Much was made of the Green Bay Packers' decision to keep just three inside linebackers on the roster at the start of this season, but one thing many fans and pundits expected to see was rookie Blake Martinez taking on the role of dime linebacker. On Sunday in Jacksonville, however, a second-year player took over that role instead, as Joe Thomas made a noticeable impact on the contest.
While Thomas was a pleasant surprise, the Packers' offensive line impressed as well on the other side of the football. In an early study of the game tape, one Packers columnist graded that unit as one of the best on the team (tied with the outside linebackers) as the Packers kept Aaron Rodgers mostly clean in the pocket for much of the day.
Also in today's Cheese Curds, we find a look at one of the reasons that the Vikings' home opener against the Packers on Sunday Night will feature very little green in the stands. Sure, it's a home game for them, but the prices on the secondary market and the season ticket policies are making it tough for Packers fans to get into U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend.
What You Might've Missed: Blitz adjustments and crunch-time defense | Packers.com
This is always one of the best weekly features during the season, as Mike Spofford breaks down the protection changes that Aaron Rodgers made which led to some big gains through the air.
McGinn: Rating the Packers-Jaguars | Packersnews.com
The offensive line got top marks in this game, as both David Bakhtiari (he of the new contract) and Lane Taylor graded out well and the unit as a whole gave up just four pressures.
Joe Thomas helps create disruption in dime defense | Packers.com
As we discussed on Monday, Thomas' snap count was higher than we expected it would be, in large part because he was on the field a lot when the Packers were in dime. Thomas looked powerful on a pass rush and hustled to make the big interception on the first drive.
Green and Bold: Why So Serious? | Cheesehead TV
There is a lot of negativity surrounding the Packers' win on Sunday - is it warranted or just some early-season panic?
Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium party could have fewer green-and-gold crashers - ESPN
Packers fans will have a tougher time finding tickets for this year's game in Minnesota. According to StubHub, this game is the second-most-popular game in the entire NFL for this season, behind only Giants-Cowboys from last week.
Kevin Harlan’s play-by-play of a fan on the field is a brilliant masterpiece - SBNation.com
Harlan holds a special place for Packers fans, since he is the son of former team president Bob Harlan. His radio call from Monday Night is a work of perfection.