Gary: After Stefon Diggs and Marvin Jones had unbelievable games against the Packers, up next is Odell Beckham Jr. To make matters worse, he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

On a national stage during the Packers bye week, Beckham Jr. is held to a career-low 23 receiving yards. Jared Cook is out for this game; an ankle injury suffered against the Lions hasn’t healed yet. It’s another Sunday night game in primetime, how’d they do?

Packers escape in an ugly game against the Giants

Jon: They did pretty good. It wasn’t the sort of offensive explosion you’d hope for from the Packers to get everything back on track, but they did what they needed to do. 

The player who saved the day for the Packers here was Randall Cobb. He didn’t score a touchdown, but he had nine catches for 108 yards. Four of his nine catches were on third down, and he converted all four of those catches for first downs. He would have had a fifth conversion into a first down, but it was called back on a penalty. 

This game ended up being another ugly win, much like the previous two wins this season. It’s highlighted by another rough outing from Aaron Rodgers. He threw two interceptions in the first half, both to Janoris Jenkins. 

We’re a quarter through the season, and the Packers are 3-1. Reflecting back, where was your state of mind at the quarter post of the season?

Gary: I remember watching the Giants game with a couple of friends. I couldn’t pull myself to think about the postseason for the Packers. Rodgers was struggling so much, and it seemed like the wins came in spite of their opponents. Minnesota is now 5-0 after the Packers’ win against the Giants, and Detroit’s been playing pretty well outside of their beatdown at Lambeau. It’s starting to feel like they needed to right this ship pretty fast. 

Jon: It’s a good point you bring up there. The Packers fourth game of the season came in Week 5. As you remember, the Vikings began their season 5-0. So the Packers, after a couple rough, lackluster outings in primetime, are looking up at the 5-0 Vikings. Minnesota has a quarterback who’s clicking and look like world beaters because their defense is phenomenal.

Gary: And the media coverage is all about the Vikings. It’s hard to get excited about the Packers because they’ve had two lackluster games in primetime. As a fan, you’re almost bored by your team. You wait all year for your team to start playing, and then when the season starts, the games are just okay. But they’re relatively boring, ugly wins.

Jon: What you want as a fan is not just a win, but you want to feel good about your team. It’s hard to feel good about the Packers with the way they’re playing to this point in the season. It’s just not exciting and it’s not interesting. They’re slogging through games, and the Giants game is a perfect example. This should be a celebration in primetime. It just wasn’t that at all for the Packers. 

This conversation first appeared in Episode 17 of our weekly podcast. Blue 58, powered by WTMJ Mobile, goes beyond the headlines to help you become a smarter fan of the Green Bay Packers. Hosted by former WTMJ newscaster Jon Meerdink and his friend Gary Zilavy, Blue 58 brings you a unique, upbeat perspective on your favorite NFL team, as long as that team is the Packers.