What we learned while watching the Packers cruise to a 24-3 victory on Sunday.
1. How good are the Packers? They don’t even have to play well to win easily. After a few big plays in the first half, the Packers offense did absolutely nothing in the second half.
Their second half possessions: Punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, and the end of the game. They didn’t cross the 50-yard line until the final drive.
2. Green Bay’s offensive malaise didn’t matter because the defense kept making big plays. Clay Matthews had his best day of the season with three passes defensed, three quarterback hits, and a sack.
3. This was a weird game. It wasn’t as one-sided as the final score indicated. The Rams actually had more yards and first downs than Green Bay. Sam Bradford had an improved performance with 321 yards and a 7.3 YPA average. His wideouts and linemen let him down too much.
One criticism for Bradford: He still holds on the ball too long sometimes.
4. St. Louis’ offensive line just had way too many false starts and mental errors. To add insult to injury, they also lost left tackle Roger Saffold and running back Cadillac Williams late in the game.
5. Packers cornerback Sam Shields left the game late with a head injury. Shields suffered the blow when foolishly trying to return an interception he made in the end zone.
6. Green Bay’s offensive line looked just fine without Chad Clifton. Aaron Rodgers got good protection, especially in the first half. Marshall Newhouse continues to play well.
7. Steven Jackson had decent final numbers (96 yards on 18 carries), but much of the damage came late. He just doesn’t look like a running back capable of carrying a team.