So Jay did a great first half review of the whole NFL yesterday, but I wanted to do one more specific to my Packers since they have a bye this week. Green Bay had a decent first half of the season as they are currently 5-3 and in 2nd place in the NFC North behind the 6-2 Detroit Lions.
They got off to a rough start losing badly to Seattle opening night, sneaking by the Jets, and then losing terribly to Detroit. Rodgers said "R-E-L-A-X" and Green Bay proceeded to win 4 straight, three of which were blowouts. They are coming off a rough loss to New Orleans but they were in it until Rodgers' hamstring was tweaked a little on a QB scramble. Andrew Quarless went on to drop a TD and it turned into a pick. It was all downhill from there. Rodgers was on an impressive streak without an interception before Quarless ruined it. Eddie Lacy has looked great at times (Minnesota and New Orleans being his two best games) but has struggled a lot as well. He'll be fine as long as he gets the necessary touches. And you can't say enough about Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Statistically, they are two of the best wide receivers in the game and it's not debatable. Both guys are top 10 receivers in the league in my opinion.
The defense has been great at forcing turnovers, but has the worst run defense in the league. The pass defense has been solid however. Getting Sam Shields back will help out a lot as well, as he has missed the past 3-4 games. Morgan Burnett and Tramon Williams have been shaken up as well.
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I would be remiss not to mention one of the games of the year so far. Green Bay's trip down to Miami started off well, but the Dolphins came roaring back to take a 24-20 lead. In about 1:30 Rodgers lead a 60 yard drive highlighted by a fake spike first down pass to Devante Adams and capped off by a 3 yard TD pass to Andrew Quarless with 4 seconds left for a 27-24 win.
Green Bay has to play a few tough teams in the second half but 5 of their 8 games are at home. I don't see how they don't win the division and I honestly think they win out.
Here are some of the major 1st half stats for the Packers:
Aaron Rodgers: 169-250, 67.6%, 2092 yards, 8.4 yards/attempt, 19 TDs, 3 INTs, 113.6 rating
Eddie Lacy: 105 carries, 428 yards, 4.1 yards/carry, 4 TDs, 21 catches, 209 yards, 10 yards/catch
Jordy Nelson: 50 catches, 737 yards, 14.7 yards/catch, 6 TDs
Randall Cobb: 40 catches, 578 yards, 14.5 yards/catch, 9 TDs
Julius Peppers: 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 TD
Casey Heyward: 2 INTs
Sam Shields: 2 INTs
Tramon Williams: 1 INT, 7 passes defended
AJ Hawk: leads team with 60 total tackles
Nick Perry: 3 sacks
Mason Crosby: 11/12 Field Goals, long 55 yards, 25/25 extra points
Second Half Predictions:
Since Jay did predictions for every division already, I won't go into much depth at all. Just wanted to put my predictions on paper.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: 11-5 (3 seed)
Philadelphia Eagles: 10-6 (6 seed)
New York Giants: 8-8
Washington Redskins: 4-12
NFC North
Green Bay Packers: 13-3 (1 seed)
Detroit Lions: 9-7
Chicago Bears: 7-9
Minnesota Vikings: 5-11
NFC South
New Orleans Saints: 11-5 (4 seed)
Carolina Panthers: 8-7-1
Atlanta Falcons: 4-12
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-15
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: 13-3 (2 seed)
San Francisco 49ers: 10-6 (5 seed)
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7
St. Louis Rams: 4-12
AFC East
New England Patriots: 12-4 (1 seed)
Miami Dolphins: 10-6 (5 seed)
Buffalo Bills: 9-7
New York Jets: 1-15
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5 (4 seed)
Cincinnati Bengals: 9-6-1
Cleveland Browns: 8-8
Baltimore Ravens: 7-9
AFC South
Indianapolis: 12-4 (3 seed)
Houston Texans: 9-7
Tennessee Titans: 4-12
Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-15
AFC West
Denver Broncos: 12-4 (2 seed)
San Diego Chargers: 10-6 (6 seed)
Kansas City Chiefs: 7-9
Oakland Raiders: 0-16
Three 1-15 teams and an 0-16 team. I guess I think there are some pretty bad teams in the league. Once the playoffs are set, I'll give my playoff predictions, but tentatively I have the Packers over the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
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