Scouts and personnel men from other NFL teams were effusive in their praise for the way the Packers starting units have looked thus far in preseason.
Said Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, “It’s exciting, it really is. To have the defense playing the way they are playing and then offensively to go out there and score points and capitalize on mistakes. People are going to say it is preseason and we’ve been downplaying it a little bit, but this is the dress rehearsal for the whole season. To be able to go out and play the way we did today, you can’t help but be excited in Packer Nation.”
The Packers’ decision to use CB Charles Woodson as a blitzer paid off with two sacks, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Not everything went perfectly for the Packers, as K Mason Crosby missed two of his three field goal attempts, although he was using a third-string holder in WR Ruvell Martin.
Although he practiced all week and traveled to Arizona, Packers LB Nick Barnett didn’t play on Friday night.
Said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, “I’m extremely disappointed in our football team and the way we played in the first half. It’s embarrassing what that football team did to us.”
Cardinals RB Beanie Wells scored two touchdowns and ran for 46 yards in his first action of the preseason.
After getting four sacks during their last preseason game, the Cardinals defense didn’t get to Rodgers once on Friday.
Cardinals RB/KR LaRod Stephens-Howling left the game after suffering a concussion.
Said Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett, “We came out and didn’t match Green Bay’s intensity and we got exactly what we deserved. We can’t sit here and say it was just a preseason game. Everybody wasn’t playing on the same level today.”