Quote Originally Posted by wist43 View Post
Your attempted defense of our defense against the Lions in last year's 40-10 debacle is sorely lacking.

You said our defense wore down b/c the offense couldn't keep the ball - I showed how we gave up 169 yds and almost the entire 1st quarter of TOP - so you don't want to talk about that anymore??

Your argument that the defense wore down b/c of poor offense is off the table. They had the ball for 10:57 in the first quarter - not b/c of our offense, but b/c the defense couldn't get off the field. We got the fumble on the opening drive, but only after they drove 69 yds, and took 5:24 off the clock.

Were they jetlagged from the 16 hour flight over to Detroit??

Then on the second drive - that you celebrate ending in only a FG - they drove 80 yds and took another 5:33 off the clock.

Here are the running plays up the middle in the 1st Quarter:

1st and 10 at DET 45
J.Bell up the middle to DET 49 for 4 yards

1st and 10 at GB 34
J.Bell up the middle to GB 26 for 8 yards

2nd and 9 at GB 21
(Shotgun) R.Bush up the middle to GB 12 for 9 yards

1st and 10 at GB 12
(Shotgun) R.Bush up the middle to GB 9 for 3 yards (fumble)

Next drive, 1st Quarter

1st and 15 at DET 6 (after a Detroit holding penalty)
R.Bush up the middle to DET 19 for 13 yards

2nd and 2 at DET 19
J.Bell left tackle to DET 31 for 12 yards

(First and 15 from their 6 yd line, and we give up back-to-back runs for 25 yds??) What's wrong with that picture??

Some great defensive plays in the 2nd Quarter??

3rd and 1 at DET 32
J.Ross right end to GB 44 for 24 yards

3rd and 4 at DET 21
(Shotgun) M.Stafford pass deep left to R.Bush to GB 47 for 32 yards

2nd and 3 at GB 5
M.Stafford pass short middle to J.Ross for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN

2nd and 1 at GB 24
R.Bush up the middle to GB 1 for 23 yards (S.Shields; M.Burnett).

1st and 1 at GB 1
R.Bush left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

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The offense was putrid, and we were never going to win that game; but the defense was equally putrid from the first snap to the last.
First, TOP covers the entire game. I never singularly pointed out the first half. Overall the defense kept the game "manageable" and then everything went further to hell (plus, if the offense actually did something with one of their possessions beyond 3 and out maybe the defense "looks" better).

Oh, and let's try this whole "reading comprehension" thing.

I'm not saying the defense would have been perfect, they probably still allow in the ballpark of 24-30 points, but by that point in the season we also knew that the defense couldn't be leaned on like in 2010 to win games. The offense didn't do their job (4 drives were under a minute), the defense bent and then broke.
We saw the Jekyll/Hyde nature of that defense all that season. They'd show bursts of brilliance mired in runs of absolute mediocrity. Despite the offense generating a grand total of 3 points that half, they still "held" the Lions to 17 points despite the offense doing next to nothing. That being said, my main point is still along the lines of "trying to justify a ludicrous prediction using what happened in a game last year without Rodgers, with two really terrible safeties, and half a Clay Matthews." is crazy.