For a Packers’ front three that played such an important role in the 2010 playoffs (Raji’s pick six, Green’s pressure turned-pick six), the 2011 defensive line was quite ordinary. The missing piece to the puzzle was obviously pass rushing phenom Cullen Jenkins, who was too expensive to resign in the offseason. Clearly, Ted Thompson had no idea how anemic the pass rush up front would be without Jenkins.
With defensive end Mike Neal still nursing a 2010 knee injury, the Packers opened 2011 in classic Thompson-like form: whoever sat behind Neal on the depth chart was now the starter. Three-year vet Jarius Wynn teased fans with a surprisingly impressive opener against the Saints – and then proceeded to play like the sixth round end that had him watching from the sidelines for most of his time in Green Bay. Continue reading
Experts will give mixed impressions of the performance of the Green Bay linebackers in 2011. Like many other positional groups on the Packers’ roster, the corps had its ups and downs. The run defense had some rough outings, like those against Minnesota and Chicago (at home), but still finished the season a respectable 14th in rushing yards allowed. The abysmal performance of the pass defense, however, must be reflected in the outside linebackers’ grade.
The performance of the Green Bay secondary in 2011 was tainted by the loss of Nick Collins in Week 2. Through just a few games, fans and experts discovered Collins’ substantial value to the proclaimed best secondary in football. It became evident that second-year safety Morgan Burnett couldn’t carry Charlie Peprah’s weight the same way Collins could in 2010.
This year’s Green Bay Packers looked like a team on a mission. Like a team destined to end up in Indianapolis and atone for the franchise’s Super Bowl loss 14 years ago in San Diego. Since that fateful day on the West Coast, the Packers have had some of the toughest playoff defeats of all the teams in the NFL. Where does Sunday’s loss sit on that list? 
The Packers confirmed Sunday the abnormally long list of flaws that had fans of the 15-1 NFC North champs on the edge of their seats all season long. The deep-rooted problems lie on defense, though miscues like dropped passes and fumbles played a major role in the loss. It was sheer sluggishness that cemented the Packers’ fate though, as Green Bay kissed their magical season goodbye in front of a hopeful Lambeau audience.
It’s not worth comparing this Sunday’s divisional playoff matchup to the 2007 NFC title game that saw the New York Giants knock off No.4 and the second-seeded Green Bay Packers.
Still unknown is how Ted Thompson will allocate the franchise tag, a long-term contract and a wave farewell to pending free agents Jermichael Finley, Scott Wells and Matt Flynn. Flynn’s performance in Week 17 against the Lions has Thompson reevaluating any predetermined personnel moves he had been planning. One factor Thompson doesn’t need to consider when performing his analysis: the existence of a free agent market for Flynn.
Matt Flynn is for real.
In case you haven’t heard this anywhere else this week: the Lions haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 1991. Unfortunately for Packers fans, Sunday figures to be an excellent opportunity for Detroit to snap that skid.
With the NFL’s 31st ranked defense, the Green Bay Packers will have a difficult time winning a second consecutive Super Bowl by stopping teams defensively. It appears as if that title will be won or lost on the arm of Aaron Rodgers; a big reason for that is the lack of talent in the defense’s front seven.
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