Studs and Duds vs The Vikings

[BrokenArrow]

I'll give XM the lone stud there, but everyone else sucked.

Josh Jacobs averaged 5.7 per carry. It's not his fault he wasn't given the ball more. What more do you want from him?

 

[Pugger]

I believe we only had 19 runs and 54 passes. Now had Willis been QB he would have been part of the running game. It went from bad to worse.

I did see stats after the game and our RBs were averaging decently so 19 attempts is very discouraging.

 

[milani]

Josh Jacobs averaged 5.7 per carry. It's not his fault he wasn't given the ball more. What more do you want from him?

Penalties pit us behind the sticks and MLF got impatient.

 

[tynimiller]

I’m a Kraft fan and I think his overall game was pretty good, but he literally fumbled the ball in a crucial point… I cant give him stud after that.

I’ll give someone this but dude played, outside that one snap, his best game of the year and that is hard to say cuz he’s been special.

 

[Zartan]

Josh Jacobs averaged 5.7 per carry. It's not his fault he wasn't given the ball more. What more do you want from him?

Think we would have ran Jacobs more if we were not fighting to claw back into it. Had to air it out to get back to even keel.

 

[Firethorn1001]

I did see stats after the game and our RBs were averaging decently so 19 attempts is very discouraging.

They were down 28-0. Pretty standard for the run game to go out the window. I'm more frustrated at the deep HR balls at times when it wasn't necessary.

 

[PikeBadger]

Duds - LaFleur, Hafley, Love, Narveson, Penalties, and Alexander (Mr. Unreliable).

Studs - Reed again. The kid has to be top 3 in the league in all purpose yardage.

 

[OldSchool101]

Duds - LaFleur, Hafley, Love, Narveson, Penalties, and Alexander (Mr. Unreliable).

Studs - Reed again. The kid has to be top 3 in the league in all purpose yardage.

Reed is amazing. It’s still early, but Reed is quietly amassing a monster pace. If he played at this rate all 17 games we’re talking 1,429 yards, 8 TD’s and 19.8 yards per reception.

Adding his Runs? Reed is pacing 1,815
All Purpose yards and 11 TD’s. So you’re right, can’t be too many guys ahead of that.

 

[rmontro]

Think we would have ran Jacobs more if we were not fighting to claw back into it. Had to air it out to get back to even keel.

Yeah, I saw Aaron Jones had more yards. But that might not have been the case if we hadn't gotten so far behind. I also wonder how much of LeFLeur's playbook Jones filled them in on.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Penalties pit us behind the sticks and MLF got impatient.

You can't exactly be running the ball a lot when you're down by 28

 

[AmishMafia]

Kraft was definitely a stud. His fumble was a great defensive play where the defender punched the ball. Krafts TD where he plowed through 2 defenders was a thing of beauty. It flipped a switch in the stadium and the dBs went up 40 pts. It really shifted the momentum.

Biggest dud for me was Hafley. The book on Darnold is you can fluster him if you get after him. And the first half was usually a 4 man rush. Maybe a lack of our top 2 CBs had him conservative, but he was slow to adjust. Past 3 games I thought he was quick to adjust so I'm not sure where his thoughts were at. Once we brought pressure in the 2nd half we shut them down.

Our punter deserves an extra kudos for closing out the first half. Very long punt with the perfect angle so it was coming down in the sun. I hope that was planned.

 

[tynimiller]

Plan to watch another rewatch at lunch but I stand firm on Kraft being a stud. That fumble was plain and simple a rare landed punch by the defender.

Whelan also is a for sure stud.

I’m also very curious primarily in the All22 of focusing solely on OL and our defensive front 7. Also I’m not as about X being a stud, need to isolate him on their bigger plays.

 

[El Guapo]

You can't exactly be running the ball a lot when you're down by 28

Even at 28-0 there was an entire half to go. We absolutely could have run the ball. LaFleur stopped running even before it was 28 points.

 

[El Guapo]

Biggest dud for me was Hafley. The book on Darnold is you can fluster him if you get after him. And the first half was usually a 4 man rush. Maybe a lack of our top 2 CBs had him conservative, but he was slow to adjust. Past 3 games I thought he was quick to adjust so I'm not sure where his thoughts were at. Once we brought pressure in the 2nd half we shut them down.

Every time Hafley went man-to-man, Jefferson and Addison went wild. It’s hard to send extra men when you can’t trust your CBs on the edge.

 

[AmishMafia]

Reed is amazing. It’s still early, but Reed is quietly amassing a monster pace. If he played at this rate all 17 games we’re talking 1,429 yards, 8 TD’s and 19.8 yards per reception.

Adding his Runs? Reed is pacing 1,815
All Purpose yards and 11 TD’s. So you’re right, can’t be too many guys ahead of that.

Wow.

We started slowly last year and by mid-season our passing attacks was running on all cylinders. I think we aren't quite on the same page again but it is getting better. Another 2 weeks, I guess, and we will be tearing it up.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Duds- Narveson- bye bye
Love 4 picks in 2 games-not good
Gary- 2 sacks in the last 11 games. Time to bench him. Excuses ran out.
Van Ness
Clark- worst 4 game stretch of his career. May have hit the wall
Alexander
P. Smith- not a good game to get dominated
Kraft- terrible game but it could be a fluke. Let's hope so.
Studs-
Reed- Best player on the offense so far. The rest of the team could learn what consistency means from watching him.
X-man
Nixon- forced fumble and a sack. When your CB gets more sacks than your pass rushers you're in big trouble

 

[tynimiller]

Duds - I've seen enough to declare collectively our Front 7 deserve a dud. Honestly, the Vikings middle OL is seemingly a weak point of their team yet they barely allowed any interior push or pressure. We are now four games in and Clark and Gary are playing like a typical decent NFL guy....not ANYWHERE close to what they are and are paid like. I strongly believe this team defensively will NEVER amount to much if these two guys don't start delivering on paid goods.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Wow.

We started slowly last year and by mid-season our passing attacks was running on all cylinders. I think we aren't quite on the same page again but it is getting better. Another 2 weeks, I guess, and we will be tearing it up.

I think it's time to spread the ball around some more. I'm afraid Reed is going to down with a season ending injury if he continues to play like an all pro. It happened to Jenkins, Gary and Alexander when they were shining early in their career. This is the Packers. Injuries dominate good young players so it pays to learn from the past.

 

[gopkrs]

Wick's drops are concerning. And not just this game. It's kind of baffling. Nerves? I'd like to see a little more Heath when we are trying to march the ball. What a horrible first half for us. Should have brought 5 even with a weak backfield imho. The season is long and 2 and 2 is not bad for us. I thought Love was not stepping into the ball at all the 1st half. I read that he is at a point where re-injuring his leg is not a concern. Maybe that brace was a problem at first? Because I thought he was zinging the ball much better in the 2nd half. I had horrible problems with my tv reception and it made the game even more frustrating and with the screen freezing all the time; it was tough to watch with any continuity.

 

[tynimiller]

Wick's drops are concerning. And not just this game. It's kind of baffling. Nerves? I'd like to see a little more Heath when we are trying to march the ball. What a horrible first half for us. Should have brought 5 even with a weak backfield imho. The season is long and 2 and 2 is not bad for us. I thought Love was not stepping into the ball at all the 1st half. I read that he is at a point where re-injuring his leg is not a concern. Maybe that brace was a problem at first? Because I thought he was zinging the ball much better in the 2nd half. I had horrible problems with my tv reception and it made the game even more frustrating and with the screen freezing all the time; it was tough to watch with any continuity.

While Wicks has the most...I've also been shocked at how Reed seemingly has one a game almost as well....dude is on an UNBELIEVABLE pace despite this which is just scary amazing.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Not sure why MLF had Love go long so much. With Willis we were just trying to move chains and only take a few shots.

One of the better comments about the game.

It was pretty obvious that Love wasn't comfortable out there, especially in the first half. Throw in a masterful job by Viking DC Brian Flores, Love's rustiness and I would say that MLF got out coached.

I was actually kind of surprised that we didn't see Willis play the second half. Sure, Love and the Packers looked better in the 2nd half and the score was close, but honestly, I think the Vikings let off the gas, unintentionally.

The only bonus with playing Love the entire 2nd half was that he got more work, which I think he definitely needs, and escaped without further injury. Had he gotten injured to started the second half, I think the media and fans would be talking about the fact that he was still out there in what appeared to be a blow out.

I'm going to go back to something I said after the preseason. Love and the starting offense played 3 snaps together in the preseason. Sorry, but I am not a fan of that approach. The offense looked rusty in Brazil and again yesterday. Love is a 2nd year starter, treat him like one, he needs the work.

Final thought: Narveson should have been on the first flight out of GB after the game. Kicking in the NFL isn't as easy as it may appear and the Packers experience in the last year+ should be a testament to that. I have no clue who is still available out there for them to sign, but make it a veteran, someone who doesn't walk out there on game day and can't kick straight.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Wick's drops are concerning. And not just this game. It's kind of baffling. Nerves? I'd like to see a little more Heath when we are trying to march the ball. What a horrible first half for us. Should have brought 5 even with a weak backfield imho. The season is long and 2 and 2 is not bad for us. I thought Love was not stepping into the ball at all the 1st half. I read that he is at a point where re-injuring his leg is not a concern. Maybe that brace was a problem at first? Because I thought he was zinging the ball much better in the 2nd half. I had horrible problems with my tv reception and it made the game even more frustrating and with the screen freezing all the time; it was tough to watch with any continuity.

I feel the same about Wicks. Sure he had 2 TD's and 78 yds. but he was targeted 13 times and only caught 5. Yes, a few of those are on Love or good coverage, but the clear drops just can't happen. We can only hope that he is just going through the "Davante Adams Paddle Hands" phase of his career. With Watson's injury, the Packers are going to need Wicks to start catching balls more consistently.

 

[Magooch]

Yeah, not for nothing but I was a little bummed that we didn't see Willis worked in at all. Not necessarily that we should've benched Love (although it did look like it early on), but if nothing else to get him out there to keep the defense honest from time to time. To my eye Love (esp. early on) looked pretty clearly stiff and sluggish, lacking for mobility...and the Vikings' pass rush was basically teeing off on him every passing down. At least draw up a few plays for Willis to force them to respect the run a bit more, know what I mean?

Really it kinda felt like LaFleur approached the game as though he had a 100% healthy, warmed-up and in-form Love but that just wasn't the case. Being medically cleared is not the same thing as being 100% and it doesn't mean you're in prime midseason form.

 

[OldSchool101]

Kraft was definitely a stud. His fumble was a great defensive play where the defender punched the ball. Krafts TD where he plowed through 2 defenders was a thing of beauty. It flipped a switch in the stadium and the dBs went up 40 pts. It really shifted the momentum.

That play just gave us a glimpse of his ceiling. That was like what they talk about with Pass Rush. Speed to Power but mixed with Finesses AND Willpower. One of the Top singular plays of the afternoon and I’m talking both teams included.

Even at 28-0 there was an entire half to go. We absolutely could have run the ball. LaFleur stopped running even before it was 28 points.

Both good arguments. At 28-0 I’d agree with BrokenArrow BUT once we scored that quick TD before the half that should’ve changed gears a bit. More in that 1:1 or 3:2 Pass:Rush
We went 5:2 Pass:Run over TWO drives for ZERO points.
Once we got to the MN side in 3rd Quarter 3Qtr 9:28 clock on the MN34 1st-10
slow it down!!! Its 4 down territory
if its 4th n short with that score. Use 2-4 minutes and utilize all 4 Downs if needed and get a methodical Drive to go 14-28 3rd Qtr 7:00 min

We were essentially Running at 5 per carry. Wear them down a little it’s 4-down run-run-pass-pass. Run-pass-run-pass. We’ve got 4 tries to get 10 yards here and we were running well. Slow their pass rush a little.

I think we got a little freaked out. Matter fact I know we got a little freaked out. I get it like NOTHING seemed to go our way and I mean NOTHING. Even Wayne L says he thought it was the most mistake making football we generated in a First 2 Quarters that he’d witnessed.

 

[OldSchool101]

We played possibly the most mistake included football for 2 Straight Quarters and still battled back to a point where 2 points decided the game. We really just ran out if time. It felt like if we had just 2 more minutes we Win that game. That was very resilient I’m actually Proud of Love. Yes he made a couple bad decisions but he also made like 30 good ones around it. We were highly likeky a missed FG from going toe to toe with an undefeated team. Nothing to be ashamed of. Texans and Giants should be ashamed but I’m not ashamed.

Stud:
LOTS of football left and we’re .500 just 4 games in. Next time let’s not get down 4 scores and lose our cool. Kudos to The Vikings as they executed perfectly by getting the Packers “out of character” by almost eliminating our Run game and forcing our QB to shake the rust. It couldn’t have played out better for them.