I’m 72 hours post spine surgery, and to be honest, I was on a heavy dose of Vicodin throughout today’s 49-23 Broncos loss. However, no amount of narcotics can take away the sting from a loss this big.
Going into today, no one believed that the Broncos would emerge from Lambeau Field with a win under their belt. Sure, the team plays like hell to win every week, but the Packers are clearly in a different league. They are in January form while the Broncos are still emerging from training camp under a new regime.
The difference between the Packers and the Broncos? When mistakes are made, the Packers learn from them and get stronger throughout the course of the game. When the Broncos break down, it takes a slew of AAA trucks and a new game to get the team back on track.
The Broncos kept it close in the first half down 21-17 until right before halftime. Then the Packers put up 21 second half points to the Broncos 6.
Aaron Rodgers had a perfect day going 29-for-38 passing for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also added 36 yards on 9 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns. That’s a 134.5 passer rating, that’s an elite QB – something the Broncos don’t have.
Kyle Orton played average, as usual. Seeing Aaron Rodgers perform today, however, showed a lot of people what having a world-class QB would be like. Orton threw for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns. All 3 of his interceptions weren’t even necessarily his fault. However, the ill-timed turnovers put the Broncos even further back in an offensive race with the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Some would say that the pick-6 that Orton threw to Charles Woodson was a major momentum changer, putting the Packers up 14-3 late in the first quarter.
Willis McGahee played a solid game with 15 carries for 103 yards (6.9 average), and Brandon Lloyd had 8 catches for 136 yards. Eric Decker added 56 receiving yards and 2 TDs.
Defensively, the Broncos held the Packers to 111 rushing yards (quite the accomplishment considering the Packers put up 49 points), but they couldn’t stop Rodgers and his deadly arm. Von Miller finished the day with 2 sacks, but that was the only pressure Rodgers felt all day.
The Pack Attack controlled the clock, the pace, and the outcome of the game with an all-around strong team. They held onto the ball for 33 minutes, threw the Broncos off with a first-half onside kick, and kept the home field advantage by making huge plays. Three Packers receivers had a catch of at least 43 yards or longer. Champ Bailey was badly missed today.
The stench of stinky Green Bay cheese now permeates the city Denver, and the Broncos sit at 1-3. If this game showed anything, it showed the Broncos what it will take to get to Super Bowl form.
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