Familiar Loss, Different Theme – Bengals 31 Packers 24

Familiar Loss, Different Theme

A shot of fans at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI

The Green Bay Packers lost a close game this past Sunday, Sept. 20. It was what some would even call a heartbreaker. They suffered the loss at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. This was a game that the Packers were expected to win. Unfortunately, they fell just short.

As the coaches say, they just did not execute. Unlike last season, it was not the defense that let the Packers down late in the game. It was the offense. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense seemed to be out of sync all day long. There were far too many penalties, dropped passes, and missed blocks by the Packers’ offensive unit. This is an alarming trend considering how well the offense played just a year ago. Last season, the Packers offense was one of the top-ranked units in the NFL. It was the defense that continually let the team down late in games. This time around, it was an offense that just couldn’t seem to put together a scoring drive when it counted. As time ran out, the offense had a false start and Aaron Rodgers could do nothing more than argue with the referees.

If it wasn’t for Charles Woodson, who seemed to be on fire, the game might not have even been close. Woodson had two interceptions, one of which he returned 22 yards for a touchdown. He also led the team in tackles, recording 10. The defense played well when it counted, but it couldn’t keep the high-powered passing attack of Bengals Quarterback Carson Palmer out of the end zone. Due to the hard running of Cedric Benson, the Packers had a long day trying to defend against all of the Bengals’ offensive weapons.

In the end, the suspect Bengals defense did just enough to win the game, while the Packers offense failed to score any points when it really needed them, in crunch time. Let’s hope next weeks’ game against the St. Louis Rams ends up with a better result for the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack!