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Packers sleepwalk their way to 4-point win over Jacksonville (AUDIO)

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Matt LaFleur

The Green Bay Packers went to bed Sunday night with a 7-2 record through the first nine games of the NFL season, but easily could have gone the other way.  After losing to the 1-win Vikings at home two weeks ago, the Packers were facing a 1-win Jacksonville Jaguar team that had the Packers on the ropes until the very end.  The defense got a late stop and the Packers prevailed 24-20.

The Jaguars had the ball at the Packers’ 36 yard line with 1:37 to play with a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown.  This time, the Packers suspect defense clamped down and came up with a huge stop to preserve the victory.  Rashon Gary and Preston Smith came up with key sacks on that final drive to end Jacksonville’s comeback efforts, sending the Jaguars (1-8) home with their eighth straight loss.

Aaron Rodgers passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score, but the Packers quarterback also threw [Read more…]

Packers suffer first loss, Rodgers picked twice (AUDIO)

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Aaron Rodgers

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has been a house of horrors in Aaron Rodgers career and it continued on Sunday.  Rodgers threw a pair of interceptions, including just the third pick-six of his career, sending the Green Bay Packers (4-1) to a 38-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their first defeat of the season.

The two interceptions were the first of the season for Rodgers.  The first pick came on a third down with Rodgers looking for his favorite receiver, Davante Adams in the flat.  Buccaneers safety Jamel Dean read Rodgers all the way, stepped in front of Adams and scampered 32-yards for a touchdown.

Two of the three interceptions thrown by Rodgers that were turned into interceptions, took place at Raymond James Stadium.  The pick-six started a Tampa Bay run of 38 straight points for the Buccaneers, after they originally fell behind 10-0.

Just as stunning came Rodgers second interception of the day, just two passes later.  Davante Adams was the intended target again, but the ball was tipped and it landed in the arms of safety Mike Edwards, who returned it to the 2-yard line, where the Bucs scored a play later on a Ronald Jones II touchdown run.  Jones rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns against the Packers defense. [Read more…]

Virtual offseason workouts ahead for NFL teams

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The NFL and players’ union will kick off a virtual offseason workout program starting next week.  The programs are an alternative to teams being able to open their own facilities, which will not take place until all 32 teams are permitted to do so.

The three-week virtual offseason starts on April 20, and allows teams to hold classroom instruction, workouts and non-football educational programs using online platforms.

Players who don’t have the necessary workout equipment are being offered a $1,500 stipend to buy it.

The program also allows players with a workout bonus in their contract to collect on that bonus, as long as players participate in the percentage of workouts that are laid out in their contract.

For the Green Bay Packers, nearly 20 players with offseason workouts would be affected.  Those players [Read more…]

Bulaga gets three-year deal with the Chargers

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Bryan Bulaga

Bryan Bulaga had spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers, after being drafted in the first round back in 2010.  On Tuesday, Bulaga agreed to a three-year, $30-million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Bulaga started 111 of his 115 games, having gone through a pair of ACL injuries in 2013 and 2017.

The Packers counted on Bulaga’s leadership during his time in Green Bay.  They’ll now look to veterans David Bakhtiari and Corey Linsley for some of that responsibility.

The Packers did sign tackle Rick Wagner, the former Badger from West Allis, to replace Bulaga.  Wagner has started 87 of his 102 games and was released by the Detroit Lions in a cost-cutting measure.

Packers linebackers headed to the Big Apple

The Packers signed free agent linebacker Christian Kirksey to and have now seen two of their own head to New York. [Read more…]

Packers hold off late charging Seahawks to advance to NFC Championship

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Aaron Rodgers File Photo UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Aaron Rodgers played one of his best games of the season, helping the Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-23 in the NFC Divisional playoffs and securing a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Rodgers and Davante Adams put the Packers on their backs, connecting eight times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.  The 160 receiving yards for Adams is a Green Bay Packers playoff-franchise record.

When the Packers needed a big play, Rodgers was there to deliver a series of pinpoint accurate passes, helping his team to a season best 9-of-14 on third downs (69%).  That is the best third down accuracy rate for the Packers since the 2016 season.

Rodgers sealed the victory with a pair of third-down passes, a 32-yard pass to Adams on a third-and-8 [Read more…]

Packers late defensive stand produces win over the Panthers

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Aaron Jones – File Photo

The Green Bay’s defense surrendered a lot of yardage throughout Sunday’s game, but in the end, they held NFL MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey short of the goal line as time expired and the Packers held on for a 24-16 win at snowy Lambeau Field.

Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns, the second time this season he’s rushed for three scores.  Jones is the first Packers player since Sterling Sharpe in 1994 with multiple three-touchdown games in a season.  He is also the first Green Bay running back since Jim Taylor in 1962 with multiple three-touchdown games in a season.  Taylor did it three times that year.

The Panthers got the ball back with 2:25 left on their own 11-yard line, trailing by eight points.  Quarterback Kyle Allen drove the Panthers down the field, including completing a 12-year pass to D.J. Moore on fourth-and-10 with 56 seconds left. [Read more…]

Sack celebrations a thing of the past in Green Bay

By

Za’Darius Smith

Za’Darius Smith is second on the Green Bay Packers team with six quarterback sacks and each one has drawn a more elaborate sack celebration.

“I had one for this week,” Smith said Thursday.  “It was going to be nice.  Coach (Matt LaFleur), he felt situations during that time could affect the punt team or (if) they want to go for fourth down, I’m taking up too much time.”

So for now, the sack celebrations are history.

Smith came up with the sleepy-time celebration that he unveiled Monday against the Lions after he missed a meeting last week.  He was fined and decided to let everyone know he got caught napping with a little on-field celebration.

Za’Darius Smith has six sacks in six games this season.  Teammate Preston Smith leads the way wit

h seven and even without a sack celebration, both should continue to cause havoc with the opponents passing game. [Read more…]

Packers pressure Broncos to improve to 3-0

By

Davante Adams

The Green Bay Packers defense did it again, forcing three more turnovers and sacking quarterback Joe Flacco six times, on the way to a 27-16 win over the Denver Broncos at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The Packers defense hasn’t been perfect, allowing 149 rushing yards against the Broncos and a 4.91 yards per carry average in the first three games.  But so far, pressure on the quarterback has made up for the inability to stop the run, giving the Packers a 3-0 start to the season.

Preston Smith led the way with three sacks, including a strip sack of Joe Flacco with rookie Rashan Gary recovering the fumble and setting up a Packers touchdown.

Za’Darius Smith had two sacks and Gary would later add the first of his career.  Second year cornerback Jaire Alexander stripped a ball away from tight end Noah Fant and recovered it at the same time.  That set up a short touchdown drive. [Read more…]

Packers hold off Vikings to improve to 2-0

By

Matt LaFleur

Aaron Rodgers tossed a pair of early touchdowns as the Green Bay Packers jumped out to a 21-0 lead, then held off the Minnesota Vikings 21-16 to jump out to a 2-0 start to the season.

Rodgers completed nine of his first ten passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and had a perfect 158.3 rating through the first quarter.  He finished 22 of 34 for 209 yards for the game.

Aaron Jones scored the other early touchdown on the ground.  Jones finished with 23 carries for 116 yards and also caught four passes for 34 yards.  As a team, the Packers ran the ball 33 times for 144 yards, a 4.4 yard per carry average.

They also had the kind of balance that coach Matt LaFleur talked about when he was hired.  The Packers finished with 34 passing attempts and 33 rushing attempts. [Read more…]

Packers send Gilbert to Titans

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Reggie Gilbert

On the eve of the final preseason game, the Green Bay Packers send third-year outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert to the Tennessee Titans for a 7th round draft pick.

Gilbert made the Packers roster as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona in 2016.  He went on to play in 18 games, tallying 3.5 sacks for the Packers.

The Packers added to the position with the free agent signings of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, as well as drafting Rashan Gary out of Michigan in the first round of the draft.  Those moves meant a loaded outside linebacker position, making Gilbert expendable.

The Packers close out the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs tonight at Lambeau Field.  They must trim their roster to 53-players by 3 p.m. on Saturday.