The Packers rose up last night and served notice to the rest of the NFL that they intend to return to the playoffs this season.  Aaron Rodgers was very solid last night completing 26 of 40 passes for 263 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 30 yards (7.5 ypc) last night.  Ryan Grant had a rough time last night with 41 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.3 ypc).  Ahman Green helped out on the ground late in the game with 5 carries for 23 yards (4.6 ypc).  TE Jermichael Finley had a huge game for the Packers last night with 7 grabs for 79 yards (11.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Greg Jennings pitched in with 6 grabs for 77 yards (12.8 avg) last night.  The Packers finished up with 350 total yards on offense in this game (94 rushing, 256 passing).

The defense was outstanding last night for the Packers as it kept suffocating the Ravens’ offense.  LBs A.J. Hawk (7 tackles, pass defensed, interception) and Clay Matthews (6 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, pass defensed, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits) led the way for the Packers last night.  CB Tramon Williams (5 tackles, 3 passes defensed, interception) and S Nick Collins (1 tackle, fumble recovery and a interception) also had huge games for the Packers last night.  The Ravens finished up with 185 total yards in this game (66 rushing, 119 passing).  The Packers are now 8-4 on the year.

The Packers pretty much handed the Lions their first score of the game and then they took over.  Aaron Rodgers was razor sharp hitting 28 of 39 passes for 348 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ryan Grant didn’t have his best game as he rushed for 61 yards on 20 carries (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 42 yards (14.0 avg).  Donald Driver was awesome yesterday with 7 catches for 142 yards (20.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Greg Jennings pitched in with 4 grabs for 53 yards (13.3 avg) yesterday.  WR James Jones (4 rec, 35 yards) and TE Donald Lee (4 rec, 22 yards) each caught 1 TD pass apiece in this game.  The Packers rolled up 422 yards of total offense (80 rushing, 342 passing) in this game. 

The defense was outstanding for the Packers yesterday in Motown.  LBs A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett each had 10 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss apiece.  But, it was CB Charles Woodson who really dominated this football game.  He finished up with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for  a loss, he defensed 4 passes, had 1 QB hit, recovered a fumble and he intercepted 2 passes (one of which he returned 38 yards for a TD).  The Lions finished up with 272 total yards on offense (73 rushing, 199 passing) in this game.  The Packers are now 7-4 on the season after this nice road win over the pathetic Lions.

Aaron Rodgers had one of the best halves of his career to help the Green Bay Packers (6-4) build a big lead against the San Francisco 49ers (4-6) and hold them off to win Sunday.  Rodgers threw for 2 touchdowns and 274 yards in the first half and the Packers were up 24-3 at the break.  He slowed down in the second half and finished the game with the 2 touchdowns and 344 yards on 32/44 attempts.  Rodgers favorite target was Greg Jennings, who had 5 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.  The Packers also got a big game out of running back Ryan Grant.  Grant ran hard for 129 yard and a touchdown on 21 carries.  The Packers let up a little in the second half and 49ers’ quarterback Alex Smith, who the 49ers drafted over Rodgers in 2005, led the 49ers to a second half come-back but fell short.  Rodgers has definitely been the better player and I am sure the 49ers wish they would have taken him instead of Smith back in that ‘05 draft.

The Packers defense played Smith very well in the first 2 1/2 quarters, sacking him three times and getting an interception by Nick Collins.  Smith went on to throw three touchdown passes after that though, including two in the 4th quarter.  The Packers had a hard time containing the 49ers’ TE Vernon Davis and rookie receiver Michael Crabtree.  Davis caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Crabtree caught 4 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.  They held Frank Gore to 59 yards, but he only ran the ball 7 times so they did not do a good job on the few times the 49ers ran the ball.  The Packers are obviously happy with the win, but they should be concerned with the way their defense let the 49ers back in the game.

The Green Bay Packers (5-4) beat the Dallas Cowboys (6-3) in what I thought would be a high scoring game full of big passing plays.  I was way off, but the Packers still did what it took to win the game.  The defense should take most of the credit in this one.  Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ offense had been playing very well coming into this game, but the Packers defense was able to disrupt Romo and the passing game.  They sacked him 5 times and intercepted him once, while holding him to 251 yards on 24/39 passes.  Those may seem like some decent numbers, but if not for Roy Williams, Romo’s numbers would have looked a lot worse.  Williams had 5 catches and a touchdown for 105 yards.  He was the only one the Packers did not shut down, as the Cowboys scored a season-low 7 points.  They also held the Cowboys running attack to 61 yards as a team.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense did a good job of controlling the ball and taking what the defense gave them.  The Cowboys were not going to let Rodgers beat them deep, so Rodgers decided to go with a lot of short passes.  He finished with 1 touchdown and 189 yards on 25/36 pass attempts.  The running game was solid, getting 105 yards as a team.  Ryan Grant led the way with 79 yards on 19 carries.  They also controlled the time of possession, having 36-24 minute advantage.  Rodgers was sacked four times and this has been a problem all season long.  They did enough to win this game, but they still need to figure out a way to protect Rodgers a little more.

It was Murphy’s Law for the Packers today as everything that could go wrong did in this game.  Aaron Rodgers was under assault the whole game as the Bucs had six sacks today.  Rodgers completed 17 of 35 passes for 266 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs including a pick six that sealed the Packers’ fate late in the 4th quarter.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 26 yards (8.7 ypc) with a TD run.  Ryan Grant had a solid game for the Packers today carrying the ball 21 times for 96 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Ahman Green became the All-Time leading rusher for the Packers in this game as he rushed for 45 yards on 6 carries (7.5 ypc).  James Jones led the way for the Packers in this game with 103 yards on 4 catches (25.8 avg) with a TD.  Donald Driver (4 rec, 71 yards, TD) and Greg Jennings (5 rec, 61 yards) both pitched in on the passing game today.  The Packers rolled up 404 total yards in this game (170 rushing, 234 passing) as they had possession of the ball for 35:17.

LB A.J. Hawk led a so-so effort by the Packers’ D in this game with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and a QB hit.  Safety Nick Collins pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception today. The Buccaneers finished up with 279 total yards on offense in this game (81 rushing, 198 passing). 

The Packers also had issues on special teams today as punter Jeremy Kapinos suffered a blocked punt that was returned 31 yards for a TD by Bucs’ CB Ronde Barber.  The Packers also had problems covering kicks today as Clifton Smith of the Bucs returned 4 punts for 54 yards (13.5 avg) and 2 kickoffs for 107 yards (53.5 avg).  The Packers are now 4-4 on the season after this disturbing loss to the Bucs.