We can finally talk about a win again! The Green Bay Packers pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime, 31-28. Complete honesty here, I was hoping for a win, but it was hard not to expect the Packers week 10 matchup to end in defeat. Boy, am I glad my wife and I got to witness it in-person.
From our seats 4 rows off the field, we had a decent amount of Dallas fans around us. My philosophy is always to never directly engage with opposing fans, but just be louder than them. It’s our house, not theirs, we can’t let them take over. Besides an obnoxious drunk Cowboys fan behind me, who I have to mention at one point yelled “Go Pack Go!” I’m pretty sure I held my own. And it was so sweet to notice that once the game went to overtime, he left. Must’ve known it was over.
This game had some excellent moments, and of course, it had some poor ones. So, let’s get on with it and look at this week’s Toasts and Roasts.
Toasts
All of the nay-sayers can collectively zip their lips. Christian Watson just showed us why the Packers traded up to take him in the 2nd round. Christian Watson was healthy and was finally unleashed as he caught 4 targets for 107 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is the first Packers rookie receiver to score three touchdowns in a game since James Lofton. That’s some pretty good company. After all the injury adversity Watson has had to overcome this season, it was so sweet to see him show out for the first time.
For Christian Watson, I’d like to toast a big ole bottle of champagne. But this is a beers column, so we have to stick to it. Strawberry Dream milkshake IPA from Southern Tier brewery sounds fitting. This beer is a creamy rich and sweet treat that tastes like you just ordered a milkshake. It is very enjoyable to have celebrating life’s sweet victories.
There’s no doubt Christian Watson’s big breakout game was a sweet victory. Hopefully this is just the first in a long list of big games for number 9 in his Packers career.
Something I found interesting to start the game was Rudy Ford lined up at Safety at times with Darnell Savage playing in the slot. Turns out, this was an amazing decision as Ford picked off Dak Prescott twice in the first half. He also added on two passes defensed and four tackles. Both INT’s came at huge moments with Dallas possibly in scoring position.
For Rudy Ford, I’m toasting a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. This beer is aged in bourbon barrels and gives off flavors of vanilla and oak. It is a very smooth beer considering it’s near 9% ABV bite. So, if you under-estimate it, you might regret it.
It feels like Rudy Ford was that Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. New player on the back-end for the Packers? “Let’s try him” the Cowboys thought. And they paid for it with those two interceptions. That ABV bite got them. I like this new role for Rudy, he showed up to play and he looked great.
You know I had to use that photo. There must be something unspoken between Aaron Jones and the Dallas Cowboys because whenever they meet, Jones has a big game, and makes sure the Cowboys know it. 138 yards rushing and a touchdown. With a great 30 yard run on to include in that. There was no loss of touches for Aaron Jones in this game, and it paid off.
I’ve used a few different beers for Aaron Jones since starting this weekly feature. But this week deserves something stronger. I’m toasting Aaron Jones with The Beast Grand Cru. This beer is a dark strong ale with tastes of honey, raisins, and also, a rum-like finish. This beer boasts a 16.8% ABV so it is indeed, a beast.
There’s no explanation needed for this one. Aaron Jones is a beast, hands down. When he is given the opportunity that Beast-Mode will come out and he’ll show you why he’s one of the best in the league.
Roasts
I’m going to keep this one short as I’ve already roasted Amari Rodgers several times here. As fans, we’ve had enough of seeing Amari Rodgers on punt returns. We can’t take it anymore. First, he bobbles a return early in the game, that’s near-heart attack one. Then a fumble on a punt where he seemingly just ran into the pile straight on and lost the ball. Near heart-attack, becomes full heart-attack. It appears after that punt that Keisean Nixon has taken over on Punts and we really hope that’s for the foreseeable future. Let’s just keep Amari Rodgers as a slot receiver at most from now on, shall we?
Amari Rodgers is Bud Light yet again. We just don’t want it. No Bud Light on our punt returns anymore please, we beg you. Our hearts can’t take it anymore. Make it stop. We want someone that can handle the work, not someone that we feel is going to let us down every single time.
In the end
Green Bay were the favorites heading in to this season but of course, things haven’t gone as expected. Still, it feels amazing to get back in the win column, although there isn’t much time to celebrate with a short week coming up as they face the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. We can pump our fists and enjoy this sweet victory for a short while, but now we have to focus on putting together a winning streak. As always, Go Pack Go.
Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to PackersTalk as well as CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter at @gmeinholz. for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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