During the Green Bay Packers week three matchup against their divisional foes Detroit Lions, the Packers lived a tale of two halves: the first one was a delight, the second one was another living nightmare.
Green Bay Packers Offense: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
First Half
There has been a lot of speculation as to what has happened to former All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers since the beginning of last season. The offensive line play was down, the absence of a running game due to Eddie Lacy’s weight, the loss of Jordy Nelson, and receivers not creating separation were all concerning. But this past Sunday, Rodgers seemed to put an end to all this noise.
During the first half of the game, he was, to quote AC/DC, hotter than hell throwing four touchdowns passes which put the Pack up 31-3. The offense was flowing beautifully, and the recent nightmarish struggles seemed to be a faded memory.
He was picking the Lions apart with his trademark effectiveness, and his checks at the line of scrimmage helped Eddie Lacy rush for 103 yards. According to packersnews.com, Lacy was knocked down in the backfield only twice on 18 total touches, meaning the other 16 times he gained yardage. He showed his offseason workouts really worked on a few runs, including a 25 yard scamper.
Then came the end of the first half.
Second Half
The second half was not what Packer fans wanted to see. It was bad. Detroit was down 31-10 at halftime, and if it were not for a rookie cornerback missing a tackle just before halftime, Green Bay would have led 31-3. And yet, somehow, it ended 34-27, far too close for comfort.
Matthew Stafford and his array of weapons burned the defense in the second half, but the unstoppable offense looked like the anemic, inept bunch Packer fans watched all year last year and during the first two weeks of the season.
The offensive line played well throughout the game, and Eddie Lacy wore down the Lions defense with his powerful running, and yet the Pack only managed a Mason Crosby field goal in the second half.
The only positive note from the second half was that when Green Bay got the ball late in the fourth quarter, the offense was capable of shaking its demons, and ran down the clock to win the home opener.
Conclusion
It appears the offense is back on track, but let’s wait and see before popping champagne bottles. The Lions were depleted with injury, and the starters only managed three points during the second half. The bye week will give the Pack some time to get healthy, but the offense will have to learn how to play 60 minutes because four of the next five opponents are high-powered offenses.
