Packers manage to play better than hapless Lions in second half to earn playoff bye

With a playoff bye on the line and even the top seed in the NFC in the cards if the Seahawks beat the 49ers, the Packers only needed Aaron Rodgers to avoid putting up one of his periodic stinkers against the Lions, although to be fair he’s put up about a half-dozen or so against teams not called the Lions this season. That fear seemed to be a real-life nightmare as Rodgers completed just 2 of his first 11 passes as the Packers fell behind 17-3 at halftime. By the time Mason Crosby missed another field goal early in the third quarter (he missed five in Detroit last season), Rodgers was still just 11 of 23 for 118 yards. After that, although he would still almost throw the game away with a late interception, the Packers would dominate on both sides of the ball the rest of the way, outscoring the Lions 20-3. 

Although Aaron Jones rushed for 100 yards, the Packers spent most of the second half trying to get Rodgers and his receiving corps in gear, very much a hit-or-miss proposition, something that has been a problem when Davante Adams has been in the line-up, for whatever reason. Rodgers threw 37-count-them-37 passes in the second half, completing just 18 but for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Again, as last week, cold air was not the problem, as the Detroit area was experiencing a downright balmy 50 degrees; in fact some parts of Michigan were experiencing record high temperatures. 

So now what? Did the Packers performance against the now 3-12-1 Lions put any doubts to rest? Hell no, but somehow this team manages to win games. Few “experts” think that Matt LaFleur is coach-of-the-year material, yet in his first season despite the lackluster play of HIS offensive scheme, the Packers are 13-3, compared to winning 13 games combined the last two years of Mike McCarthy’s reign. What does this mean? We’ll give the defense some credit for playing good enough when it needed to, especially against questionable quarterbacks, and the offense doing just enough to outscore the opponent in all but three games. Rodgers managed to squeak by the 4,000 yard passing mark, and Jones gained over a 1,000 rushing. Except for last week against Vikings when they turned the ball over three times in the first half, the Packers have played mostly turnover-free football. 

On the negative side, besides the offensive inconsistencies, the Packers defense has been prone to falling into deep slumbers on occasion, and against the likes of the Saints, Seahawks and 49ers that is not a recipe for victory. No one can see the Packers blowing out those teams; winning “ugly” seems to be the best that can be hoped for.