Green Bay Packers 35, Houston Texans 20
Q. Can you talk about what you had going with Davante out there today and how it started right from the get-go for you?
AARON RODGERS: Yeah, again, I think much like week one, it wasn't necessarily the plan to get him involved like that. It was more the coverages that we were seeing and then the plays that Matt was dialing up. You know, he was in position for a number of those opportunities. But it was really the catch down the left side line on third down that got us going, him and I going together, just the beautiful laid hands by him, and he had a couple other adjustments that were really good. I mean, he's such a talented player. He gives you such a wide margin when you're throwing the ball to him, so steady, and his communication between him and I has been really, really good.
So when he's in the game, obviously we're tough.
Q. Davante said just a couple minutes ago that you guys didn't care about the criticism you were receiving. I understand that. But he did say, "We felt like we owed it to ourselves." You had the line last week about it being an anomaly. How important was it for you guys to come out and play the way you did, regardless of criticism or anything else, against a team that's obviously struggled and play like you did?
AARON RODGERS: I said it was an anomaly and obviously we wanted to back that up. Not that if it gone the other way it wouldn't have been. That game is an outlier, I believe and today was more in line with our first four weeks; a game -- I know we are in Week 7, but they have had a lot of turmoil over on that side; a game that if we want to be a great team, we want to win these games. I don't think it was the cleanest game from an operation standpoint, probably in all three phases. Offensively we had some kind of plays that definitely leave your head scratching.
But then you turn around, you score 35 points. We had a really good day on third down. We really got in the red zone. It's one of those kind of strange, strange games where you're definitely productive, but there was more out there that we probably could have had.
Q. Every time you came to the line and saw that you might have a one-on-one with Davante, were you kind of surprised or shocked? They never really seemed to adjust the coverage or take him out.
AARON RODGERS: Well, they did a couple times, but it felt like it was later in the game where we had already hit some. Again, I think last week, you know, that can help, and hurt sometimes, opposing defenses, because you saw obviously the pressure that Tampa brought affected us. We struggled with it. But every defense is built differently and personnel is different. They tried to bring some pressure at various times, and felt like we had a pretty good day making them pay. Because when you get a won on one, you know, Davante, it is kind of feast or famine. Today we made those plays count.
Q. We've heard you praise Jamaal a bunch but what did you think of how did he today filling in for Aaron?
AARON RODGERS: I love Jamaal. Jamaal is such an important part of our team in so many facets, not just the physical, on the field stuff that you see where he's extremely talented. The first catch and run that got us going early was just such a smooth play by him, to hands catch it like nothing, turn it up the feed. Maybe something he might not have done as smooth last year. Again I've said this a lot but I'm bringing it up time and time again because I think he deserves so much credit for what he did in the off-season to get himself in this position. He's such a talented guy. He obviously brings so much outside of the of the physical: The energy, the swag, the dancing moves that we can all try to copy or marvel at and he's an important, important part of what we are doing.
And with Jonesy not being able to go today, have him step up and play the way he played was not surprising but he just -- I don't want to be little it at all. It's a really important part of what happened today was him in there pass-protecting, run the football tough, having some timely catches, and loved seeing get that touchdown at the end.
Q. From the TV broadcast, looked like a good amount of Packers fans considering it was a road game and limited capacity. What was it like looking up and seeing a lot of green and gold?
AARON RODGERS: It's special. We have such a great following. Having been down here over the years for some of Donald Driver's events, I know how many Packers fans are in the Houston area. It's fun to see the Green and gold. It's different. It's been such a strange year coming out to so many stadiums without fans. To run on to the field this afternoon and hear the ovation was special, it really was, because you missed that feeling.
And we had some Packer fans last week in Tampa but this was a big number and hearing the "Go, Pack, Go" chants, it was like a normal game almost where you're up a few scores on a team late in the game and a lot of the home fans have left and it's just our Packer fans yelling out "Go, Pack, Go". It's a thing I don't take for granted and I enjoy and I've enjoyed for over a decade and just love, love hearing it, love walking up the field on a road game with our fans in the stands. It's just something that I'll never forget.
Q. Late in a three-score game, how important was that defensive stretch late third, early fourth, where the three-and-outs, the punt block, and they only held them to two field goals obviously defense with the turnover after the on-sides, to be able to keep them at bay, as opposed to crawling back into it?
AARON RODGERS: Yeah that, was huge. That was huge. Especially with a team kind of up against it there. I know we had an important third down. We brought an empty pressure and looked like DeSean saw it, made some sort of check and Adrian having a sack in four-down territory for them, they are on the five- or six-yard line at that point. To put them out to fourth and goal from the 18 or 19, that's a huge, huge play. Then after the punt block, to hold them again to a field goal, those guys deserve a lot of credit. It's just such a tall task to ask to have timely stops but there's a lot of guys playing really good football on that side of the ball. Maybe nobody as good as 23. I think he deserves a lot of respect and appreciation for the way that he's played against some really talented receivers the last few weeks.
Q. You mentioned Jamaal, but for y'all to win as convincingly as you did, what does it say for the overall depth of the roster?
AARON RODGERS: Yeah, that definitely lit up the bingo card, I'm sure, from training camp: Sternberger touchdown, Taylor touchdown, Henry Black, forced fumble. That's pretty special right there. That's a credit to those guys being ready. There's a lot of guys this week we knew were going to get a chance to play with Bak being out on the offensive line and Ben getting side and opportunities in the works for those guys, Dexter Williams dressing and playing, Billy Winn being activated and playing a lot of snaps for us, Kamal coming back from his preseason injury and playing a decent amount snaps and then obviously Black being out there making a big play. You don't expect those things starting the week out maybe but I'm proud of the way those guys made the most of their opportunities.
Q. Before today, Dave might have missed like six games in seven years and you have Billy stepping in there at left tackle. Curious what you thought of how he stepped in there and also with Rick and kind of doing this flip flopping that he's done, what he's given you at that spot?
AARON RODGERS: I'm really happy the way those guys played. I think Matt did a really good job this week of setting the game plan that could get those guys comfortable from the start of the game. We wanted to run the ball early and wanted to give those guys some help. Obviously JJ is such a talented player. We didn't want to let him get going and kind of tee off -- action game I felt like and a nice job giving those guys hell, but there was multiple times where there was one-on-one, five guys across the line and five guys blocking. Those guys held up -- only slipped out of one, it was a nice clean day up front and those guys deserve a lot of credit and they have played really, really well all year, five of the six games, to have zero or one sack is pretty impressive.
Q. Along those lines, last year you guys were so healthy and this was probably -- you last more important players for this game than any other game since Matt game coach. How important is it to show yourselves that you can play well like you did today when you're missing important players?
AARON RODGERS: Yeah, that was really important. You don't want to, obviously have the kind of guys who are so important to us out the entire season. But it does give you a lot confidence. I was looking at our practice I think on Friday and I counted eight tab starters in the beginning of the year that were in the rehab group. It's not always the best feeling but part of this league is next man up and we need guys to step in and play well. It's not just on those guys. I think there's just a little extra onus on the veteran players that we've got to step up and make plays. Smash is coming in, he had two big impact plays for us but the consistency of guys like that and Z and Preston and Kenny and our guys on offense with Jamaal and Corey and Billy and Rick and Lucas and Elton, you need that consistency from guys you really count on and you need those guys who step in to play as well as they can, and like I said, it's not exactly what you expect starting the season out. We're in game 6 and Jace and Malik have touchdowns, but I'm really happy for them. I can't believe Jace threw the ball into the crowd. I know Malik was holding that pretty tight, but first touchdown for both those guys.
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