The Aftermath of a Monday Night Mauling

There are a lot of ways you could describe last night's 51-29 loss by the Packers to the New Orleans Saints. There are a lot of words you could use. Most of them would not be fit for this website. So, instead of using four letter words we'll just say it was disappointing (and that's an understatement).

How in the world could the Packers go from dominating the Chicago Bears and earning a share of first place in the NFC North just nine days ago to looking as bad as they looked last night in the second half? This team is so inconsistent. One week they look like world beaters. The next week they look like a completely different team. Because of that, would you be shocked if they beat Carolina on Sunday at Lambeau? Of course not, but before we can get to that game, we have to deal with the aftermath of last night.

So, what went wrong last night? There were a few things. Firstly, Aaron Rodgers had his problems. Yes, he ran for a touchdown and threw for another two scores. But, his two second half interceptions (the third one late in the game was more like a punt) are going to overshadow everything else. The two picks were all his fault, no doubt about it. But, once the Packers went down by that 31-21 margin in the third quarter, they had to abandon the run (which was successful in the first half). That meant Rodgers had to play a perfect half of football on the road against a team that was playing inspired defense. It just wasn't going to happen.

After eleven games, it's clear that Rodgers has a bright future. What's also obvious is that he hasn't come up big in a tight spot just yet. Brett Favre spoiled Packer fans because he came through in the clutch right off the bat. You can't expect Rodgers to do what Favre did, but at some point, he's going to have to do it at least one time.

The rest of Green Bay's problems all came on defense. Drew Brees carved them up. The numbers are horrifying to look at, as Brees went 20-26 for 323 yards and four touchdowns, including a couple of seventy yarders. Some of it was on the secondary, to be sure. Atari Bigby looked pretty bad on New Orleans' first score of the game (the Lance Moore 70 yard TD catch). That being said, when the opposing quarterback has all day to throw, when he can stand in the pocket, read the Journal Sentinel from front to back before having to get rid of the ball, bad things are going to happen.

The Packers has one sack last night. One. And it wasn't even the highly paid defensive end in Aaron Kampman that got it. Bargain basement free agent pickup Brandon Chillar (who did not cost Ted Thompson a lot of money) picked up Green Bay's only sack.

The pass rush has been a problem all season long, and much of the blame for that can be placed on the head of GM Ted Thompson. Kampman is the only pass rusher this team has. KGB was never the same after knee surgery in late May and is now gone. Mike Montgomery is not a fulltime player. Jeremy Thompson, the GM's prized fourth round pick, has not been effective. Cullen Jenkins is hurt, and even if he wasn't, he is just not a pass rusher. And, the trade of Corey Williams is looking worse by the game.

The Packers do not have to address anything offensively when the off-season rolls around. What they need to do is concentrate on beefing up the pass rush. Whether it's through free agency or the draft, the pass rush needs to be shored up. If Ted is tempted to draft one of his 'finds' at a position that doesn't need fixing up, one of his assistants needs to do everything in his power to stop him.

Until the Packers can get to the off-season, maybe defensive co-ordinator Bob Sanders should try something revolutionary. Blitz!!!! Al Davis, in his more lucid days, put it best when he said 'The quarterback must go down and he must go down hard.' Sanders would be wise to try and make the quarterback go down. Hard. Corner blitzes, safety blitzes, jailhouse blitzes. Whatever it takes. Just get to the opposing quarterback.

Not only was the pass rush non existent last night, but get a load of this. Pierre Thomas, not Deuce McAllister or Reggie Bush, ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Let that sink in for a minute. Pierre Thomas.

If you're looking for a silver lining to this loss, it's that the Pack is only a game out of first place in the NFC North with five games left to go. Carolina this coming Sunday is probably the toughest game left on the schedule. It's still very possible for the Packers to go 9-7 and win the division. For that to happen, the defense is going to have to step their game up.