The Bucky Five: Exactly As We Expected

1. No Surprise Here - Packers 34, Bills 7. Pretty much what we all expected, but it was beautiful in it's dominance. These kind of games where you know they are going to be blowouts and then they end up actually being blowouts are actually what the 1996 season was full off, and yes you're getting Super Bowl season comparisons in only week two. Actually, I've been making them since training camp so no surprise here. Sure, the Packers started a bit slow, but the second half was all Packers. Aaron Rodgers put up the kind of game that we've been expecting of him too, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 20 yards including gaining nine of those for a score (which sadly almost made him the leading rusher). There are still a few things to work on with this squad, but for not playing your best football in the first two weeks and still being 2-0, while the hated Vikings are 0-2, it's a good time to be a Packer fan right now.

2. Clay for MVP - Aaron Rodgers is the face of this franchise, but Clay Matthews is quickly narrowing that gap. Matthews is a flat out beast at this point, already earning six sacks on the season. He's also putting team's quarterback situations into flux, as in week one he knocked out Kevin Kolb only to create the controversy there between Kolb and Vick, and this week he helped make Trent Edwards look so bad that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be starting for Buffalo next week. I was lucky enough to make it to Lambeau on Sunday, and while it was a good crowd all game, the three biggest pops were for 3) anytime they showed Favre turning the ball over on the big screen, 2) Bart Starr being introduced at halftime and 1) every big Clay Matthews play. Right now, there's no one that's played better for the Packers this season, and he's going to earn a lot of awards at the end of the season if he can keep this up, as he is on pace for 48 sacks right now.

3. Inaction Jackson - Brandon Jackson's debut as the Packers starting running back didn't go as well as the hoards of people who picked him up in fantasy would have liked it to go, running for just 29 yards. He did only get eleven carries, but he only averaged 2.6 yards a carry and didn't really have a run that wowed us. He did earn the Packers first touchdown of the game, but John Kuhn looked a lot more like our starting running back than Jackson did. Dimitri Nance got a couple of carries too, but didn't do much with them.

The inconsistencies of the Packers running game lead to the rampant rumors that the Bills were going out of their way to showcase Marshawn Lynch. Their apparent starter, C.J. Spiller, didn't see the field until the second quarter because Lynch was carrying the bulk of the load. I don't know if that's exactly what they were doing, but Lynch sure did get a lot of touches and the Bills barely passed throughout the game. Would they really punt this game and come out with the sole purpose of spotlighting a guy for a trade? I'm not sure, but it definitely could have seemed that way. Lynch had 64 carries on 17 yards, and was chumming it up with the Packers defenders after nearly every run. I think it's almost too obvious of a deal to make at this point, and if the Bills really want "a starter and a draft pick" I don't see it happening. I wouldn't be surprised if he traded for him, but if I had to bet on it I'd say Lynch will not be wearing a Packer uniform this season or anytime soon.

4. The $7.5 Million Backup - That's the new pet name that Pro Football Talk has given to Chad Clifton, and I don't see anything indication as to why that name shouldn't apply. Clifton did get beat a few times and eventually was replaced by rookie Bryan Bulaga who looked very good in a reserve role. McCarthy admitted after the game that Clifton didn't look either good or healthy, but then also said that if healthy he's still our starter. We'll see how well he progresses during the week especially with the extra day of rest, but I don't think we start him unless he's 100 percent with the way Bulaga played.

5. Monday Night Showdown - Well Packers fans, we have quite a big game on our hands just a few days from now, as the Packers head to Soldier Field for a Monday Night battle between two undefeated teams. If you're Green Bay, while a loss doesn't devastate you this is still a game that you'd probably need to win if you're really going to be legit contenders this season. The Bears are surprising at 2-0, and you know they'll be giving the Packers nothing but their best especially in front of a jacked up home crowd. I'm going to say that the Packers will be able to pull this one out, but if this game wasn't decided until the games' final minutes that wouldn't surprise me at all. Should be a fun one.