The media, if you haven’t heard, sometimes dabbles in hyperbole in order to make a point. Early in last night’s game between the Packers and Vikings, I blurted out to no one in particular that the Packers will score every time they have the ball.
And, of course, they did.
Every drive, with the exception of a kickoff as time expired in the first half and victory formation at the end of the game, resulted in points for the Packers.
Here’s the summary, courtesy of NBCSports.com.
First drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, touchdown.
Second drive: 17 plays, 70 yards, field goal.
Third drive: three plays, 80 yards, touchdown.
Fourth drive (not really a drive): 93-yard punt return, touchdown.
Fifth drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, touchdown.
Sixth drive: nine plays, 74 yards, touchdown.
Seventh drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, field goal.
Eighth drive: six plays, 16 yards, field goal.
And that’s why it really doesn’t matter what the Packers do, or fail to do, on defense. With that offense, even in light of the various injuries to key players, the Packers will keep rolling.
The broader question is whether they can do well enough in the regular season to disrupt the presumption that the Seahawks and Saints will have the top two seeds in the playoffs. With a favorable schedule that includes only two games that would fall into the “iffy” category (at Detroit, at Dallas), the Packers could end up with 13 or even 14 wins.
But if they don’t end up with a bye, they still could see their season end for the third straight year in the divisional round, this time at Seattle or New Orleans.