwood were the only players hurt on Thanksgiving that did not return to the game. Barbre and Green have missed the past 2 games. No surprises on the injury front.

Keep reading after the jump.

(Did you watch the game [Steelers at Ravens] last night with two teams you play in the next few weeks?)
I watched it last night. I watched it into the fourth quarter, and then I was actually watching Pittsburgh's offense versus Baltimore's defense before I came in here today.

(Did anything stand out to you watching them?)
It's always interesting to watch teams in the same division. It's something that you have to put a lot of credence in as far as game-planning, because both those teams know each other very well. They played each other three times last year, and this was obviously a big game in their division last night. There's definitely a lot you can take away from the game.

Good point.

(Has Jones showed enough to stay in that role?)
Yes. I thought Brad did a nice job. I thought he played well. But I also liked the fact that Brady and Jeremy were able to get 10-15 reps in there also. I really like the mix we had there at the outside linebacker position, because obviously that's a big void with Aaron Kampman out.

The 3 player rotation, led by rookie LB Brad Jones, is still in effect to replace Kampman.

(The special teams coverage units rank near the bottom. Why so many struggles and can that get turned around?)
The coverage units are something that have played at a very high level, and it's the one or two that break out a game, and that obviously shows up in the statistics. If you look at the last three games, and that's kind of where it gives your team a truer sense of where you are, I thought the Dallas game we played extremely well. I thought San Francisco we played very well, except for the one that came out. Then we did some things in the Detroit game that you cannot do. We'll correct that, but we have the people here to do it. I'm very confident in our scheme and how we approach it, and our special teams will be a big factor going down the stretch here.

It's not exactly a grilling, but it's the most he's said about coverage in a while. The game against the Cowboys was the best special teams game of the season, but that was a low bar to clear. "Very well" against the 49ers? The 49ers haven't gotten anything from their return game this season, but WR Josh Morgan had a 76 yard return against them in the 4th quarter, which was a big part of their comeback. The special teams was a festival of penalties in the 1st quarter against the Lions. Playing at a "very high level" except for the 1 or 2 per game that kill you? McCarthy may be confident in their scheme, but I won't say anything good about their kick coverage until they play well in consecutive games.

(These next four games you could call the winter part of the schedule. Is there anything that tells you how effective you might be in the conditions?)
Well, running the football and stopping the run, practicing outside definitely helps. This is Green Bay Packer football. It's playing in December. We feel we're talented on the perimeter but it starts up front. This is the time of the year where people have to run the football and stop the run and be productive with all of the aspects of the game that come off of stopping the run and running the football, so that will be our focus.

He might slip after a poor game against the awful Lions run defense, but RB Ryan Grant had moved up to No. 4 overall according to Football Outsiders, behind only RB Steven Jackson, RB Chris Johnson, and RB DeAngelo Williams. With the exception of week 2, when RB Cedric Benson had a very good game against them, the run defense has fantastic. The running game, on both side of the ball, should be a big advantage for them down the stretch.