Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Big day on the ground helps bring the Pack back
The Tundra was finally Frozen. This was a great development for anyone who worries about their beer getting warm.
On the other hand, the Green and Gold’s offense finally heated up.
This, too, was a great development for anyone who has Aaron Jones on their fantasy football team.
The Miami Dolphins simply could not keep up with the Jones from Green Bay. This young man sliced and diced his way through the Fish to the tune of 145 yards and two touchdowns.
“This league has always been about big plays,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “You can’t score points without big plays and you have to make big plays to win the game.”
Well, Jones made plenty of them. Inquiring minds still want to know why in the world he was rotating with Ty Montgomery. The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Jones’ 67-yard scamper in the first quarter was not wind aided. He had 96 yards after just four carries.
If you’re scoring at home, that’s a lot more yards than Rondell Mealey had in 14 games. And who could forget Rondell Mealey?
“We got the run game going. We had a lot more balance, which we hadn’t had all season,” said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
You knew it would be a long afternoon for the Miami 11 as all they could basically do correctly was kick field goals. But those came with an asterisk.
Jason Sanders booted four of them, which was a record for Miami rookie kickers. But he did it while wearing one orange shoe. OK, did he step in a bucket of Tang before the game? Talk about wardrobe malfunctions.
Another Miami highlight, so to speak, came when Robert Quinn sacked Aaron Rodgers and did the Discount Double Check. He’s a few years behind. Kind of like anyone who still does the wave at a sporting event. He should have tried to swat a fly with a golf club.
Oh, and Frank Gore had a 39-yard run. Didn’t he start playing when they were wearing leather helmets?
It was apparent from the outset that McCarthy was finally going to stick with a plan. Get the ball to Jones or Davante Adams. Geez, anyone could have thought of that. For now, the Pack is back. But they’ve got to hit the road again. It’s been a dead-end road this year.
“We're pretty tough to beat at home right now — the colder better — but we've got to find a way to win on the road or we're going to be home in January,” said Rodgers. “For good.”
That may be true. But not if Jones continues his fancy footwork.
FEARLESS FORECASTS
Game of the week: Kansas City at Los Angeles Rams. A lot of people think this will be a Super Bowl preview. OK, does that mean Maroon 5 will play at halftime? Rams 40, Chiefs 38, statistics aplenty.
Game of the weak: Oakland at Arizona. Scalpers in Glendale, Ariz., will have to get a second job this week. Cardinals 20, Raiders 0.
Green Bay at Seattle: In a cruel plot twist, Brandon Bostick, Shawn Slocum, Morgan Burnett and replacement referee Wayne Elliott will be given keys to the city of Seattle before the game. Packers 22, Seahawks 20.
VINELINES
Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune: “While the Lions have established their worthiness as a bad team, Sunday’s game carried urgency for the Bears because it was the most important of their American Ninja Warrior course of three games in 12 days. Next Sunday night, they host the Vikings, and three days later they face a morning kickoff on Thanksgiving in Detroit thanks to idiotic NFL thinking that blows yet another hole in the league’s manure about caring about player safety.”...
Norman Chad, syndicated columnist on the Giants-49ers game: “This is a 2-7 team hosting a 1-7 team, in prime time, on a major cable network. And the FCC sits on its hands.”...
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on the impending move of the Raiders: “Usually when a high-rolling loser comes to Vegas, the casinos set him up with a comp hotel room. With (owner Mark) Davis, they’re giving him a comp stadium.”...
Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatchewan’s Saskatoon Express, on the Bills retiring RB Thurman Thomas’ jersey: “The ceremony was delayed when Thomas couldn’t find it.”...
NBC’s Al Michaels, when asked how the late Howard Cosell would view today’s sports-media landscape: “He would hate social media. He would hate talk radio. … He would describe it as a ‘cacophony of crap.’”
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Packers punter J.K. Scott’s wife Sydney gave birth to a son just hours after the team returned from its game at New England. He called it ‘life-changing.’ She’s just glad all the kicking is over.”...
Jim Barach, comedy writer: “Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce says he has no love for the Cowboys and says they have fair weather fans. Which may be the reason they finally had to build a stadium with a retractable roof.”