by Mike Joerndt
Neenah, WI
The biggest story of the Packers' 28-10 victory over New England is the patchwork of defenders who got the job done. Players from the bottom of the depth chart, fresh faces from the practice squad and a waiver wire acquisition almost completely shut down the defending champions and their Super Bowl MVP quarterback, Tom Brady.
Admittedly, the Patriots are finally doing what the sports columnists and prognosticators expected them to do. That is, they are proving that 2001 was probably a fluke. Despite that, I predicted New England would enter the game hungry and aggressive. The Patriots did not disappoint, coming at Green Bay's injury-riddled secondary with four and five receiver formations and a no-huddle offense. Tom Brady threw the ball 44 times against the Packers. The strategy clearly didn't work, however, as Brady only completed 24 passes and threw three interceptions.
The Patriots were apparently so obsessed with trying to exploit Green Bay's defensive backfield, they nearly forgot about the Packers' depleted defensive line. New England only ran the ball 22 times on Sunday, even though they managed a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. To be fair, the Patriots couldn't rely on the running game in the second half, since they were trying to play catch-up, thanks to turnovers and an excellent effort by Green Bay's offense.
And speaking of that offense! Quarterback Brett Favre continued to amaze as he reached another career milestone - 300 touchdown passes. My favorite candidate for 2002 league MVP is now third on the NFL's all time touchdown passes list. For the game, Favre threw three touchdowns (on just 27 passes) and no interceptions. In fact, the Packers offense as a unit gave up no turnovers. Running back Ahman Green, meanwhile, kept the Patriots honest by rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown. Green also caught a touchdown pass, as Favre spread the ball out among his backs and receivers.
It's safe to say two fired-up teams were on the field Sunday, though the Packers seemed to have the greater incentive to win.
From his post-game comments, it's obvious Favre was planning for a shoot-out with New England. The aggressive approach to the offense early in the game confirms that plan. In the second quarter, for example, the Packers were willing to take a Ryan Longwell field goal off the board because of a New England penalty that gave Green Bay a first down. The gamble paid off as Favre threw his first touchdown pass of the day to fullback William Henderson. Brett Favre is dangerous enough without giving him additional reasons to try to run up the score. Ironically, the only way the Patriots could really stop the Packers offense was to let Green Bay build a 25-point lead. After that, the Packers switched to a more conservative, time-consuming approach on offense.
Green Bay's defense was as hungry as their offense on Sunday. The proof came after that first Packer touchdown, when a Tom Brady pass to running back Kevin Faulk turned out to be a lateral. Though nowhere near the play when the ball went through Faulk's hands, rookie safety Marques Anderson charged after the ball, alerting his teammates that the play wasn't over. The resulting Packers recovery set up a touchdown that gave Green Bay a 14-3 lead before halftime.
While their offense has performed well through most of 2002, Green Bay's defense is getting back to the level of play we expected of them before the season began. Perhaps the unit was complacent, knowing how strong and talented it was. The defense seemed to have no fire the first three games of the season. It allowed 100 points and forced only eight turnovers. In the last three games, however Green Bay's defenders have allowed only 45 points and forced 11 turnovers, including six interceptions in the last two weeks. On the whole, the defense seems to move faster and hit harder than they did to start the season.
Much of the credit for this turnaround undoubtedly goes to the Green Bay coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has obviously worked hard to remedy the problems that caused such a poor start for the defense this season. The coaching staff also gets credit for finding a way to put a strong unit on the field against the Patriots. But the players themselves should be congratulated for working their butts off and never giving up, even as injuries have taken their toll. It is probably no coincidence that the Packers' special teams are improving as well, especially on kick and punt coverage. The backups who have improved those coverage units became the starters who stopped the Patriots offense on Sunday.
The team must now guard against the return of complacency and overconfidence. Injured players returning to the lineup need to make sure they come back with the same energy and drive displayed this week by their understudies. As the season progresses, teams will find it isn't enough to play for a wild card spot in the realigned NFL. Even with a commanding lead over the rest of the NFC North, the Packers need to fight hard for every victory. They can ill-afford another performance like the ones we saw in the start of the season.