After a first quarter where the Packers went up 10-0 thanks to efficient offense and punishing defense and Eddie Lacy left the game with a concussion, the Pack took over at the beginning of the second quarter at their own 25.
Brandon Meriweather, who laid the helmet-first hit on Lacy that took him out of the game, once again launched in helmet-first on a Packers running back. He took James Starks out of bounds, but this time it was Meriweather, not his target, that stayed down. Meriweather was prone on the ground for several minutes before slowly getting up under his own power, and he was led off the field by Redskins trainers. Reports from the locker room confirmed that Meriweather has a concussion and will not return.
After the drive resumed, Rodgers connected with Starks and Jermichael Finley to push the Packers down to Washington's 14-yard line. A touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson was called back on a holding call, but Rodgers found Finley once again just a few plays later and this time the touchdown stood. With 11:40 left in the first half, the Packers went up 17-0.
On the next Washington drive, the offense looked impotent once again. Robert Griffin III looked out of sync with his receiving corps, and after another punt Green Bay took over at their own 10.
The only real hole in Green Bay's game had been the poor pass protection from their offensive line, but with improved line play the Packers looked even more dangerous. The Pack drove downfield in a hurry after a medium pickup to James Jones turned into a 57-yard play thanks to fantastic open-field running from the wideout.
Backup running back James Starks looked a lot like a starter, and after two strong runs the Packers were knocking on the door once again. Rodgers rolled out to his right and found Jermichael Finley on a second down, and with 7:07 left in the second quarter the Packers increased their lead to 24-0.
The Redskins finally picked up more than one first down in a drive on their next possession, but after driving into Packers territory they found themselves staring down a fourth down at Green Bay's 29. Facing a 24-point deficit, Mike Shanahan knew he had to go for broke, and the Redskins went for it.
The Redskins might have converted if Griffin's pass hadn't bounced right off his receiver's hands and up into the air. Packers DE Mike Neal was in perfect position to snag the ball out of the air, and Green Bay took over at their own 26.
With just over two minutes left in the half , the Packers could have been content with their 24-point lead, but Rodgers engineered yet another drive into Redskins territory. James Starks caught a pass over the middle and rumbled forward for 15 yards, and James Jones and Randall Cobb also pulled in completions to propel the Packers forward.
James Jones, already with a career high 143 yards, tried to make too much happen when he stretched out for a touchdown but lost control of the ball. The ball hit the pylon and bounced out of bounds, and the play was ruled as a touchback. Despite the last-second error, the Packers have to be content with a 24-0 halftime lead and dominant performances on both sides of the ball.
First half MVP: Aaron Rodgers - 26-31 for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half, Rodgers has been nearly perfect so far.
Back to the Green Bay Packers Newsfeed