Rodgers returns, rallies Packers to NFC North crown

Week 17
December 29, 2013 - 3:25 p.m. - FOX
Soldier Field
Chicago, Illinois

Packers 33 - Bears 28

Photo credit: packers.com

The Green Bay Packers are headed to the postseason as the 2013 NFC North Champions thanks to the heroic return to the field from Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb.

He's back.  Aaron Rodgers returned to the field for the first time since breaking his collarbone Week 9 against the Chicago Bears.  Rodgers returned to face the team that knocked him out with the NFC North Division title on the line.  Rodgers carved up the Bears defense on the Packers opening possession, however, a rare Rodgers red zone interception stalled the drive inside the five yard line.  Jay Cutler and the Bears took advantage driving the field and ending the drive with a Cutler touchdown pass to Matt Forte.  Just like the first drive, Rodgers carved up the Bears defense on the Packers second possession of the game, however, a pass thrown behind Jordy Nelson was deflected by Nelson and intercepted at the Bears 17-yard line.  Luckily, the defense forced a three and out to save Rodgers and the offense.

After a Mason Crosby field goal to cut the Bears lead to 7-3, the Packers scored a touchdown on one of the most bizarre plays you will ever see.  On first and ten from the Bears 17-yard line, Rodgers' arm was hit by Julius Peppers and he fumbled the football forward.  The ball went forward and appeared it was an incomplete pass.  However, the referee never blew the whistle to end the play.  Jarrett Boykin picked up the ball lying on the ground and walked into the end zone for the touchdown.  The Packers led 10-7.

Photo credit: packers.com

The next Bears possession lasted four plays and ended with an Alshon Jeffrey fumble recovered by Morgan Burnett.  The Packers moved the ball inside the Bears 10-yard line, but were forced to settle with a Crosby field goal to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

After a Green Bay three and out to start the second half, the Bears feed Matt Forte on five consecutive plays to find the end zone giving the Bears a 14-13 lead.  Green Bay responded on the next drive by feeding Eddie Lacy and James Starks and finished the drive off with Rodgers connecting with Randall Cobb for a 7-yard touchdown giving the Packers a 20-14 lead.  The Bears answered the Packers touchdown with a quick one of their own after Forte punched it in from the 1-yard line after a 67-yard reception by Alshon Jeffrey giving the Bears the lead again 21-20.

The first play of the fourth quarter resulted in a Cutler touchdown toss to Brandon Marshall giving the Bears a 28-20 lead.  Aaron Rodgers led the Packers down the field with long connections to Jordy Nelson and Andrew Quarless.  Eddie Lacy capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run cutting the Bears lead to one, 28-27.  After the defense stopped the Bears, Rodgers and the offense received the ball with just under six and half minutes left and chance at a game winning drive.

Photo credit: packers.com

Aaron Rodgers constructed a masterful comeback game-winning drive.  A drive consisting of three fourth down conversions.  The first, a fourth and inches, converted by John Kuhn.  The second, a fourth and one, converted on a back shoulder throw to Jordy Nelson.  And the third, a fourth and eight, a 48-yard touchdown throw to Randall Cobb with :38 seconds remaining.  The touchdown toss was the 2013 NFC North Championship dagger!  The Bears had some time remaining, but the game ended on a Sam Shields interception of Jay Cutler.

With everything this Packers team has been through this season: the injuries, Rodgers hurt, the defensive struggles; the Packers are NFC North Division Champions.  This team is truly resilient.  This team never gives up.  And this team is going to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

The Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field for the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

#GOPACKGO

#DivisionChamps

#PlayoffBound

Green Bay Packers  8-7-1
Chicago Bears  8-8
Detroit Lions  7-9
Minnesota Vikings  5-10-1

Packers 2013 Pro Bowlers

2014 Pro Bowl

January 26, 2014
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii

The Packers did not have any players selected for the 2014 Pro Bowl.  The Packers were one of five teams without a player selected to the Pro Bowl:  Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and New York Giants.  This is the first year the Packers did not have a player selected to the Pro Bowl since 2005, the year the Packers went 4-12.

Eddie Lacy was selected as a first alternate at the running back position.  Lacy will be a candidate for Offensive Rookie of Year with 1,112 rushing yards and ten touchdowns.  Lacy is definitely deserving of a Pro Bowl spot.

There were also seven other Packers announced as Pro Bowl alternates:  Aaron Rodgers, John Kuhn, Josh Sitton, Jordy Nelson, Clay Matthews, Sam Shields, and Tramon Williams.

Several media outlets have listed Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson, and Josh Sitton as Pro Bowl snubs.  The opportunity to go to Hawaii is still possible due to injuries and teams playing in the Super Bowl.

UPDATED: (01/15/2014)

Eddie Lacy has been added to the 2014 Pro Bowl roster.  Lacy was added as an injury replacement for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.  With the Pro Bowl nod, Lacy further cements his case for Rookie of Year in the NFL.

#gopackgo

Steelers put damper on Packers playoff hopes

Week 16
December 22, 2013 - 3:25 p.m. - CBS
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers 31 - Steelers 38

Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers put a damper on the Packers playoff hopes defeating Green Bay at snowy Lambeau Field.  In a rematch of Super Bowl 45, the Packers and Steelers would play a wild one.

The path was set.  Defeat the Steelers and beat the Chicago Bears in Week 17 and the Packers would be crowned 2013 NFC North champions.  Matt Flynn and the Packers would strike first with a back shoulder touchdown to Jarrett Boykin.  The Steelers would respond with a strike of their own tying the 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Photo credit: packers.com

Unlike the previous two games, the Packers did not get off to a slow start.  In the second quarter, Eddie Lacy continued his 'Rookie of the Year' campaign with a 14-yard helicopter dive-into-the-end-zone touchdown.  Lacy would also, later in the game, pass John Brockington to set a Packers franchise record for the most rushing yards in a rookie season.  Lacy already holds the record for most rushing touchdowns as a rookie and added to his record with a pair touchdowns against the Steelers.

After the Packers took a 14-10 lead into the locker room, the Steelers opened the second half with a six play touchdown drive that included a successful conversion of a fake punt.  The next sequence was once of the craziest I've ever seen.  After a Tim Masthay punt downed at the 2-yard line, the Steelers Le'veon Bell coughed the ball up on the 3-yard line and Tramon Williams recovered to put Green Bay in business.  Bell was ruled down by contact, but the play was reviewed and overturned.  The Steelers defense kept the Packers out of the end zone and blocked Mason Crosby's field goal attempt, however, as the ball was rolling on the ground, a Steeler batted the ball forward in an attempt to keep it from going out of bounds.  The officials in game ruled the bat of the ball occurred without a change in possession, therefore was a penalty on Pittsburgh and an automatic first down for Green Bay.  The ruling was incorrect on the field as a change in possession did occur as a Steeler did pickup the ball prior to the ball being batted.  With a changed in possession, the penalty would have been half the distance to the goal and a first down for Pittsburgh.  Mike Tomlin, head coach for the Steelers, tried to challenge the possession change, however, that is not a reviewable play.  Nevertheless, Green Bay got the football after a block field goal at the 2-yard line.  And then Eddie Lacy pounded it into the end zone giving Green Bay the 21-17 lead.  An absolute crazy sequence of plays and rulings all benefitting the Packers.

To add to the craziness of this game, the Steelers preceded to drive the field again resulting in another touchdown giving the Steelers the 24-21 lead.  On the ensuing kickoff, Micah Hyde returned the kickoff 39 yards to the 40-yard line.  On the Packers first play from scrimmage, they ran a run pass option.  Flynn elected to pass the bubble screen to Jarrett Boykin, however, Andrew Quarless ran into Flynn as he was throwing the football causing him to throw a floating duck.  The pass was intercepted by Pittsburgh's Cortez Allen and returned 40-yards for the touchdown giving the Steelers the 31-21 lead late in the third quarter.

The Packers did not give up.  After a Mason Crosby field goal, the Packers tied the game with just over seven minutes left with a John Kuhn two-yard touchdown run.  And with the game tied, the Packers had an opportunity to win the game with three minutes left.  On a third and eight from the Green Bay 10-yard line, Flynn attempted to rush for the first down.  Flynn came up short and fumbled the football.  The defense held the Steelers to a three and out, however, Nick Perry went offside on the field goal attempt on fourth and three giving the Steelers a first down.  In order to save time, the Packers let the Steelers into the end zone giving them the lead with around ninety seconds remaining.  Micah Hyde gave the Packers new life with a 70-yard kickoff return to the Pittsburgh 31-yard line.  Flynn passed the offense to the Pittsburgh 1-yard line with the clock running at 20-seconds.  At this point, Don Barclay committed a false start.  Because Green Bay had zero timeouts, the Packers were accessed a 5-yard penalty and a 10-second run off.  Another factor, the clock began ticking on the officials signal.  The Packers did not snap the ball until 5-seconds remained.  Flynn's pass to Boykin was incomplete and the game was over.

Photo credit: packers.com

Poor clock management on the final drive, horrific special teams all day long, and turnovers cost the Packers in this football game.  The season could be over depending on the result of the Bears vs Eagles game on Sunday Night Football.

The defense for the Packers was holding up against the Steelers despite so many injuries.  Some bad news, Clay Matthews sacked Roethlisberger in the second quarter and came up grimacing.  Matthews was holding his thumb that he injured back in Week 5 and missed four games.  Matthews went to the locker room and did not return.  Eddie Lacy was also was hurt in this matchup.  Lacy re-aggravated his sprained ankle and left the game in the third quarter and did not return.

Matt Flynn finished the day with 232 passing yards including a touchdown and an interception.  Eddie Lacy rushed for 84 yards and added two rushing touchdowns.  James Jones led the team in receiving with nine catches for 84 yards.  Ben Roethlisberger only threw for 167 yards, but had two touchdowns and threw an interception (A.J. Hawk).  Rookie running back Le'veon Bell dashed the Packers defense for 124 yards and a touchdown.  And Antonio Brown led the Steelers receiving with 105 yards on six receptions.

There was a lot of discussion during the week that Aaron Rodgers would make his return from his broken collarbone, but Rodgers has still not been medically cleared to play football.

UPDATED: The Chicago Bears have lost on Sunday Night Football vs the Philadelphia Eagles.  This means the Week 17 matchup between the Packers and the Bears will be for the NFC North division crown.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

Chicago Bears  8-7
Green Bay Packers  7-7-1
Detroit Lions  7-8
Minnesota Vikings  4-10-1

Stunning comeback leads Packers over Cowboys

Week 15
December 15, 2013 - 3:25 p.m. - FOX
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas

Packers 37 - Cowboys 36

The Packers shocked the world with a 23-point second half comeback victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Texas matching a record for the largest comeback in franchise history.

The first half was a complete disaster for the Packers.  The Cowboys absolutely embarrassed the Packers in the first half of play.  DeMarco Murray was running all over the defense.  Tony Romo was carving up the secondary.  The Packers went into the locker room trailing 26-3 with the bus starting to warm up for the trip back up north to Green Bay.

The Packers mounted a second half comeback that tied a franchise record set in 1982.  How did they do it?  The Packers had six possessions in the second half and scored a touchdown on five of them with the sixth possession ending in the victory formation.

Photo credit: espn.com

 The Packers opened up the second half with a four-play drive thanks to a 60-yard run by Eddie Lacy.  From that point forward, the Packers kept gaining momentum as the comeback began.  A huge difference in the second half was the quarterback play from Matt Flynn.  Part of this success was due to better play calling by Mike McCarthy.  You could notice as the second half continued the confidence in this football team.  It appeared as they were reborn.  They showed life.

Photo credit: SportingNews.com

The defense was shredded by Tony Romo and company in the first half.  However, in the second half, they came to play.  The defense sacked Romo three times in the ballgame (Daniels, Neal, Matthews/D. Jones).  Most importantly, the Packers caused turnovers.  The Cowboys had five possessions in the second half: field goal, punt, touchdown, interception, interception.  Tony Romo is known for throwing late game interceptions; and boy did he live up to that reputation.

With the Packers trailing 36-31 with under three minutes to play, all the Cowboys had to do was run the ball.  DeMarco Murray had dashed the Packers for 7.4 yards per carry.  However, Romo checked from a run to a pass and threw an intercepted to Sam Shields at midfield.  The play sparked the Packers sideline.  Flynn led the Packers 50 yards as Eddie Lacy capped the drive diving into the end zone to give the Packers the lead for the first time with a minute and a half remaining in the ball game.  In the Cowboys final drive, Romo did it again as he was intercepted by Tramon Williams to seal the epic comeback.  The interception was ruled incomplete in the field, but a booth review overturned the call in the Packers favor.

Matt Flynn finished the day with 299 passing yards, four touchdown, and one interception.  Jarrett Boykin had a nice day hauling in six balls for 83 yards.  Andrew Quarless continued his excellent play catching six passes for 66 yards including one touchdown.

Photo credit: @PGevensiegle

This Packers victory today, in my opinion, is one of the best Packers victories I've ever watched in my lifetime, excluding Super Bowl 31 and 45.  This game was unreal.  This team never gave up, even when everyone expected them to do so.  I'm very proud of this team.  This victory absolutely sparked this football team.  Could this win spark a playoff run?  Many players after the game said this win felt like they won the Super Bowl.  Maybe this win can be the beginning of something special.  And with rumors of Aaron Rodgers returning next week... this team could become dangerous.

Congratulations to Eddie Lacy as he passed the 1,000 rushing yard mark in his rookie season with his 131 rushing yards today.  Lacy is continuing his fabulous rookie year as he has 1,028 rushing yards in just twelve games.  Lacy in closing in on the Packers franchise rookie record  of 1,105 rushing yards set by John Brockington in 1971.  Lacy already holds the record for most rushing touchdowns as a rookie and added to his record on Sunday with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.  Lacy has been a tremendous bright spot for the Packers this season.  An absolute steal in the NFL draft, in my opinion.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

#gopackgo

Chicago Bears  8-6
Green Bay Packers  7-6-1
Detroit Lions  7-7
Minnesota Vikings  4-9-1

Packers rally to defeat Falcons

Week 14
December 8, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - FOX
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers 22 - Falcons 21

The Packers finally got back into the win column with a second half comeback victory over the lowly Atlanta Falcons led by Matt Flynn, Eddie Lacy, and the defense.

Photo credit: packers.com

This football game started the same way the previous four games did for the Packers; the offense was non-existent and the defense was pathetic.  The Packers, led by Matt Flynn, scored a touchdown on their first possession thanks to a drive saving defensive penalty on a unsuccessful third down play.  Eddie Lacy finished the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter.  Lacy continues to shine despite not much offensive line blocking and average quarterback play.  From this point forward, the Falcons controlled the remainder of the first half.  Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Drew Davis and Tony Gonzalez early in the second quarter to give the Falcons the lead.  With the Packers driving for some points just before halftime and trailing 14-10, Flynn became the subject of one of the weirdest interceptions.  A short pass from Flynn to John Kuhn was deflected, kicked, and intercepted by Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and returned 71 yards for a touchdown.  The play was weird as it appeared the ball hit the ground, but replay showed otherwise.  A loud roar of boos came down on the Packers as they exited the field for halftime.

The Packers appeared to be a different team in the second half.  And it started with the defense.  The Falcons had six possessions in the second half and scored zero points (punt, punt, fumble, missed field goal, downs, interception).  The defense finally stepped up.  After a couple of Mason Crosby field goals, the Packers forced a Matt Ryan fumble deep in Falcons territory.  The Packers capitalized with a Andrew Quarless touchdown from Matt Flynn that turned out to be the decisive victorious score.  The defense shut down the Falcons on their final two drives with an opportunity to take the lead.  Jarrett Bush finished off the Falcons by intercepting Matt Ryan with seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Matt Flynn threw for 258 yards and a touchdown.  Flynn, however, also had an interception and a fumble lost.  Eddie Lacy finished the day with 65 tough rushing yards and a touchdown.  The rookie is closing in on a 1,000 yard rushing year (887 rushing yards).  Jordy Nelson had a nice day catching four balls for 85 yards.  And Andrew Quarless had a fine day with six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Lambeau Field lived up to one of its nicknames on this Sunday afternoon as the tundra was frozen.  Game time conditions included temperatures in the teens, wind chills in the negatives, and snow showers.

With the Detroit Lions losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Packers have moved to within a half game of first place in the NFC North with three games remaining.

Photo credit: packers.com

Congratulations to Dave Robinson as he was honored at halftime for his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Robinson received his Hall of Fame ring and had his name unveiled in the bowl of Lambeau Field.

Detroit Lions  7-6
Chicago Bears  7-6
Green Bay Packers  6-6-1
Minnesota Vikings  3-9-1

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

#gopackgo

Lions embarrass Pack on Turkey Day

Week 13
November 28, 2013 - 11:30 a.m. - FOX
Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan

Packers 10 - Lions 40

The Packers suffered a drubbing at Ford Field by the hands of the Detroit Lions in front of a national audience on Thanksgiving Day.  In a game the Packers needed badly to keep up in the NFC North playoff race, they dropped the turkey leg.

The defense was absolutely dreadful.  And the offense was missing in action.  The Packers defense gave up a total of 561 yards of offense to the Lions.  The Lions had 320 passing yards and added 241 rushing yards.  The defense couldn't stop anyone. Another scary stat, the Lions possessed the football for forty minutes.  The Lions possessed the football for nearly three total quarters of the football game.  One of the worst performances I've seen from this defense in a long time.  No heart. No effort.

Photo credit: detroitlions.com

Because they are the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford and company did their best to keep the Packers in the game in the first half.  Despite dominating the Packers defense, the Lions could not capitalize on long drives in the first half and committed several turnovers to give the Packers some type of hope.  On the opening possession of the game, the Lions were driving, but Reggie Bush fumbled inside the Green Bay 10-yard line.  In the second quarter, Nick Perry sacked Stafford and forced a fumble which was recovered by Morgan Burnett and returned for a touchdown.  On the very next possession, Tramon Williams intercepted Stafford in Green Bay territory.  Of these three turnovers, the Packers scored seven points, which happen to come from the defense (Burnett touchdown).  The Lions scored two touchdowns to finish the half leading 17-10.  And the Packers only trailing by seven at halftime was a miracle.

The Packers would have been better off staying in the locker room eating turkey than returning to play the second half.  The team was blasted as they were outscored 23-0 in the second half.  Detroit just took it to Green Bay as the Lions won on Thanksgiving for the first time in ten years.  Matt Flynn was horrible.  Flynn finished the day with 139 passing yards, one interception, and two fumbles.  Flynn was also sacked seven times, including one for a safety.  Eddie Lacy was shut down with only 16 rushing yards on the day.

The playmakers for Detroit got the job done.  Matthew Stafford threw for 330 passing yards and two touchdowns.  Reggie Bush rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown.  And Calvin Johnson hauled in six balls for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The season is truly on ice from this point forward.  There is still a slim chance, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting dimmer.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

Detroit Lions  7-5
Chicago Bears  6-6
Green Bay Packers  5-6-1
Minnesota Vikings  3-8-1

Packers, Vikings battle ends in tie

Week 12
November 24, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - FOX
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers 26 - Vikings 26

The Packers and the division rival Minnesota Vikings played for 75 minutes resulting in a rare tie for a football game.

Scott Tolzien made his second consecutive start for the Packers and it was a dud.  Tolzien struggled against the lowly Vikings finishing with a stat line of 7/17 for 98 passing yards before being replaced by Matt Flynn mid-way through the third quarter.

The Packers struck first in this football game on a Tolzien 6-yard run that included a video game spin move for the ages.  From that point forward, the Packers offense hit a wall and trailed the Vikings going into halftime 13-7.  Tolzien continued to struggle in the third quarter and after a Vikings touchdown to extend their lead to 20-7, head coach Mike McCarthy made the switch at quarterback.

Matt Flynn gave this football team a spark of energy.  With less than a minute into the fourth quarter, the Vikings added a field goal to give the Vikings a sixteen point lead at 23-7.  And at that point, Flynn began to work his magic to mount a comeback.  Flynn led the Packers on a eight play 80-yard drive with heavy doses of Eddie Lacy into the end zone.  After a failed two-point conversion, the Packers trailed the Vikings 23-13 with eleven minutes to play.  After a defensive stop, Flynn led the Packers on a twelve play 77-yard drive ending with a touchdown pass to Jarrett Boykin.  The Packers trailed the Vikings with three and half minutes to play.  The Packers defense stepped up again holding the Vikings to a three and out and giving Matt Flynn a chance to tie or win the game.  A ten play drive including a fourth down conversion resulted in a Mason Crosby field goal sending the game to overtime.

The Packers won the toss and elected to receive in the overtime period.  Flynn and the Packers drove the field all the way to the Minnesota 2-yard line.  But the Packers could not punch it into the end zone.  Mason Crosby hit a 20-yard field goal to give the Packers the 26-23 lead.  However, due to the new overtime rules, the Vikings would receive an opportunity to tie the game or win it with a touchdown.  The Vikings drove the field as well all the way to the Green Bay 17-yard line.  The Vikings tied the game again with a Blair Walsh field goal sending the game into sudden death for the remainder of the overtime period.

Photo credit: packers.com

The Packers and Vikings both possessed the football twice after the tie in overtime, but neither could move the ball.  The clock slowly ticked down to triple zeros ending the game in a rare tie.  Head coach Mike McCarthy said the ending of the game left an "empty feeling," as neither team won, nor lost.

This was the first game in NFL history to end in a tie despite scoring taking place during the overtime period (due to the new overtime rules).

This tie was the Packers fifth game all-time ending in a tie.  That mark is the most by a team in NFL history.

After replacing the ineffective Scott Tolzien, Matt Flynn finished the day 21/36 for 218 yards and a touchdown.  Eddie Lacy ran all over the Vikings for 110 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings Christian Ponder finished the day 21/30 for 233 yards and a touchdown.  Adrian Peterson continued his success against the Packers rushing for 146 yards on the ground and had one touchdown.  Former Packer Greg Jennings had an unproductive two receptions for 29 yards in his return to Lambeau Field.  Jennings was booed heavily by the Lambeau faithful.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

Detroit Lions  6-5
Chicago Bears  6-5
Green Bay Packers  5-5-1
Minnesota Vikings  2-8-1

Losing streak continues in New York

Week 11
November 17, 2013 - 3:25 p.m. - FOX
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey

Packers 13 - Giants 27

The Packers dropped their third-straight game as they suffered their second-straight loss 27-13.

Scott Tolzien earned his first career NFL start for the Packers and was impressive again, however, still showed effects of an inexperienced quarterback.  Just like last week, the Packers offense racked up yards, but failed to put points on the board.  Tolzien threw for 339 yards on 24/34 passing.  The quarterback, however, was picked off three times by the Giants defense.  Tolzien has many similarities to Brett Favre.  He is a gun-slinger who has a big arm and takes chances with his throws.  His inexperience at the quarterback position at the NFL level clearly is something that plagues him.  Unfortunately for the Packers, there aren't many extra options other than recently signed Matt Flynn.

Jordy Nelson had a big day for the Packers catching eight balls for 117 yards.  Jarrett Boykin continues his great play replacing Randall Cobb with six receptions for 91 yards.  The Giants defense bottled up Eddie Lacy who only rushed for 27 yards on fourteen carries and a touchdown.

The New York Giants extended their winning streak to four games led by Eli Manning who threw for 279 yards, a touchdown, and one interception.  Victor Cruz had a nice day hauling in eight passes for 110 yards.

Photo credit: giants.com

The dagger in this football came in the fourth quarter.  After an Eddie Lacy 4-yard touchdown run to cut the Giants lead to 20-13, and a defensive stop, the Packers had a chance to tie the game.  Jason Pierre-Paul intercepted Tolzien on a leaping screen play and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown and collapsed any hope the Packers had in winning this football game.  The amazing part about this interception was the comment made by Justin Tuck after the game:  "I have never seen anything like it before in my life.  We were literally in a TV timeout and he said, 'I'm going to pick this.'"  This would be a sign of predictable play calling.

The Packers season is really in jeopardy going forward.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

Detroit Lions  6-4
Chicago Bears  6-4
Green Bay Packers  5-5
Minnesota Vikings  2-8

Eagles fly over Rodgers-less Packers

Week 10
November 10, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - FOX
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers 13 - Eagles 27

Life without Aaron Rodgers has begun in Green Bay.  And things did not look pretty in Titletown, U.S.A.

Seneca Wallace got the start for the Packers and became the fourth starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers since 1992 (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Flynn).  Wallace, a 10-year veteran, was signed by the Packers a week before the season started to be the backup to Aaron Rodgers.

Photo credit: packers.com

Seneca's day did not last long.  Wallace injured his groin on the Packers opening possession, which resulted in a missed 53-yard field goal by Mason Crosby.  With basically the entire game remaining, the Packers were left with only one quarterback remaining on the roster.  Scott Tolzien, a third-string quarterback from the University of Wisconsin signed off the practice squad a week ago, was now the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

Despite Tolzien just joining the active roster, he played very exceptional for a guy getting his first NFL quarterbacking experience.  Tolzien finished the day 24/39 for 280 yards and a touchdown.  Tolzien, however, also threw two poor interceptions; but what can you expect out of a kid who has never played at the NFL level.  Tolzien is a gun-slinger.  He has a big arm, which could allow Mike McCarthy to open up his playbook more should Tolzien be the quarterback going forward.

The offense racked up the yards (396 yards), but struggled to put points on the board.  The Packers could not find a rhythm with Scott Tolzien at the helm.  And they couldn't find the answer in the red zone.

The defense continued to plague this team.  The defense could not stop Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, or the big-play ability of the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Eagles had three touchdowns on the day and they were all heartbreakers.  Foles connected with DeSean Jackson for a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter that was deflected by both Morgan Burnett and Tramon Williams.  Foles connected with Riley Cooper for a 45-yard touchdown and a 32-yard touchdown in the third quarter.  LeSean McCoy ran all over the defense for 155 yards on 25 carries.  This defense had several opportunities to stop the Eagles on third down, but failed time and time again to get off the field.  But they got dashed several times by Foles and McCoy in this football game.  And without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers didn't have a chance.

#LifeWithoutAaronRodgers

Detroit Lions  6-3
Chicago Bears  5-4
Green Bay Packers  5-4
Minnesota Vikings  2-7

Rodgers hurt, Packers fall to Bears

Week 9
November 4, 2013 - 7:30 p.m. - ESPN
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers 20 - Bears 27

Disaster struck the Green Bay Packers in a Monday Night matchup against the division rival Chicago Bears when Aaron Rodgers was tackled by Chicago's Shea McClellin and came up in tremendous pain.

Photo credit: chicagobears.com

On the opening possession, Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone on his left shoulder (non-throwing).  Rodgers did not return to the game.  Rodgers did return to the sideline late in the second half and received a huge ovation from the Lambeau faithful.  Rodgers is projected to miss 6-8 weeks.  With Rodgers in the lineup, the Packers can beat anyone.  We are about to find out how this team responds to losing its Super Bowl MVP quarterback.

Seneca Wallace, signed by the Packers a week prior to the season starting, replaced Rodgers and was effective.  The Packers relied heavily on the strength of their running game of Eddie Lacy and James Starks against the struggling defense of the Chicago Bears.  Just before the end of the first quarter, Starks busted a 32-yard dash to the end zone to give the Packers a 10-7 lead.  However, the Bears owned the second quarter adding a Matt Forte rushing touchdown and a Robbie Gould field goal giving the Bears a 17-10 lead at halftime.

The Packers opened the second half with a bang.  Eddie Lacy reeled off a 56-yard run to the Bears 1-yard line.  And Lacy punched the ball into the end zone on the next play.  The Packers then attempted a surprise onside kick and recovered to steal a possession from the Bears.  The Packers capitalized with a Mason Crosby field goal giving the Packers the lead 20-17.  After the Bears added an Alshon Jeffrey touchdown in the third quarter to take the lead 24-20, the Packers offense could not find its rhythm the rest of the game.  In the fourth quarter, the Bears reeled off a nine minute eighteen-play drive ending with a field goal finishing off the Packers 27-20.  The Packers had :50 seconds remaining, but without any timeouts, Wallace was sacked twice to end the game.

Seneca Wallace in relief finished the day 11/19 for 114 yards and an interceptions.  Eddie Lacy rushed for 150 yards and scored once.  James Starks also scored a touchdown and added 40 yards on the ground.  Jordy Nelson led the team in receiving with four receptions for 67 yards.

Photo credit: packers.com

Josh McCown started for the Bears for the injured Jay Cutler and performed well.  McCown threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns.  Matt Forte had an impressive night with 125 yards rushing and added a touchdown.  Brandon Marshall caught seven balls for 107 yards and touchdown for the Bears.

Entering the game, the Packers were sitting pretty at the top of the NFC North at 5-2.  Without Aaron Rodgers for the foreseeable future, the division is now wide open.  The Packers will need to be reliant on their running game to carry them.  And the defense will need to set up big time.  More than ever.  Life without Aaron Rodgers has begun in Green Bay.

#gopackgo

Chicago Bears  5-3
Green Bay Packers  5-3
Detroit Lions  5-3
Minnesota Vikings  1-7