Packers @ Titans

[Vin+ 3,121]

STATS LLC Associated Press

Nov 09, 2016

 

When the NFL schedule was announced in April, Green Bay's visit to Tennessee on Sunday figured to be nothing more than a tuneup game for the Packers and an excuse for their fans to turn the Titans' Nissan Stadium into Lambeau Field South.

 

Well, Green Bay fans could still take over the enemy stadium, but given where the Packers are and how Tennessee has progressed, this looks to be anything but a gimme. In fact, it should be one of the tightest games on the Week 10 card.

 

At 4-4 after a 31-26 home loss last week to Indianapolis, Green Bay is just a game back of slumping Minnesota in the NFC North. The Titans (4-5) fell 1 1/2 games back of Houston in the AFC South after a 43-35 defeat last week in San Diego.

 

Alarms were sounded in Wisconsin after last week's game when players and coach Mike McCarthy took turns bemoaning the team's lack of energy. McCarthy wasted little time Wednesday squelching that issue in regards to this game.

 

"We'll play with great energy Sunday. That's not a concern of mine," McCarthy said. "It's a road game, so we have that challenge. Our guys will bring it. We're just paying attention to what matters and it's about improvement. We have to learn from last week."

 

Lesson one might be the idea of getting off to a better start. The Packers coughed up a game-opening 99-yard kickoff return score to Jordan Todman and never seemed to fight back until Indianapolis established a 31-13 fourth-quarter lead.

 

Tennessee had its own issues with getting out of the starting block last week. It fell behind 16-0 early in the second quarter and fought back to take a brief 21-19 lead before San Diego regained the lead for good, aided and abetted by two scores off turnovers by quarterback Marcus Mariota.

 

Mariota's game last week screamed mixed bag. While he threw for 313 yards and three scores, and added a 14-yard touchdown run, his three turnovers led to 17 Charger points, more than accounting for the difference.

 

Mariota has made real strides in his second season, but has tossed eight interceptions and lost multiple fumbles, leading to scores that hurt the team's chances of winning.

 

"It's an ongoing thing for me," he said of working on ball security. "It (stinks) when it doesn't come out to work too well during the course of a game, but that's part of it. That's part of my growing process. It's part of things I can do to get better."

 

One guy who's noticed Mariota's progress is Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had some of the same issues early in his career before learning to reduce errors.

 

"From afar, I've appreciated his game for a while now," Rodgers said of Mariota. "He can do it all on the field. He's extremely gifted athletically and he's doing a good job of throwing it efficiently. I'm definitely impressed with the way he's playing."

 

Rodgers has been dinged by some for not playing up to par, but the former two-time Most Valuable Player is still hitting better than 63 percent of his passes for 2,039 yards with a 20-5 touchdown-interception ratio.

 

Imagine what Rodgers could do if he had the Titans' running game. Led by DeMarco Murray, the NFL's second-leading rusher at 807 yards, Tennessee is third in the NFL in rushing, enabling Mariota to take advantage of better matchups than he had as a rookie.

 

But the Titans' strength could run headlong into the Packers' biggest strength. Green Bay leads the NFL in run defense at 75.8 yards per game.

 

"We feel strongly about running the football and how we run it," Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said. "It will be a good test for us."

 

The Titans will get help up front Sunday with the return of left guard Quinton Spain, who suffered a knee injury on Oct. 23 in a 34-26 loss to Indianapolis. Spain sat out the last two games.

 

Meanwhile, Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews, who missed last week's game with a hamstring injury and has been hampered by nagging ailments throughout the year, was declared out. The Packers hope to get running back James Starks (knee) back.

 

 

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I am ready to sink to new lows. Put us out of our misery, Tennessee.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Battle of the Mike Coaches, who will be more incompetent?!

 

My money is on the Titans.

 

17

29

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Never under estimate Mike McCarthy and the Packers. Let the bodies hit the floor. It's not all his fault at this point but it sure looks like it's gonna gets wors ebefkre it gets better.

[Vin+ 3,121]

https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/797886669491945473

 

#ExoticSmashmouth

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/797886669491945473

 

#ExoticSmashmouth

[Cherry 1,302]

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I am tweeting this after the game is over.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Boy if the Packers and Vikings both lose today... They would be perfectly setting the Lions up to choke and still miss the playoffs.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

 

Boy if the Packers and Vikings both lose today... They would be perfectly setting the Lions up to choke and still miss the playoffs.

 

 

The Packers never come from behind to win... We are the best medicine for choking.

[oochymp 2,393]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6JHguDt4Lw

 

seriously, are the Packers really that bad at this point? don't get me wrong, we were firing on all cylinders and played a fantastic game, but there's no way we should have been able to do that to Green Bay

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

seriously, are the Packers really that bad at this point? don't get me wrong, we were firing on all cylinders and played a fantastic game, but there's no way we should have been able to do that to Green Bay

 

I think that's a yes. Packers couldn't stop anything.. And when they did, the Titans still benefit from it -- see their first punt of the game. The Packers have mentally checked out.. They need to do a little soul searching and figure out what they want to do.. If they want to off their coaches, they shouldn't change a thing.

[oochymp 2,393]

Also, Lewan was ejected for contact with a ref. I won't say that was a bad call because he did shove a ref away and you can't do that. That said according to ESPN he was the 11th player ejected this season and according to NFL.com he was the 6th ejected by Jeff Tripplett's crew. I hope the NFL has taken note because that's way too high to be coincidence.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Also, Lewan was ejected for contact with a ref. I won't say that was a bad call because he did shove a ref away and you can't do that. That said according to ESPN he was the 11th player ejected this season and according to NFL.com he was the 6th ejected by Jeff Tripplett's crew. I hope the NFL has taken note because that's way too high to be coincidence.

 

Triplette's crew is awful... The game was painful enough watching the Packers get decimated. But Triplette made it so much worse by drawing every flag out for 60 seconds or more. Made the experience so much worse. Even if my team was on the other side of that beat down, it'd be hard to enjoy with Triplette in there.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Packers getting killed by injuries again. Tough to stop teams when you best player on defense is hurt and you're starting guys off the street at corner. Rodgers' turnovers only made it worse.

[oochymp 2,393]

Packers getting killed by injuries again. Tough to stop teams when you best player on defense is hurt and you're starting guys off the street at corner. Rodgers' turnovers only made it worse.

but did they? Rodgers threw two picks, one was the last play before halftime and the other came on a third and 19 with about ten minutes left down by 19, hard to say either of those were backbreakers

[BwareDWare94 723]

Packers getting killed by injuries again. Tough to stop teams when you best player on defense is hurt and you're starting guys off the street at corner. Rodgers' turnovers only made it worse.

The Vikings have been fucked to a greater degree by injuries this season than we have ever seen. What has happened to Minnesota is unprecedented. Don't give Green Bay excuses. They just aren't very good.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Ok so because Minnesota has been hurt by injuries, the Packers haven't. Flawless logic.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Not even close to the degree of Minnesota

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Comparing injury reports isn't a dick measuring contest...

But we are playing Don Barclay on the oline... Pretty sure we have you beat.

And that isn't an excuse for us, but it isn't an excuse for the Vikings either. If we're not very good and the Vikings are only a game ahead of us, they aren't very good either. lol

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Since entering the league in 2015, Marcus Mariota has never thrown a red-zone interception.

He's thrown for 30 touchdowns in the red zone with a ridiculous 116.3 quarterback rating and an equally marvelous 65.4 completion percentage. Mariota has already asserted himself as one of the game's best finishers and has fumbled just once while taking two sacks inside the red zone. Mariota will be a top-five quarterback option against the Colts this week.

Source: ESPN.com