Packers-Cardinals: Green Bay Rolls

I understand both the Packers and Cardinals went into Sunday's game knowing that, no matter the outcome, they would face each other the following week. But they went into the game with a completely different attitude about it.

Green Bay went in boldly and attacked:

The Packers went for it on fourth down on the first possession just across midfield. The offense took a shot downfield and got a 51-yard completion to Jordy Nelson (on the only misdirection play run on the first two possessions, a play-action pass) followed by a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Aaron Rodgers. The defense, with only one blitz, was aggressive enough to hold the Cardinals to one first down on each of their first-quarter possessions, a total of nine plays.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, were timid. After digging a 14-0 first quarter hole, they folded their tent and pulled their starters.

After being dominated by the Packers in the preseason (a game in which they left starters in longer than the Packers did), they have now been dominated in the regular season. Sure, they can say the first one did not count and the second did not matter, but the reality is much different than that.

The reality is there is a big difference between the third and fourth seed. Just three years ago the Colts played hard for the third seed and had momentum that carried them to a conference championship contest they hosted as the third seed. Thus, in one fell swoop they proved that playing hard into the playoffs and fighting for the third over the fourth seed both matter.

The larger issue is that the only time the Cardinals have outplayed the Packers in two contests is when their first team played the Packers second team. That affects the confidence of a team, and in the NFL, confidence may be the single most important factor in determining the outcome of a game.

These realities are why I do not understand teams that let up on the gas on their way in. History tells us that teams lose the edge in that situation.

The Cardinals may tell you that Anquan Boldin got hurt because he played, and that they should have abandoned the game entirely. But I agree with my high school coach (yes, that is the farthest I got), who used to tell us that players get hurt when they start going at less than full speed.

Either the Cardinals were doing that or they are in big trouble, because they did not look like a team that could beat the Packers. Green Bay made substitutions as early as the second quarter, but there is no doubt the Cardinals made them sooner and put less a premium on this game. 

All the Packers could do was play the players Ken Whisenhunt put on the field. And while it affects the grades when first-teamers played against substitutes, that amounted to about two to three possessions on both sides of the ball, and this was already a rout in the making before any substitutions began.

Quarterback: B

If this was just about Aaron Rodgers, the grade would be A+. Rodgers was 21-26 (.808) for 239 yards (9.2 yards per play) and a touchdown without a turnover or sack (117.1 passer rating). He had two carries for just two yards, but one was for a touchdown and the other a first down.

Matt Flynn, on the other hand, showed why Rodgers may actually be the league MVP—the Packers would not have won five games without him under center. (After the Colts blew the lead vs. the Jets as soon as Peyton Manning was removed from the game at the end of December, the same was obvious with him.)

Flynn was 1-3 for seven yards and a pick that was nearly returned for a touchdown. He was sacked once for six yards and had three kneel downs for -3 yards at the end of the game, too.

Running Backs: C+

The Packers ran the ball more than they passed in the second half, and the Cardinals knew what was coming. That is part of the reason that everyone but Ryan Grant (11 carries, 51 yards—4.6 average—and a touchdown) struggled to get yardage. Ahman Green had 42 yards on 12 carries (3.5 average), a third of which came on one carry, and Brandon Jackson had just 17 yards on six carries (2.8).

However, Jackson was a weapon in the passing game out of the backfield, with receptions of 12 and 17 yards. Fullback John Kuhn added a four-yard catch to give the unit 143 yards on 32 touches—a average of 4.5 per touch.

Receivers: B-

With his first catch, Donald Driver made the Packer offense the first in league history with a 4,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers, and a 1,200-yard rusher two seasons in a row. He continued to lead the way, with 65 yards on six catches (10.8 average).

Jordy Nelson had a 51-yard catch but fell one yard short of the endzone. Jermichael Finley had four catches for 34 yards and the only receiving touchdown. Greg Jennings had three catches for 29 yards, James Jones had three for 17 yards, and Donald Lee had two for 13 to round out the unit's production.

Overall, they produced 209 yards on 19 catches and a touchdown. That is a healthy number of yards and an impressive number of catches, but not many yards per reception or enough scores.

Offensive Line: C

The line gave up the one sack needed to lock itself in as the league's worst in pass protection. (Before you overemphasize Rodgers' role in that for holding the ball too long, so does the other quarterback who was sacked 50 times, Ben Roethlisberger.) But one sack on 30 drop-backs is not bad, especially against an above-average pass rush.

The Packers struggled to run the ball, averaging only 3.8 per carry from the running backs and 3.6 including when you include the two quarterback runs. But as previously mentioned, the opposition knew what was coming for most of those runs, so they had at least an average performance overall.

Defensive Line: B-

The Packers did not get a lot of pressure on any of the Cardinals three quarterbacks, and allowed a mediocre-at-best rushing attack a less-than-mediocre 46 yards on 13 carries (3.5 per carry). As usual in this system, they failed to make an impact on the stat sheet with just five tackles and an assist; Jarius Wynn got one of those tackles in mop-up duty.

Linebackers: B-

While the backers failed to get a single sack or interception, Clay Matthews did draw the holding in the endzone that led to the season's first safety. A.J. Hawk had over half of the unit's production with his six tackles; Nick Barnett added three and two assists, and Desmond Bishop two tackles.

This unit also held the running backs and tight ends pretty well in check in the passing game. Tight end Steven Spach's only catch (for 22 yards) is probably more on the safeties, and there were only three other catches on this unit—for just five, one, and a loss of one yard.

Defensive Backs: A-

Charles Woodson may have solidified his selection of defensive player of the year with his interception returned for a touchdown—he leads the league in both picks and defensive scores—before being pulled with a minor shoulder injury (he had no tackles). Tramon Williams (five tackles, two assists) and Atari Bigby (four tackles) also added picks.

Nickel and dime backs Jarrett Bush and Brandon Underwood had two tackles, and Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins had a tackle. Even the deeper reserves (Matt Giordano and Josh Bell) got a chance to play in this one, each getting a tackle.

Special Teams: B

The Packers' Achilles Heel finishes the season on a high note, with two consecutive B grades. Mostly, the unit just did what it was supposed to, plus a little more.

Mason Crosby hit all four extra points and the 26-yard chip-shot to pull the Packers to a 19-0 lead. But he also put four of his six kicks in the endzone, one of which was a touchback, and helped the coverage hold the Cardinals to an average of 20.8 yards per return, with a long of 23.

Jeremy Kapinos had punts of 40 and 54 yards, pinned the Cardinals inside the 20 once, and had no touchbacks. More than that, Steve Breaston managed a return of just three yards and another for a loss of one.

Nelson did well returning punts and kicks, too. While Ben Graham tied an NFL single-season record by putting three more of his four punts inside the 20, Nelson still got returns of 13 and three yards. He also had a 54-yard kick return to pull up his average to 29.7 yards on three returns.

I originally wrote this article for Sports Scribes . You can also check me out on PackerChatters ..