 Weekend Thoughts-Round 2 The Packers and the Patriots came away with wins at home last week, which really didn't surprise too many people. But there were still some interesting facets in both games. Anyone wonder what the odds were of the Green Bay Packers falling behind to Seattle by 14 points before even five minutes had elapsed in the first quarter, at Lambeau no less? They had to be astronomical. But that is exactly what happened this past weekend. And while it made for some early drama, it was short lived. By the end of the quarter, the Packers had tied the game and taken the lead before two minutes had expired in the second quarter. And then it snowed harder. And as silly as it sounds, it seemed the harder it snowed, the more dominant they became. By halftime, Green Bay had pulled away 28-17. And for all practical purposes, the game was over before the final quarter even started. Green Bay running back Ryan Grant, who had been responsible for the early Seattle lead thanks to his pair of fumbles, had more rushing yards (201) than the Seahawks had total yards. He also had three rushing touchdowns. And Brett Favre worked his magic in the fluffy white snow and passed for three touchdowns. After the initial Seattle charge, the Green Bay defense, led by safety Atari Bigby, took no prisoners. Seattle went 3-for-11 on third down, never found the end zone again and was physically dominated. It had to be the snow, right? There were many that felt the Jacksonville Jaguars had the right type of team to possibly knock off the New England Patriots. They had a dominant ground game to control the clock, eat up yardage and keep Tom Brady and Company on the sidelines. They also had a tough defense. And the Jaguars had to lift the spirits of those in Miami went they scored and took the lead on their initial possession. And they did so not by pounding the ball mercilessly, but by throwing the ball. The Jags ran the ball only three times during the nine play scoring drive. But the Pats answered to tie the score and when Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard fumbled after being sacked on Jags next possession, they took the lead. By then, the defensive game plan of the Jags was clear. Jacksonville was not going to give up the big play. And they didn't. They didn't let Randy Moss beat them either. Moss caught only one pass for 14 yards the entire game. But they also rushed only three at times and didn't blitz, giving Pats quarterback Tom Brady basically all day to survey the coverage and find an open receiver. And he did...far too often. Brady picked the Jacksonville defense apart all night. He completed 26-of-28 passes and only two of those 26 completions were for more than 20 yards. His top target was Wes Welker, who hauled in nine passes. His longest was for nine yards. And while the Jags did hang in there for a half with the Patriots, their inability to stop Brady and his brand new dink and dunk attack helped give New England an 11-point lead by the end of the third quarter, which basically sealed their fate. So a memo to those who wish to knock the Patriots off. Giving Tom Brady all day isn't the answer, but pressuring him all day could be.
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