Cardinals vs. Packers: MVP Of The Week

It got rough at times, but this was a satisfying victory. Should the Packers have put the Cardinals away sooner? Probably, but they didn’t fold like they did in Indianapolis. Was a it a perfect performance? No, but it was not as ugly as last week’s game either. It’s a solid win from a team moving in the right direction.

Let’s meet this week’s nominations for MVP:

WR Randall Cobb – Cobb did not do much today really. He just scored two touchdowns and had 202 yards of total offense. It’s not like he ran the ball effectively, was one of the main weapons in the passing game, AND had quality returns in the kicking game and punt returns. Right? Oh wait, that’s exactly what he did. Dude is a beast.

QB Aaron Rodgers – Fun story….I was hanging out by the Mothership over the weekend and saw a post about how much fans love their QB. Basically the author followed gamethreads from all the fan site and tracked what they said about the starting QB positively and negatively. He made an odd note about us at APC though, that we didn't really talk about Rodgers. I just chalked that up to Rodgers playing a below average game for him. Well, that happened this week but he still gets the MVP nomination. Why? Well he did throw four touchdowns. He also made a rare play for a QB by diving for a fumble early in the game. Dude is a gamer.

CB Casey Hayward – Another impressive outing for Hayward. He was in generally good coverage all afternoon (although he did get burnt once or twice). He was tied for second for the team in total tackles, had two passes defended, forced a fumble, and forced an interception. More important though was when the Packers needed a play he was typically there making something happen. If he’s not DROY this year then he’s been a bargain of a second round pick to say the least.

DE Mike Neal – This is unusual territory for Neal, but he had a pretty good game. He got a sack and two tackles. Thing is though that those two tackles were both for losses. He also notched a QB hit on top of all that as well. Neal has been putting together a nice little season after his suspension. Maybe it’s starting to come together for him.

TE Tom Crabtree – It doesn’t matter that Crabtree really shined for one play. It was one hell of a play. It’s the longest play for a Packer tight end since Paul Coffman. For a guy who is there for blocking and special teams, Crabtree has turned in some impressive long touchdowns this year.