This might sound weird, but Sunday’s win was the most impressive of the season.
You’re probably thinking to yourself, how in the world can a simple ho-hum win over the hapless Browns be even considered with any degree of impressive?
Overcoming limitations is what proves worth.
The Packers had Randall Cobb, James Jones and James Starks missing on offense and they were without the services of Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Brad Jones on defense. Cobb and Jones have been electric this season and Matthews is arguably the most high-energy defender in the game.
Yet, despite all that, the Packers were able to dominate with a cast of guys that probably made the majority of fans ask, “Who the heck is that guy?”
Amazingly, Jarrett Boykin only spent four days with the Jacksonville Jaguars before landing with the Packers. And with Jordy Nelson getting piggybacked with bracket coverage for much of the day, Boykin got 10 targets, catching eight for 103 yards and a score.
Understandably, it helps when one of the best quarterbacks is on your team as well. And Aaron Rodgers gets a lot of credit for steering this ship through injured waters and atop the NFC North once again.
But it just wasn’t the offense. Linebacker Jamari Lattimore had his best game as a pro with a game-high nine tackles and a sack.
Obviously getting a Bishop’s Charities Game in the middle of October is nice. The Browns unloaded any chance they had to compete when they traded Trent Richardson to Indianapolis. The defense is very talented but the offense is painful to watch at times.
I didn’t think the Packers offense would be able to click that methodically the way it did. Eddie Lacy looks like a four-year pro the way he churns his tree-trunk legs and Rodgers, with limited time to get a connection with Boykin and Myles White, is nothing short of great.
Besides getting the win, the most important thing that was learned from Sunday was what the Packers had on the bench. They can groom that talent for future use or showcase it in hopes of netting a trade.
With guys like Reggie Wayne, Jay Cutler, Lance Briggs, Sam Bradford, Brian Cushing, Arian Foster, Doug Martin and the Packers’ own Jermichael Finley getting hurt on Sunday, depth is something that should never be taken for granted in the NFL.
——————Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
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