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My very brief recap: For the second week in a row, the Green Bay Packers offense looked great for a stretch in the 1st half, and then goes missing in the 2nd half (plus OT vs. the Redskins). Aren't they making the proper adjustments? Are they getting tired? Are they losing their focus? I'm willing to listen to any suggestions. Once again, the special teams were bad with 2 missed FGs, and the team had bad penalties on key plays. The only big difference was Mike McCarthy blew it by going for it on 4th down at the goal line, instead of taking the easy 3 points, which would have been the difference in winning the game. He stands by his "good call."
They're starting to remind me of the team from 2009 that started out 4-4. For what it's worth, they obviously turned it around to finish 11-5, make the playoffs, and put dreams of a Super Bowl in our heads a few months later. The injury situation isn't exactly the same, but injuries on the offensive line were a big problem at the start of last season, and overall injuries are certainly holding them back now.
I haven't been too worried about all the injuries before this weekend, but now they've spread to important players at nearly every position. The biggest name is of course QB Aaron Rodgers. From Mike McCarthy:
Jermichael Finley had a knee and did not return. He’ll have testing done tomorrow. Ryan Pickett had an ankle injury and did not return. Donald Lee had a shoulder injury and did not return. Clay Matthews had a hamstring strain and did not return. Derrick Martin had a knee sprain and did not return and Aaron Rodgers had a concussion there at the end of the game.
As I'm writing this, it's too early to tell how serious these are until everyone is tested on Monday, and then try to practice this week. Greg Bedard speculated that these are all short term injuries, and Martin's might be the most serious. Is it possible Rodgers will be cleared to practice next week? While everyone probably knows that QB Jay Cutler had to sit out this week because he wasn't cleared to practice, another example is RB Ryan Grant, who was cleared to resume practice a couple days after he suffered a concussion during the preseason. Hopefully the severity is similar to Grant, so Rodgers can return to practice this week and play next week when they host the Dolphins.