After every window of games throughout the season, This Given Sunday will have the quickest analysis throughout the internets with The Reactor. That means you’ll see our instant reactions after the 1 PM and 4 PM ET Sunday afternoon, Sunday Night, and Monday Night games right here at TGS from our great staff of NFL writers. This week, that includes the Thursday Night opener between the Saints and Packers…
*Good luck finding a more entertaining game in the other 255 to come this season.
What an incredible show. This game absolutely had it all. 76 points. 876 yards of offense. Two QBs playing at the top of their game and two of the best teams in the league. Certainly, this was the best Thursday opener to begin the season by a mile.
*All that talk of offseason preparation appears plenty pointless now.
As we mentioned yesterday, this game would show whether or not the difference in pre-training camp work manifested itself. The Saints were working out in the late Spring while the Packers were enjoying the lockout and the time away from the game. Conventional wisdom would lead one to believe – advantage Saints. Well, in the first half especially, the Packers were far more ready and looked like they just stepped off the field in Dallas. The Saints were the ones slipping, dropping, and making mistakes. This wasn’t something that was going to be proved until Green Bay took the field, but Aaron Rodgers was right – the talk that the Packers weren’t going to be ready was largely BS.
*The Saints’ pass defense is a major concern once again.
Poor Roman Harper. He was the goat of last year’s 41-36 playoff loss in Seattle as he was continually abused in man coverage. That happened again tonight as any Packer (especially JerMichael Finley) torched Harper again. Plus, the safety is graying already and he’s not even 30. Second year corner Patrick Robinson was also victimized and Tracy Porter also had a rough night. Now, much of that was playing perhaps the best offense in the league, but it continues a disturbing trend from last year’s postseason loss. The Saints pass defense was their achilles heel in their pre-championship era (just ask any Saints fan about Jason David and watch them fall into convulsions), and it could hold them back once again this year.
*Having JerMichael Finley back is nice, but Randall Cobb will be a star in this league too.
JerMichael Finley is certainly one of the top five players at his position in the league and is a huge “addition” to the Packers offense after being injured last year. However, Randall Cobb adds even another dimension to the otherworldly Green Bay attack. The Kentucky rookie caught a TD and returned a kickoff a record 108 yards for a TD. He will be one of the sleeper players to come out of the 2011 Draft. Cobb did everything at Kentucky playing quarterback, receiver, running back, returner… I think he may have even marched with the band at halftimes. Cobb set an SEC total yardage record in 2010 with 2,396 yards of offense as the player to stop at UK and showed those skills tonight. It’s scary to think how much better Green Bay becomes with his receiving and returning skills.
*Darren Sproles ain’t bad either and is a perfect fit in the Saints offense.
What Randall Cobb adds to the Packers, Darren Sproles does for the Saints. He brings the same versatility and explosiveness Reggie Bush did, but without the mistakes and consistent five yard losses. Sproles also had a special teams TD on a 72 yard punt return, a couple other significant returns that put New Orleans on Green Bay’s half of the field, and had a massive 250 total yards. He gets upfield lightning quick, something #25 never seemed to grasp. Reggie Bush, eat your heart out.
*However, Green Bay’s D-Line ultimately won the game.
With all the offense on display, B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett were the true difference makers. At a key point in the third quarter, with the Saints perhaps driving for a tying score, the Green Bay defense stopped Mark Ingram on 3rd and Inches. Sean Payton didn’t even consider running on 4th Down and went for an ill-fated pass attempt. Then, at the end of the game, Mark Ingram was stopped at the 1 yard line to clinch the win for the Packers. That’s what makes Green Bay such a complete team and why they won the Super Bowl last year. Forget the Dream Team talk in Philly, these two teams are the class of the NFC. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them meet again come January.
