“You like that!” That’s the catch phrase coined by Cousins after a comeback victory earlier this season, and he heard it again, loudly, after scoring on a draw from 3 yards out early in the third quarter of his first playoff start, putting Washington ahead 18-17. Washington allowed 258 passing yards per game, and yet Rodgers still threw for well under that mark. They finished with 141 rushing yards and were able to put the game on ice with the ground game in the second half.
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Rodgers, who had struggled down the stretch of the regular season as Green Bay dropped their last two, found his touch and confidence and the Packers ran off 17 points to head into intermission leading 17-11. The Cardinals devoted each of last week’s practice sessions to each of those possible foes – Green Bay on Tuesday, Minnesota on Wednesday and Washington on Thursday. In the final three quarters, the Packers’ offense looked like the powerhouse that went M.I.
The Packers now prepare for a rematch with the Arizona Cardinals, hoping for a different outcome from that ugly 38-8 loss on December 27. After watching Redskins TE, Jordan Reed rip the Green Bay Packers with 9 catches and 120 yards, ya seriously gotta look at Jordan Reed as right there with the elite TE’s in the NFL. If the Cardinals play with that same intensity, grit, and talent…then they can do the exact same thing they did to the Packers in Week 16.
The playoff experience of Rodgers is too tough to pass up in this game, especially since the Packers are slightly bigger underdogs this time around.
“I talked a lot the last couple weeks about being able to turn it on, and a lot of you probably thought that was lip service”, Rodgers said. When the offense is in sync, Rodgers doesn’t need much time to find his receivers.
“We like to move the ball fast”, receiver James Jones said after the win over Washington.
The Packers continued to pound the ball on their next drive, using eight runs and two passes to go 76 yards.
When Rodgers is rolling and feeling good, the Packers are hard to stop. Arizona Cardinals gotta be very careful once they play the Packers on Saturday.
Next up for the Packers (11-6) are the Arizona Cardinals (13-3).
It’s made possible starting with the offensive line, whose top priority is to protect Rodgers.
“Clearly, what we have to do on offense, we’ve got to take care of the football”.
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COUSINS’ DAY: Nearly three hours before kickoff, folks gathered outside a stadium tunnel to greet Redskins players – and when QB Kirk Cousins got off the team bus, a chant arose: “You like that! We play for each other, and we had a good plan, played with a lot of passion and executed really well”. The Packers’ quarterback showed that with the proper support from his offensive teammates and coaches, he’s still got the swagger, the resourcefulness, the arm and the accuracy to dominate a game.
