Giants vs. Packers: 6 Things We Learned in Green Bay's 37-20 Loss
By (Featured Columnist) on January 15, 2012
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The team with the best regular season record is now out of the NFL playoffs thanks to the New York Giants beating the Green Bay Packers by a score of 37-20.
While the game was close through the first half, the Giants got a late touchdown to head into the locker room ahead 20-10. They continued their domination in the second half and cruised to a 17-point victory on the road.
Here are six things we learned in Green Bay's 37-20 loss.
Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers
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Throughout the regular season, the Green Bay Packers were pretty darn good at not turning over the football.
However, against the New York Giants, the Packers had four turnovers. One interception by Aaron Rodgers and three fumbles is what ultimately doomed Green Bay.
Green Bay only had six lost fumbles during the regular season, but in this game, they had three. Ryan Grant, John Kuhn and Rodgers all put the ball on the ground, and New York recovered them all.
You're unlikely to win a game when you lose the turnover battle 4-1 like Green Bay did on Sunday.
The Secondary Was Awful
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A loss like this is hard to blame on just one person or one unit, but the secondary for the Green Bay Packers was just awful against the New York Giants.
This group has been bad all year long, and they continued their poor play in the most important game of the year. Eli Manning finished the game with 330 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 63.6 percent of his passes.
There were blown assignments, and it seemed like every third down the defense forced, the secondary would completely forget to cover their man, which would result in an easy first down for New York.
It's crazy to think that a group including Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields could really be this bad, but it's definitely the case for Green Bay.
Absolutely No Pressure on Eli Manning Killed Green Bay
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One sack was all the Green Bay Packers could muster against the New York Giants.
What's even worse is that Eli Manning literally had all day to sit in the pocket and throw the football. The pass rush for Green Bay was a strong point in last year's playoffs, but against New York, it was just awful.
Neither Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji or any other defensive player was successful at getting after Manning, and it really hurt Green Bay.
If you can't get pressure on a quarterback, you can't win football games.
It May Be Time to Say Goodbye to Dom Capers
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Last year, Dom Capers was the brilliant mastermind behind the Green Bay Packers' improbable run to the Super Bowl. This year, Capers has been completely owned by opposing offenses.
The Packers had the worst defense during the regular season, and it didn't get any better in the playoffs. They can't get any pressure on the quarterback, their secondary is always out of position and even their run defense is pedestrian at best.
The crazy thing is that there haven't been any huge injuries to this unit. This is basically the same defensive unit that was so difficult to beat last year.
If the defense you are in charge of gives up 420 yards and 37 points at home, it's time to find a new job.
Aaron Rodgers Was Better Running Than Throwing
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On the day, Aaron Rodgers threw for 264 yards and ran for another 66 yards.
The big statistic is that he completed only 56.5 of his passes and finished with a quarterback rating of 78.5, way below his regular season average. That's why his legs were more impressive than his arm against the New York Giants.
Four of his nine scrambles went for first downs, and his 66 rushing yards was 23 more than James Starks, the next highest rusher.
We've known all along how good Rodgers is out of the pocket, we just never thought that his legs would do more damage than his arm.
There Is Always Next Year
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As disappointing as the loss to the New York Giants was, Green Bay Packers' fans need to remember that there is always next year.
With a solid core of young players like Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings, Tramon Williams and Jordy Nelson, you can be assured that the Packers will be one of the better teams in the NFL for the foreseeable future.
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