Good evening, everyone. It is time to give my post-game thoughts on the Packers’ 27-16 win over the Broncos. The win improved Green Bay’s record to 3-0 on the season. One thing to note is that the Packers has their throwback jerseys on for this game. Here is how the game went down.
Like last week, the Packers’ first possession ended with a touchdown pass. After QB Aaron Rodgers drew the defense offsides with a hard count, he found WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 40-yard TD. Following 2 punts (one by each team), the Broncos went down the field for a touchdown of their own to start the second quarter. The drive ended with a 1-yard TD run by Philip Lindsay that tied the game up at 7-7. The Packers responded with a good drive that only resulted in a field goal after an incomplete pass on 3rd and 6 at Denver’s 24 yard line. Denver had a chance to take the lead, but an 18-yard TD run by Royce Freeman was nullified due to an offensive holding penalty on Emmanuel Sanders. On third and goal at the 2 yard line, QB Joe Flacco was sacked by Za’Darius Smith. The sack forced Denver to settle for a field goal to tie the game at 10-10. After the Packers were forced to punt due to a three-and-out, the defense responded with a strip-sack of Joe Flacco by Preston Smith. The ensuing fumble was recovered by rookie LB Rashan Gary at the Denver 5 yard line. The offense took advantage of the turnover by scoring a touchdown on a 7-yard run by Aaron Jones. The TD gave the Packers a 17-10 halftime lead.
On Denver’s first drive of the second half, TE Noah Fant was stripped of the football by Packers CB Jaire Alexander. The turnover gave the offense great field position that they took advantage of easily. The 1-yard TD run by Aaron Jones was set up by a 27-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to FB Danny Vitale on a wheel route. The Broncos responded with getting their second touchdown on a 1-yard run by Philip Lindsay. Because of a missed extra point after the TD, the Broncos were down by a score of 24-16. After a three-and-out by the Packers offense, the defense got another turnover in the form of a diving interception by rookie safety Darnell Savage. Even with the turnover, the offense still went three-and-out after 3 straight incomplete passes by Aaron Rodgers. Thankfully, the defense forced the Broncos to punt. After the punt, the Packers put together a long drive that took a little under 8 minutes off the clock. The 41-yard field goal by Mason Crosby came with 5:49 left in the fourth quarter. The defense did not let the Broncos answer back, as Preston Smith sacked Joe Flacco with 2:16 left. The offense did get in a position for a field goal, but it was missed wide right. The miss did not hurt the Packers, as the defense ended the game with another sack of Flacco.
I think that the Packers had a good win today at Lambeau Field. Despite the defense giving up some big plays, they came up with 3 turnovers and 6 sacks on the day, including 3 sacks by Preston Smith. Za’Darius Smith added 2 sacks as well. In addition to the fumble recovery, Rashan Gary added a sack of his own. What I love is that after every turnover, all of the defenders do a group photo near the end zone. This defense is only getting better, as long as they stay healthy. Obviously they need to improve on run stopping and not giving up chunk plays.
The offense is still a work in progress. They did score 27 points, but some things still need to be worked on. There were a few dropped passes, including 2 by Valdes-Scantling. Aaron Rodgers threw a couple of passes to the dirt. That said, there were plenty of positive moments. Aaron Jones scored 2 touchdowns despite only rushing for 19 yards. Jamaal Williams added 59 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards. Other than a couple of bad throws, Aaron Rodgers threw for 235 yards and a touchdown. A great thing that happened was that Rodgers was not sacked today. Despite the 2 drops, Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught 6 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. I think that the offense will be better as the season goes along. At least they did not turn the ball over this time.
Other than a long kick return allowed (plus a missed field goal), I thought that the Packers did good on Special Teams. JK Scott had an great day punting the football, with a couple of punts pinning the Broncos inside their own 20 yard line. Unfortunately, there were no blocked kicks this time. At least they didn‘t make crucial mistakes today.
Even with the short week ahead of them, I think that the Packers will be ready for their next game at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. Their opponent will be the Philadelphia Eagles, who are now 1-2 after a 27-24 loss to the Detroit Lions at home. For now, the Packers are 3-0 and still on top of the NFC North. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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