I've been dreading this game as much as the N* game for about as long. I don't know if their line also sucks (it almost CAN'T suck as much as ours) but IF it comes down to who runs best, GB has the 5th best rushing average; we're 5th WORST. Granted, their D is also statistically bad vs. the run, but better than Clevelands, against which we had a decent but not great game, and only after it tired late. I wouldn't mind having GBs FB.
The real bottom line, IMHO, is that Lacy/Stark can beat us if we sell out on Rodgers, and vice versa, but the whole NFL's known for a year-and-a-half that stopping Manning=stopping Denver: We HAVE nothing else. We can talk about the latest flavor of the month RB so much better than LAST months unanimous favorite (it's kind of a tradition at this point) but [your RB here] isn't going to the magic bullet that finally teachers our line to run block.
Nearly every power ranking (for the neglible amount they're worth) puts GB or Cincy second to only N*, and most favor the Packers: They're FAR better than the mediocre or worse teams we've played so far, solid virtually everywhere on their roster. They've got some injuries (e.g. Raji, Davante Adams) but also have a bye to heal up this week, and we're pretty beat up ourselves. More likely than not, this will get very ugly very fast. I could definitely see frequent extended booing, maybe by halftime.
Oh, valid point. I thought you meant all starters, you should take the time to be more descriptive, don't be shy. —Jaded
Never confuse frustrated candor and disloyal malice.
Love can't be coerced. —Me
Lacy has been doing his best Montee Ball impression as of late.
In Elway We Trust
Maybe, but Starks is averaging 4.5/att. I can't help wondering if Lacy simply hasn't become an every down back yet, and is suffering as a result: When the D knows you can't pass block to save your All Pro QBs life, your mere presence on the field also tells them it's a run, and they play accordingly.
Focusing on their running "establishes" their passing, but dropping everyone in coverage (as Seattle did to us in the SB) or blitzing Rodgers (as SD and KC did in 2013) opens up their running game instead. We can't defend everything all the time, so it becomes a matter of picking our poison: Such are the joys of a balanced offense. Wish we had one, but we don't, so I expect a little more of Manning running for his life while trying to avoid Ints, with occasional 2 yd stuffed runs, and a LOT of our D trying to defend everything.
I can only hope you're right about their line being bad; I haven't watched enough of them to know. I do know ours is a disaster area (or rather, turns our backfield into one.)
Oh, valid point. I thought you meant all starters, you should take the time to be more descriptive, don't be shy. —Jaded
Never confuse frustrated candor and disloyal malice.
Love can't be coerced. —Me
Line finally showed up: Give this team an offensive line and no power on Earth can stop it. The run gouged them all night (even in the 5:00 Drill when they KNEW it was coming) until they were FORCED to sell out on stopping it, which made play-action a credible threat and opened up the long ball, since the pass rushers couldn't just sprint for Manning without looking over their shoulder in case Anderson or Hillman was squirting out behind them for a long TD. Mainly because of the THREE times they WERE.
That let Manning throw between the LBs and safeties when they stacked the box against the run, or just go deep, which got us to the red zone, and then it was pick your poison: They shut Manning out of the end zone (thanks to a ticky tack call on Caldwells TD) but gave up 3 rushing TDs (including a 20 yarder the FIRST play after Caldwells flag.) It's eleven on eleven: They can't send 8-9 guys to stop the run AND 8-9 more to stop the pass. This is what we hired Kubiak to do, and WHY.
Oh, valid point. I thought you meant all starters, you should take the time to be more descriptive, don't be shy. —Jaded
Never confuse frustrated candor and disloyal malice.
Love can't be coerced. —Me
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