It's still hard to believe that the Green Bay Packers , the team that at the beginning of the season most of us thought would battle to be in the playoff picture, is off to a 7-1 start and has yet to lose a road game this season.
The Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 33-22 yesterday, after training 7-6 at halftime. In beating the Chiefs, Brett Favre has now beaten every NFL opponent in the league, becoming just the third QB in the history of the league to do so. He joins Tom Brady of the Patriots and Peyton Manning of the Colts in that department.
I'm one to admit that the talent on this team is better than we gave them credit for at the start of the season. But I also think lady luck has been on the Packers side.
This team was flagged for 13 penalties for 103 yards against Denver, then another 13 times for 115 yards in the win yesterday. The Packers are handing out free yardage like it's going out of style.
Some of these penalties are directly a result of their physical style. But at what point will it come back to haunt them. Two turnovers yesterday and 13 penalties. That in many cases is a formula for losing in the NFL.
Yet Brett Favre and the rest of this team continues to defy the odds and pull out games in spite of penalties and mistakes. They've done it without a running game for the most part. Brett Favre is playing some of his best football in recent memory and each week it seems like a different player steps up to make a big play.
This team certainly doesn't have to apoligize for being 7-1 and having a perfect road record. They deserve it. But they've also been fortunate to get by with a lot of mistakes and the opposition hasn't made them pay.
Mike McCarthy knows that. The Packers coach said again today that he's thrilled to be 7-1 but the smile quickly left his face when looking at all of the corrections that need to be made. He knows they'll have their work cut out against the Vikings defense on Sunday. And the coach isn't looking forward to finding away to stop the young phenom Adrian Peterson, who has taken the league by storm in the first half of the season.
The Packers have gotten big plays when they needed them in the first half. We'll see if they can keep that going in the second half.