Well, once the Packers began to play, they looked pretty good. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to arrive until the second quarter.
It was a grim first fifteen minutes this afternoon in Carolina. The Panthers ran twenty plays to the Packers’ three. We showed no ability to stop them on their impressive opening drive; and then one of the stars of the Saints game, Randall Cobb, coughed up the ensuing kickoff, giving it right back to the Panthers. We were down by thirteen by the time the first quarter mercifully came to an end.
When my daughter saw the score, she worriedly asked, “Do you think we’ll win?”
“Yes,” I assured her. “We’re the better team.”
Cam Newton is a disconcerting talent. Carolina has some good weapons, to be sure. And they did pile up a disturbing yardage total against our defense. But a football game is too long for an inferior team to come out on top very often. More often than not, the best man wins.
And today, the best man was Charles Woodson!
I admire the Packers for withstanding the early flurry, keeping their poise, doing what they do, and leaving town with the win. So that’s 2 down, 14 to go. And more importantly, that’s two in-conference wins, which is huge.
On the other hand, while we may have notched two victories, Dom Capers and company can’t be pleased by their overall performance. They have taken bend-but-don’t-break defense to a new level, allowing the prolific Panthers into the Red Zone six different times. Yet, in the end, they only gave up two touchdowns. Very reminiscent of last week’s performance against the Saints.
I assume that next week’s trip to Chicago will present our offense with their stiffest test so far. On the other hand, I don’t think the Bear offense will be quite as potent as what we have seen from Carolina and New Orleans. Let’s hope not!
Speaking of the Bears… They sobered up quickly in their trip to New Orleans. (How often has that sentence been written or spoken?) I think Chicago fans were pretty full of themselves after beating the Falcons last week, but they couldn’t keep up with the Saints today.
Perhaps they won’t be able to keep up with us, either. That is my expectation.
The 2011 Vikings, meanwhile, are showing their versatility: able to lose both at home and on the road. What did the old Buccaneers coach say during their worst year? “We’re looking for a neutral site.”
The 2011 Lions, however, seem to be for real. They beat the Bucs on the road last Sunday and then totally demolished the visiting Chiefs today. Wow! Of course, they haven’t played a top drawer team yet; and they won’t next week, either, when they head down to Tennessee to face the 1-1 Titans.
The Steelers took out their frustrations on the poor Seattle Seahawks. I don’t know who could have succeeded against the Steelers in the week after they were humiliated by the rival Ravens.
And those same Ravens, perhaps a little drunk with last week’s big win, got upset by the Tennessee Titans. Ah, on any given Sunday.
So, all-in-all, a good football weekend -- indeed, a good sports weekend -- in Wisconsin. The Badgers overwhelmed another opponent, moving to a strong 3-0. The Packers won. The Bears lost. The Vikings lost. And the Brewers swept the Reds.
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