Season Review Week 1-7: Green Bay Packers - Part I
Lifting the Super Bowl Championship in 2010, the Green Bay Packers decimated every opponent that came into their path in the 2011/12 season as they ended the regular season with a 15-1 record.
They lifted the NFC North Division title last year and went into the playoffs as one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl once again.
With an offence led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who delivered some of his best performances that year, and boasting some of the best offensive talents in the league very few doubted that the Packers will once again lift the Super Bowl.
However, they were knocked out in their first game of the playoffs by the New York Giants who went on to win the Super Bowl.
The disappointment from that defeat hurt Green Bay and their fans hard but optimism surrounding the new season was high as the team still had Rodgers who was voted the league’s MVP while they also added some exciting talent through the drafts.
Green Bay’s start to the 2012/13 season has been haphazard with the offence struggling to find its footing and Rodgers is not delivering at the same level he displayed in 2011/12.
The Packers are currently 4-3 and third in the NFC North division but it is still too early to count them out as they still have one of the strongest rosters on paper in the league.
In this three part series we will review the performance of Green Bay Packers in the first seven games of the new season.
Week 1: Against San Francisco 49ers
The first game of the new season threw a tough fixture to Green Bay who faced the San Francisco 49ers at home.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offence were up against one of the best defensive units in the league and the 49ers for long periods of the game kept Rodgers at bay.
Green Bay could only score a single touchdown in the first three quarters as the 49ers defence frustrated the home side’s offensive unit.
At the end of the third quarter the 49ers were up 23-7 and did not look in any mood to give any respite to the Packers.
In the fourth quarter the Packers cut the deficit to 23-15 as Randall Cobb successfully completed a 75-yard punt return to the end zone.
It seemed that Green Bay was getting ready to mount a comeback but the 49ers on their next possession increased their advantage even further thanks to running back Frank Gore’s 23 yard touchdown to put San Francisco up 30-15.
Rodgers threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones with six minutes to go to make it 30-22 but the 49ers defence did not give them any more chances and closed out the game.
Week 2: Against Chicago Bears
In week two, NFC North rivals Chicago Bears arrived at Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers are usually known for their brilliant offence but in this game Green Bay’s defensive unit displayed a match winning performance completely shackling Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
Green Bay’s defence intercepted Cutler four times while the Bears quarterback was sacked seven times as the Packers defensive unit turned up the heat on their rivals.
On the offensive side Rodgers was still below his usual standards throwing a second consecutive interception but it did not matter as Green Bay comfortably built up a 13 point lead at the end of the first half.
Chicago scored its first points through a field goal in the third quarter but Green Bay countered adding 10 more points to make it 23-3 with 11 minutes to go.
Cutler finally managed a touchdown pass at 6:49 from 21-yards to Kellen Davis to get the Bears to 23-10 but the Packers defence shut him out for the remaining period to win the game.
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