Packers vs. Giants: Green Bay Come Out Flat, Gets Flattened by the Giants

Like the Bears in prime time last Monday night, the Packers imploded in every phase of the game, dropping passes, allowing Aaron Rodgers to get killed behind a patchwork offensive line and playing less than mediocre defense.

Even Aaron Rodgers played poorly, frequently holding the ball way too long and making more than a few poor decisions across all four quarters.

Heck, Rodgers managed to sack himself by running into his offensive lineman a la Mark Sanchez's "butt sack" from Thursday night.

This was a team which came out flat and looked beat early. After the first few Giants touchdowns, it was just a matter of killing the rest of the clock before flying home to Green Bay.

At least that’s how it seemed.

Of course, there is plenty of blame to go around and Rodgers might have played better if Marshall Newhouse had been able to protect him more effectively or if the team had assigned more help to his efforts to stop the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul.

The Giants’ defensive line was in the backfield all night and the offensive line for the Packers was definitely overmatched. If you had stopped being worried about it with last week’s victory, it’s probably time to start worrying again.

Sure, the Giants were coming off a bye week after a terribly embarrassing loss and they played like a team with something to prove. Yes, the Packers had to travel a long way to reach Metlife Stadium.

Yet these are the types of games that the best of the NFL are supposed to win, or barring that at least show up and act like they want to win.

The Packers went into a shell early and never got out. They allowed themselves to get outmatched almost from the first whistle, never looking like the team which was playing so well just a few weeks ago.

Injuries have taken their toll on this team and there isn’t much to do about it at this late date. There is no miracle sure for the offensive line and no cure for the defensive problems save what is already to be found on the team.

The Packers have overcome these problems in the past, so fans shouldn’t panic. However, it definitely shows that the division is still anyone’s and if they want it, the Packers have to do a better job of rising to the occasion.

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