NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Behind 28-unanswered points, the Seattle Seahawks rallied at home Sunday for their sixth win of the season and a continued share of first place in the NFC West; however, is there enough in the tank for Seattle to punch a ticket for the playoffs?

It’s Tuesday and that means the keys go to you, the 12th Man, to sound off on all things Seahawks.

Can't get enough SeahawksGab? Follow Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers headlines.

Starks expands Packers’ ground game: Though James Starks made a good first impression in his NFL debut Sunday, 18 carries weren’t enough to gauge exactly how good he is or will become for the Green Bay Packers. Starks rushed for 73 yards against a team, the San Francisco 49ers, that had no film on him. On the other hand, when he was on the field the 49ers pretty much knew he was going to get the ball, especially during a clock-eating, 17-play drive late in the game, and he still averaged 4.1 yards per carry. He didn’t fumble, was decisive with his reads, mostly got what he should have gotten and had one nice 16-yard run in which he broke two tackles. ”Well, I’m not ready to put James’ plaque up here,” said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. “But he’s off to a good start.” What Starks does give the Packers is another option at running back. The rookie joins Brandon Jackson, Dimitri Nance and John Kuhn in a suddenly crowded backfield. It will be interesting to see how coach Mike McCarthy uses them over the final four weeks of the regular season. Will Starks supplant Jackson, who leads the team with 527 rushing yards, as the No. 1 back? How will Kuhn and Nance be used? ”There really are no depth charts,” McCarthy said Monday. “Brandon Jackson has done an excellent job and will continue to do so. .?.?. I’d really like to get into more of a rotation now that I know I have three halfbacks.” Four, counting Kuhn, who plays a hybrid halfback and fullback role and gets most of his carries in short-yardage situations.

Notebook: Jenkins–The Packers' second-best pass rusher almost certainly will be out for Sunday's game at Detroit and perhaps the following week at New England. Even against the Lions, who at 2-10 are staring at another top-five draft pick, losing Jenkins could be critical. The Lions' 42.3 pass attempts per game rank second in the NFL, so the Packers' defense certainly could use Jenkins' seven sacks. Jenkins had two sacks in Sunday's 34-16 win against San Francisco, one on a second-and-goal at the 2 and the other on a third down from midfield, giving him three in two games. Without Jenkins, rookie C.J. Wilson, who has played sparingly the last several weeks since the addition of Howard Green, or Jarius Wynn, who has been inactive for the last three games, will get more playing time. Also, fullback Korey Hall (knee spain) likely will miss the game. Receiver Brett Swain (knee contusion) should be fine. Four-point stance– Game balls went to Rodgers (offense), Jenkins (defense), Diyral Briggs (special teams) and Quinn Johnson (big hit). Punter–Despite Masthay's rocky introduction to a December day in Green Bay, his net average of 33.0 yards on three punts (one inside the 20, no touchbacks) was better than his standout counterpart, Andy Lee (32.4, no inside-the-20s, two touchbacks). "We need to be better, but that's what it's all about playing there at Lambeau Field," McCarthy said.  The Packers also won the battle on kickoffs, starting at their 32-yard line on average compared to the 49ers starting at their 29. Short-yardage situations–Packers went 5-for-5 on third-and-1, with Rodgers throwing two touchdown passes and John Kuhn running for first downs on all three of his attempts. Playoffs--In the race for the NFC North title, Chicago is 9-3 with games against New England, at Minnesota, New York Jets and at Green Bay. Those teams will be a combined 32-16 after tonight's Patriots-Jets game (barring a tie). The Packers (8-4) close at Detroit, at New England and home against the Giants and Bears. Those teams, depending on the Patriots' outcome, will be 28-20 or 29-19.

Billed as the “Game of the Year,” the Patriots and Jets seemed to be nothing more than a big brother not only beating on his little brother, but also sending him into the house crying to mom.

The Patriots have played in these types of games before, and it showed Monday night with a beating that Rex Ryan and the Jets won’t soon forget, as New England took control of the division with a 45-3 thumping that was as complete as any in the league this season.

New England now sits with the best record in the AFC and the league at 10-2, while the Jets go home licking their wounds wondering what went wrong sitting at 9-3.

The game was over by the end of the first quarter as the Patriots jumped on the Jets with a field goal to start the game, and then after Nick Folk missed a field goal from 53 yards out, Tom Brady marched the Pats right down the field and after a pass interference on Eric Smith in the end zone the team went up quickly 10-0.

It would get worse for the Jets – much worse.

The Pats continued to pound away, as Brady then went to work hitting Deion Branch with a 25-yard score to quickly put the team up 17-0 with a minute still to play in the first quarter.

The Jets got a 39-yard field goal from Folk to make it 17-3 early in the second quarter, but the Pats were ready to put the game away with more points to make sure the Jets would whimper away by halftime.

Brady and the Pats got back downfield again with attacking the Jets defense, and it was a pass to Brandon Tate from four yards out to make it 24-3 at the half.

The second half would not go any better for New York, as Mark Sanchez threw an early pick, and the Pats again went on the attack, with Brady going 18 yards to Wes Welker for a score to make it 31-3, and then in the fourth quarter they scored two more times, Aaron Hernandez caught a one-yard score, and then BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished the scoring with a five-yard run to make it 45-3.

Brady was 21-for-29 for 326 yards with four TD’s and he wasn’t picked or sacked, and ended the night with a QB rating of 148.9.

Sanchez’s night was simply awful. He threw three picks, and was 17-for-33 for 164 yards and had a QB rating of 27.8. The Jets overall had 301 yards of offense, while the Pats put up just over 400 yards.

The Jets had three turnovers, were 3-for-12 on third downs, and their defense allowed 7 yards per play.

The Pats, now in control of both the AFC East and home field for the playoffs in the AFC, will head to the road to play at Chicago Sunday at 4:15pm.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Anger.

These are just a few words to describe last night’s loss to the Steelers.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the first time that Ravens fans have had to endure another Ben Roethlisberger rally or a late turnover by Troy Polamalu to seal a tight victory. But there was a different feeling to this loss. You lead the entire game only to see it fumbled away with a few minutes left.

In the words of Dennis Green, “WE LET’EM OFF THE HOOK!”

The Baltimore defense put together one of its most inspired efforts of the season. They battered and pressured Roethlisberger for four quarters. His performance was, at times as ugly as his broken nose but effective when it counted most.

But what led to the game winning touchdown was even more inexcusable. As the Ravens nursed a 10-6 lead with under three minutes they failed to block one of the Steelers defensive stars in Polamalu. It was easy pickings as he charged forward, sacked and stripped a blind Joe Flacco and set up the Steelers in fantastic field position.

In the end the Ravens simply couldn’t hang on and couldn’t make enough clutch plays to seal the deal and take control of their playoff fate. Once again it was the Steelers coming up clutch and the Ravens falling short.

As much as it pains me to type it the Steelers deserved every bit of this one.

When will the Ravens produce a consistent offense?

I don’t know. I preached patience at the start of the season with all the new acquisitions. These are human beings and it takes time to gel as a unit. But as we approach the final four games of the season the offense still suffers from uneven performances every week. As usual there is plenty of blame to spread around but the fact remains that in one of the biggest games of the season the offense scored ten points and put the defense in a position where it had to keep the Steelers out of the endzone on a short field. Sound familiar?

I’ll start with Cam Cameron. I’m not as harsh as some have been on his playcalling as execution has just as much to do with weather a play works or not.

But some of his calls were just plain awful. The best example would have been the Ravens First and Goal in the Second Half. Two Fades passes and then a roll-out to Flacco’s weak side so he must turn and throw across his body. Terrible. The call for a Reverse to Donte Stallworth was ill-timed and made little sense considering the Ravens lack of commitment to the run game and that fact that they were in their own territory. It basically blew up the whole series in the Fourth Quarter. Ray Rice was a non-factor. He did a great job blocking but you have to get this guy into space to be a playmaker. The last player to run for 100 yards against the Steelers? Yep, Ray Rice. So please explain why he only got nine carries last night?

He wasn’t all bad of course, the deep throw to Boldin was gutsy and the type of big play you need to beat Pittsburgh. But as has been the usual this season nothing works well consistently. The game plan seems haphazard and never seems to focus on the strengths of our players.

Speaking of the players let me focus on one in particular – Joe Flacco. He had his typical game, a very good first half and a very subpar second. Not always in that order but you get the point – he never seems to put together a full game. At times he looks fabulous as he did on the drive that led to the Boldin touchdown and others he still makes rookie mistakes. The non-recognition of Polamalu was critical. However it makes me wonder if he could have checked out of the pass play and ran a draw instead even if he wanted to. Twice yesterday the Ravens were called for Delay of Game and both times were a result of the plays not coming in timely enough. Ben Roethlisberger gimps out with his wristband and barks out orders to his offense – will we ever see that in Baltimore? It still appears that Flacco doesn’t have the full confidence of the staff for whatever reason and it has me curious as why Flacco isn’t given the same leeway as Matt Ryan for example.

How good is Joe Flacco going to be?

This question spills right over from the last answer. Having questioned all I can about the coaching it still doesn’t take away from Flacco one-hopping a sure First Down on 4th and 2. The ball wasn’t tipped. He first read and maybe second was covered and he just geeked it. But in a game like this he has to make that throw – he just has to.

Expectations for a First Round quarterback are always going to be skewed. They just are for a variety of reasons the biggest being money invested. I still believe that Flacco is a good quarterback, in fact he is a top 15 thrower in the league but I think like most fans I’m unsure what his ceiling will be.

The development process is an uneven journey and it is frustrating. There’s only so many times you can accept, “He’s only a third-year quarterback”. Fans want to see results and when you see a defensive effort wasted yet again and an offense with such talent at times struggle so mightly the blame has to start with the signal caller.

In games like last night it’s all about making clutch plays at key moments. Roethlisberger, to his credit fought and clawed to keep his team in it and when given the chance made the opposition pay. Will Flacco be that player one day? I still don’t know.

Why did the Ravens penalty woes from a year ago resurface last night?

Baltimore made a concerted effort to cut down penalties from last year and they have done an excellent job in that regard. But last night they just killed themselves with False Starts, Delays, and untimely mistakes.

The Fake Punt call was perfect and would have gained the needed yardage but Brendan Ayanbadejo’s flinch negated any such chance. The defense extended the Pittsburgh Nine minute drive in the Third Quarter twice that ended in points.

I understand the magnitude of a national game against a hated rival will bring out the worst in you sometimes. But weren’t they playing at home?

I’ll also add that the Ravens could have been flagged for two penalties but weren’t due to the physical nature of the two teams. Haloti Ngata popped Roethlisberger inside the facemask and made him look like Rocky Balboa. That easily could have been a hit to the head. Jameel McClain will no doubt be fined for his sickening hit on Heath Miller. I’m glad he walked off the field.

Should the Ravens have gone for it on 4th and 2 or attempted a Field Goal to tie?

In hindsight I’d have kicked the three. At the time I was unsure because the broadcast did a poor job of communicating where the ball was spotted and how long a try might be. It was around a 47 or 48 yd try which is in Billy Cundiff’s range.

But I accept John Harbaugh’s explanation of the wind being a factor in choosing to go for it. In fact see for yourself below. The Ravens still had to make a play and simply didn’t.

Who was the Offensive Player of the Game?

Anquan Boldin made some big catches last night and it was good to see some focus return his way. Ray Rice was busy been used more as a blocker instead of a playmaker. The Offensive Line struggled at times containing the pressure and couldn’t open any holes in the running game. Le’Ron McClain’s injury hurt due to his ability to block but why sign Jason McKie and not activate him? Todd Heap’s injury was a killer. Dickson caught a few passes but struggled mightly trying to keep James Harrison at bay. He also dropped a potential huge gain early in the contest.

Who was the Defensive Player of the game?

Terrell Suggs abused and wore out the Steelers line as did Haloti Ngata at times. At one point the Ravens rushed three and still pressured Roethlisberger. The linebacking corps was equally stellar with Ray Lewis leading the way as usual. The secondary was solid and didn’t get beat deep but unfortunately Ed Reed was quiet in this one.

The 49ers have decided to switch QB’s again, as the team is going back to former #1 overall pick Alex Smith as the teams starting QB.

Sunday in the teams 34-16 loss to the Packers on the road, Troy Smith had a rough day, going 10-for-25 for 194 yards with one TD and one pick and a QB rating of 64.4.

Smith completed just 52.4 percent of his passes for 1,023 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in five games. Alex Smith in 7 games has a QB rating of 75.0, and has thrown for 9 TD’s and 9 picks.

The Niners take on the Seahawks this week, and while the team is 4-8, two games back of the first place Rams and Hawks, if they are going to make a last ditch effort for the NFC West, it has to start with Smith under center this week.

“Big time players make big time plays in big time games”-Santana Moss

1. Matchup: #1 Auburn vs #19 South Carolina (SEC Championship)
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: In yet another Heisman worthy performance, Cam Newton made big time plays in a big time game. He finished 17-of-28 passing for 335 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 73 yards and two scores. It was a dominating performance by the Auburn quarterback, who is now headed to the BCS Championship game. While Newton’s potential at the next level as a franchise caliber quarterback is highly debatable, his ability on the college field is unrivaled, Cam Newton has been the best player in the NCAA this year.

2. Matchup: #15 Virginia Tech vs #21 Florida State (ACC Championship)
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Virginia Tech: The senior quarterback showed outstanding decision making and poise in Virginia Tech’s championship victory over the Seminoles. The win puts the Hokies in the BCS Orange Bowl, in what should be one of the better bowl matchups against the Stanford Cardinals. NFL teams will be impressed with Taylor’s continued maturity as a quarterback the past two seasons; showing good development with his patience and willingness to make plays inside the pocket. He finished the game 18-of-28 for 263 yards and three scores, while also adding a 5 yard touchdown run.

3. Matchup: #25 Northern Illinois vs Miami (OH) (Mid-American Championship)
Armand Robinson, WR, Miami (OH): It was a career game for Robinson, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the RedHawks. His 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown (game winning) gives Miami the MAC title one year after finishing their 2009 season 1-11. The RedHawks finish the 2010 regular season 9-4 and are heading to the GoDaddy.com bowl.

4. Matchup: #9 Oklahoma vs #13 Nebraska (Big 12 Championship)
Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma: Jones put up yet another clutch performance for the Sooners, completing 23-of-41 passes for 342 yards with two scores, one coming on a goal line rush. Oklahoma was facing a 17 point defecit early in the second quarter, when Jones was able to connect on a 49 yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Kenny Stills. The score turned the momentum of the game, and the Sooners never looked back. They won the contest 23-20.

5. Matchup: Connecticut vs South Florida
Dave Teggert, K, Connecticut: The winner of this game would determine the Big East champion, and it was the kicker who had the big time performance when the Huskies needed it most. Teggert kicked four field goals in the contest, including the game winner from 52 yards out with 17 seconds remaining. UConn will now finish their season at the Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Let me start by saying, I really, really like Tarvaris Jackson. I like his competitiveness. I like his work ethic. I like his patience and class. I like his athleticism.

So it is with some trepidation that I write this article. But as I was watching the Vikings-Bills game I saw what was happening at quarterback after Favre went down. Shortly after the pick six, Jackson marched the team down the field for the tying touchdown and I could almost hear what many people were saying…… "Bench Favre and keep T-Jax in" or "Hey, we scored 38 points and that’s more then Favre has put up this season !" and the ever popular "The seasons over, lets see what Jackson can do !"

OK, I know Jackson had his moments. He led the team like a veteran, he came back strong after the first interception, and he ran the ball well. He showed poise, he showed leadership. I know the arm strength is there.

But after 5 years in the NFL, the Viking KNOW what they have in Tarvaris Jackson……..and he’s NOT THE ANSWER !

Let’s start with what Jackson gives this team. Well, he’s definitely got an NFL arm. He throws the deep ball very well and with just a flick of the wrist, the ball explodes out of his hand. He can make all the long throws with good accuracy.

He’s also very smart and he can run very well because he is an excellent athlete.

While watching his yesterday, I was impressed with his growth in the area of pocket presence. He does a really nice job of setting up, and feeling the pressure around him. He steps up in the pocket when pressured to buy that extra second and he hangs in against the blitz like Captain Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise when Kling-ons surround the ship and all seems lost. In other words, he doesn’t panic. This is a huge improvement over the younger and more jelly-fish like T. Jackson of years gone by.

He shows solid poise and leadership, and when he displays good mechanics, he is fairly accurate.

Enter the BUT Monkey:

BUT…….(and like J-Lo, this is a BIG but)….. this is my point. He has to constantly remind himself to keep his shoulders square, step forward into his passes, not throw off his back foot, etc. It’s just not natural to him, and when he loses his form, that is when his passes sail, and he throws the ball too hard without touch and he begins to panic.

During the game yesterday, that happened about six times. Two of those were picked off, and a third interception was simply because he didn’t see the defender until he was in our end zone. ( pick play, without the pick). He HAS to see things like this and not force the ball !

The other two INT’s were directly because of bad mechanics and/or bad decision making. On the second pick, T.J. mistakenly tried to throw into a two deep zone where the safety was just sitting back 40 yards praying he would do just what he did. (Mental Mistake) but not the only error on that particular play. The other miscue was that he attempted this deep throw while leaning backwards off his plant foot ( Mechanics ) thus no strength behind the ball. Simple mathematics: Double coverage + Bad Mechanics = Disaster.

The third INT. was a touch pass where he missed a wide open receiver by throwing behind him ( the ball bounced off the receivers hands as he reached back, was batted into the air and easily picked off). Jacksons misdeed here was that his feet were not set as he threw the ball. He was moving forward, and stepping slightly to the left as his body opened up and he threw the ball against his own momentum with his shoulders anything but square (Mechanics).

The really sad thing is, that Tarvaris Jackson’s issues in throwing short dump off passes and tosses that require touch are problematic for a simple, and lamentably unrepairable reason. It is physically difficult for him to compensate for his way too long wingspan, and too large hands. The same thing that makes Shaq such a terrible FT shooter, is what keeps T.J. from being able to throw touch passes. His physical dimensions make things hard for him.

Let me explain. You see, Jackson’s arms are not just long, but they are very long from his elbow to his wrists. When he throws, his natural movement is to wind up well behind his shoulders, and then when his arm comes forward, he literally has to unfold his arm first from his shoulder to elbow, then forward from his elbow to wrist and finally his hands. His motion is a lot like a cross between a sling shot and a catapult. Unlike players like Dan Marino who threw from the shoulder straight out with his power coming directly from his legs through his shoulder ( thus his incredibly fast release). Jackson’s motion needs to be nearly perfect and in complete sync in order to throw the ball correctly.

While most QB’s have a kind of 1.Set 2. Step 3. Follow through. While Jackson’s release is more of a 1. Set 2. Step 3. Wind-up and back 4. Whip-forward 5. Elbow/wrist snap 6. Follow through. When he gets it right, there’s serious power behind it. It is this leverage enhanced arm whip that gives a tall, thin long armed guy like Jackson such incredible arm strength. See: Johnson, Randy.

Such a set-up is a double edged sword. While it provides great power, it also leaves the arm in a position prone to injury. Also, because there are more steps to execute this motion, there are consequently more areas that can go wrong.

Thankfully, T-Jax has learned to shorten his throwing motion. I remain very impressed with the work ethic he has demonstrated toward this goal. On long and intermediate passes, he gets the ball out much quicker then he used to. But it’s not natural to him, and when he get careless, the ball sails. Case in point, when he missed a wide open Bernard Berrian on an out route towards the right sideline. He tried to speed up his release, the ball came out at a premature angle, and it went a good 5-10 yards over his receivers head. ** Simple mechanics**. Much easier to criticize then to consistently execute.

When Tarvaris Jackson keeps his shoulders square, steps into his throw and follows through properly, he is accurate. But if any of these points are off, then watch out! That is the precise reason that Jackson is inconsistent, and I fear he always will be. Which is really rather sad, because few players outwork this guy. He’s been patient, a truly good soldier, good competitor and good teammate. I am sure that his frustrations have been down right infuriating. But physics are physics, and Jackson is what he is. A really, excellent back-up quarterback, but alas……NOT THE ANSWER !

From: TMZ

If the NFL doesn’t come down on Brett Favre for his alleged sexting scandal — his accuser might go public with an “overabundance of evidence” … this according to her manager.

Favre could get word any day now about potential punishment for allegedly sending Jenn Sterger photos of his penis while he was with the New York Jets … and she was working as the team’s stadium host.

Sterger’s manager, Phil Reese, believes she “provided extensive evidence that irrefutably proves there was harassment” — and adds, “No matter what happens Jenn has all legal remedies, including going public … if the NFL doesn’t clear her name.”

Reese thinks an NFL reprimand of the Vikings QB would go a long way toward changing public opinion of Sterger.

Sterger’s camp insists she has more evidence than the photos that have already come out. Reese adds, “We sincerely hope the league does the right thing.”

Senior writer jclombardi grades Packers win over 49ers.

GAME BALLS: QB Rodgers; WR Jennings; WR Driver; OLB Matthews; FB Johnson.

INJURY REPORT: DE Jenkins (calf–out 2 weeks). FB Hall (knee sprain).

Report Card Grades–Good, Bad, & Ugly (JC vs. SE):

PASSING OFFENSE:  B+ vs A-. After a brutal one and one-half quarters, the offense got going making the big plays to score against an aggressive 49ers defense. Through much of the first half, the 49ers' aggressive defensive scheme of containment frustrated Rodgers with his first nine completions no longer than 11 yards, while he got sacked twice. Rodgers stayed patient, adjusted, and called audibles against the strong pass rush and mixed coverage schemes. Overall, Rodgers threw for 289 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 135.1 passer rating. In the second quarter, the turning point was WR Driver's big catch that electrified the stadium with a 61 yards touchdown run. For the game, WR Jennings had 6 catches for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. WR Driver had 4 catches for 73 yards and 1 touchdown.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B+ vs B+. The Packers rushed for a very solid 136 yards averaging 4.0 yards per carry. Bullish RB Starks had 18 carries for 73 yards averaging a good 4.1 yards per carry. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, and he doesn't dance around. He's a run-through-the-hole kind of guy. Not great pad level, but a long-strider. That's what they need: A big, strong guy who won't have many negative carries. It doesn't appear that Starks is a blazer. RB Jackson played his productive role as third-down back with 4 receptions for 63 yards. FB Kuhn excelled in short-yardage converting four three-and-one downs and also scoring a touchdown. The left side of the line gets collapsed pretty easily. On Sunday, the Packers were asking LT Clifton, who isn't very nifty, to come down and block a three-technique, a lineman to his inside. And LG Colledge often struggles in space. But the Packers got good blocking on the right side against what had been a good run defense. At times, RG Sitton and RT Bulaga drove guys off the ball. They really took it to the 49ers. C Wells doesn't overpower anyone, but he's so good at turning his hips and shielding defenders from the play.

PASSING DEFENSE: C+ vs C. Although the Packers sometimes had shoddy coverage and dodged some bullets, the defense made the big plays especially in the red zone. The 49ers offense only finished drives with field goals instead of touchdowns. 49rs QB Smith threw for only 194 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, and 64.4 passer rating. He made too many off-target throws and red-zone mistakes. TE Davis had his usual (126 yards) big game with one big touchdown catch due to shoddy coverage by LB Hawk and a whiffed tackle by S Collins. Yet, the rest of the 49er receivers got only 68 yards. While the 49ers using max protection to protect QB Smith, the Packers had 4 sacks and 1 interception. With teams focusing double protection on pass rusher OLB Matthews, he fell back into pass coverage and run support leading the team in tackles. Thus, the other defensive players got involved in pass rushing with the defensive line getting 3 of 4 sacks.  OLB Zombo continued to do okay at the edge and got pressure getting a sack. Safety Collins had the lone interception.

RUSHING DEFENSE: B+ vs B. Excluding a few big runs, the front seven played well limiting the 49ers run game to 97 yards. Their solid 4.4 average yards per carry was ballooned due to QB Smith getting 28 yards. The stout rush front line defense looked solid clogging the gaps and holding running backs Westbook and Dixon to 64 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C- vs C. Due to missed blocking assignments, K Crosby's missed an early chip shot field goal, while he hit two other field goals. With punter Tim Masthay's poor punts, pooch kickoffs, KR Ginn's good returns, and costly penalties, the 49ers had great field position throughout the game. Crosby was effective with an assortment of short and deep kicks that kept Ted Ginn Jr. from being a game-breaker on kickoff returns — he averaged just 16.2 yards on five touches. Ginn was better on punt returns with two for an average of 15.5 yards. The Packers’ Sam Shields muffed one kickoff return, though he recovered it, and averaged all of 19.7 yards, while giving way to Starks on two short kickoffs. Tramon Williams had a 20-yard punt return, but he also threw away yards as he retreated on another runback.

COACHING: A- vs B+. The Packers and head coach McCarthy outplayed a struggling 49ers team. The Packers reestablishing their running and short-yardage games. The Packers were 5-for-5 on 3rd-and-1 in the short-yardage game. The Packers were 9-for-15 in third-down conversions. The Packers wound up with perfect balance with 34 pass plays and 34 run plays. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers also changed things up by deviating from the customary nickel look with six defensive backs and showing a hefty 4-4 front from time to time to choke off the 49ers in running situations. More woes continued to plague Shawn Slocum’s special-teams units. The Packers improved to 8-4 to keep a one-game behind pace with first-place Chicago in the NFC North.

OVERALL: B vs. B (CBS Sportsline). The Packers weren’t particularly sharp in the first half but they broke through in the second half due to another great performance from their receiving corps. The running game was rescued by rookie James Starks, who had 73 yards in his first NFL action. It wasn’t a pretty performance, but the big plays combined with San Francisco’s inability to finish off drives for TDs led to the team’s fourth victory in five tries.

The Broncos have decided that the direction they were headed in was not enough for coach Josh McDaniels to stay on as head coach for the rest of the 2010 season. Today, a day after the team lost 10-6 to the Chiefs, the Broncos canned the coach who at one point was considered one of the hottest young coaches in the league.

The incidents of the past few months made it near impossible for McDaniels to keep his job. Forget the fact the team is 3-9, have lost 3 in a row and are 1-5 on the road. You add in the Spygate II videotape scandal, a series of personnel blunders and the franchise's worst skid in four decades, and it all added up for the team to say so long to McDaniels before the season ended.

Running backs coach Eric Studesville will serve as interim coach for the final month, succeeding McDaniels, 34, whose hiring by team owner Pat Bowlen in January 2009 is now viewed as a monumental mistake.

In a statement, Bowlen said: “My decision to relieve Josh McDaniels as head coach was not taken lightly,” Bowlen said in a statement. “I will always be appreciative of his passion, enthusiasm and hard work, and I thank him for his efforts. In the end, I was not satisfied with the results and the direction this team was headed. The decision to make a change was extremely difficult but one that needed to be made for this organization and our fans.”

Studesville and chief operating officer Joe Ellis will meet with the media Tuesday. There was no word on whether McDaniels would hold a farewell news conference.