1. Ocho Leapo - Well that wasn't cool. The confidence many of us have in this Packers team was sliced in half on Sunday when the Bengals beat the Packers at Lambeau 31-24. I still think everything is fine, and I'll get to that in a minute, but what's going to be lame is how often this Chad Johnson, excuse me, Ochocinco, leap is going to be shown for the rest of the season. Actually, now that I think about it, whoever that guy is that flipped off the cameras and Chad is the coolest dude ever, because now networks will be too afraid to show the footage as they worry about FCC fines. I'm sure by Tuesday some obscure blog will track down that guy and interview him, get posted on Deadspin, and then never be heard from again. Oh, how I wish I was that blog. 2. Rodgers vs. The Bengals Defense - Rodgers didn't play a perfect game, there was that pass downfield at the end of the 4th quarter he probably shouldn't have made, but he was by far the best player on the offense. He really got very little help from anyone not named Donald Driver. Jennings looked poor, Jones dropped a couple of balls as well, and I swear this receiving corp leads the league in that category. Then there was the terrific play once again of our front five, who even before the injury to Chad Clifton made a star out of Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom. Odom practically stole NFL Defense Player of the Week honors from Charles Woodson with each time he threw Rodgers to the ground. And then when Green Bay did have a chance to tie the game, Jermichael Finley had to have a seizure on the line of scrimmage. One of the biggest things Rodgers tries to work on is his consistency. Well, Sunday he was consistent. The offense, however, was far from it.
3. Crosby vs. Cosby - Special teams often play a larger factor in games than we like to give credit for. And while Mason Crosby did deliver huge with a field goal and the onside kick, the confidence level in Crosby definitely isn't what it was a year ago. He's not quite at tiptoeing with a chainsaw status, but he's definitely scaring me. On the other hand, Quan Cosby of the Bengals delivered with some huge punt returns late in the game, which really helped seal the victory for Cincinnati.
4. Cedric Benson? - So the Packer hold a guy like Matt Forte to under 50 yards, but the guy that Forte ran out of Chicago, Cedric Benson runs for 141 on us? Not cool. I thought our rush defense was actually pretty good, but they didn't look it today. There were some tackling issues too that will need to be worked on.
5. No Need to Panic - So most of you are probably thinking, "OMG, we lost to the Bengals at Lambeau! We suck!" True, this was a game we probably should have won. However, I don't think the Bengals are that bad of a team, and I've been saying that for awhile now. I like how they are a bunch of misfits and castoffs that can band together, and I really think Carson Palmer is going to have a good year. And even so, what if they do end up sucking? It's only one loss, and as we've seen today, a lot can happen in the NFL. After two weeks, the following teams are also 1-1: New England, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia, Arizona, and one of either Dallas or the Giants. The season is young, and we're going to be alright. Plus, the Packers started 2-0 last season, and ended 4-10. It's not how you start, it's how you finish, and while Sunday was a bump in the road, I don't see a major need to panic as long as we address the few mistakes we made today.
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