ALLEN PARK — A lot of NFL fans are wondering what has happened to Green Bay’s defense this season.

In 2010, the Packers were ranked second in the league in scoring offense, allowing an average of 15 points per game. This year, they’re giving up 21.2. Last year, they allowed the fifth-fewest total yards in the league with 309.1 per game. That figure has ballooned by more than 80 yards per game this season.

Clearly, Detroit’s opponent in Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game won’t be able to contain the Lions’ high-powered offense, which just put up seven touchdowns in a 49-35 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, right?

Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, but Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford breaks it down simply.

“They’re up by three touchdowns sometimes and teams are having to throw it,” he explained. “They’re doing a great job of getting a lead early, and teams are having to throw the ball a bunch of times.

“If you’re going to throw the ball as many times as you have to to try to get back in the game against their offense, you’re going to (give up) some yards. But they also lead the NFL in interceptions. So it’s give and take. They’re aggressive – that works for them equally, I guess.”

While statistics for Green Bay’s run defense are relatively close between this season and last season, there’s a huge discrepancy in the pass defense.

Teams threw the ball 32.9 times per game for an average of 194.5 yards in 2010. Offenses are flying high with 39.1 passes per game for an average of 289.3 yards in 2011.

But as Stafford pointed out, the Packers are scoring far more this season than last – 11.3 points more every game, to be precise. Their average margin of victory has exploded from 9.2 points last year to 14.3 points this year.

That’s probably striking enough to bear repeating: 10 games into the season, the Packers are beating their opponents by more than two touchdowns per game. It may not be at the level of the 19.7 points per game by which the New England Patriots beat their opponents during their undefeated regular season of 2007, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at.

Cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, as well as safeties Charlie Peprah and Morgan Burnett have combined for 16 of the Packers’ league-leading 19 interceptions – which will which will dust last year’s total of 24, by the way, should the defense maintain the pace.

Of the quartet’s 16 interceptions, three were pick-sixes.

So you’ll have to forgive Stafford if he’s not exactly looking past a third of the Packers that is overshadowed by their offense.

“They’re just very aggressive,” Stafford said of the defense. “In the secondary, they have a lot of confidence in themselves, as they should. It’s one of the best, if not the best, secondaries in the NFL. Those guys are looking to make picks and turn the ball over – get the ball over to their offense. They’re just extremely talented guys, and aggressive, as well.”

The Green Bay Packers improved to 10-0 with a 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11 of the 2011-12 NFL season. The Packers won despite possibly playing their worst game of the season. The Buccaneers couldn’t take advantage of it as their playoff hopes have basically gone to zilch. The Packers still have a three-game advantage over the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in the NFC North.

Here were some studs and duds from that contest.

Mega Stud: Jordy Nelson(notes)

Jordy Nelson had six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He had the 40-yard touchdown reception that essentially sealed the victory in the fourth quarter. Both of his receptions came in significant periods of the contest.

Stud: Aaron Rodgers(notes)

Aaron Rodgers didn’t have his best game. However, an average game for Rodgers is 23-of-34 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Packers had a few drops and he had a few errant passes to begin the second half.

Stud Or Dud: Tramon Williams(notes)

Tramon Williams got beat too many times in coverage. However, he had two interceptions. I just don’t feel like he’s playing consistent enough as the shutdown cornerback. He’s taking too many risks.

Mega Dud: Offensive Line

The offensive line is regressing. I can understand the growing pains for Marshall Newhouse(notes). However, Scott Wells(notes) and Josh Sitton(notes) were getting dominated by Albert Haynesworth(notes). It seems like Sitton is also making more penalties this season. Rodgers has found himself scrambling and the running game hasn’t thrived. Much of that is because of the offensive line.

Could you imagine the statistics on Rodgers if he had an offensive line that was similar to the 2007-08 New England Patriots? Unfortunately, he doesn’t. This concerns me as they have four games against the New York Giants, Bears and Lions to closeout the regular season.

Dud: Special Teams

Even when Green Bay’s special teams units did something right, they did it wrong. The Randall Cobb(notes) punt return that was penalized because of a block in the back was a primary example of that. Of course, that seemed very petty.

Dud: Defense

The tackling was below average to horrible. The defensive backs are jumping routes and getting burned. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields(notes) cannot win one-on-one matchups with anybody. The Packers have nobody who can cover a tight end. The pass rush is always a fraction-of-a-second too late. The run defense has been inconsistent. The defense surrendered 455 yards against one of the NFL’s blandest offenses. Many of their stops were a result of Josh Freeman(notes) throwing 10 yards short of the first-down marker on third down and fourth down.

I’m concerned about the defense. I don’t think this team will repeat as Super Bowl champions unless the defense improves during the playoffs. The weather could really work against this team in January.

Summary:

They say that the best teams can win when they’re not playing their best. The Buccaneers are probably one of the NFL’s best teams at winning ugly games since Raheem Morris has been the head coach. Yet, the Packers essentially beat the Buccaneers at their own game.

The Packers probably wouldn’t have won this game had it not been for the Buccaneers’ own errors. Raheem’s decision to attempt those onside kicks and the dropped two-point conversion from Kellen Winslow(notes) Jr. were costly errors. The Packers capitalized on them.

Grades:

Offense: B-

Defense: C-

Special Teams: D

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. His favorite Packer moments include Super Bowl XXXI, XLV, and Al Harris(notes) interception return following Matt Hasselbeck’s(notes) “We’re gonna score” comments. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

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Read More: Todd McClure (C – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers

The Atlanta Falcons will be without center Todd McClure again for their critical game against the Green Bay Packers. The longtime anchor had battled back from an early injury to play against the Buccaneers and Seahawks, but a knee injury will keep him out for another week. Rookie defense end Cliff Matthews is also out, which could be a bigger deal if John Abraham isn’t able to go.

The good news is Roddy White was a full practice participant, meaning he’s almost certain to go on Sunday.

The Pack will be without starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga, a setback considering defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux will return for Atlanta. The two wouldn’t have been paired against each other anyway, but any adjustments for Green Bay could cause challenges. Then again, the Packers won the Super Bowl last year with about six healthy players, so.

ATLANTA FALCONS

PLAYER	10/5/11	10/6/11	10/7/11
LB Stephen Nicholas (calf)	LP	LP	FP_P
DT Jonathan Babineaux (knee)	LP	LP	LP-Q
C Todd McClure (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP-O
WR Roddy White (thigh)	DNP	LP	FP-P
RB Jason Snelling (concussion)	LP	FP	FP-P
S William Moore (neck)	LP	LP	FP-P
CB Chris Owens (ankle)	LP	FP	FP-P
DE Cliff Matthews (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP-O
TE Michael Palmer (ankle)	DNP	LP	FP-P
DE John Abraham (hip)			LP-Q

GREEN BAY PACKERS

PLAYER	10/5/11	10/6/11	10/7/11
T Bryan Bulaga (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP-O
T Chad Clifton (knee)	LP	FP	DNP-P
S Nick Collins (neck)	DNP	DNP	DNP-O
WR Donald Driver (shin)	DNP	FP	LP-P
RB Ryan Grant (kidney)	FP	FP	FP-P
LB Brad Jones (hamstring)	LP	LP	DNP-Q
LB Jamari Lattimore (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP-P
CB Pat Lee (back)	LP	LP	LP-P
LB Clay Matthews (quadricep)	DNP	DNP	DNP-P
DE Mike Neal (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP-O
TE Andrew Quarless (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP-D
TE Ryan Taylor (shoulder)	LP	FP	FP-P
CB Tramon Williams (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP-P
CB Charles Woodson (foot/knee)	DNP	DNP	LP-P
LB Frank Zombo (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP-O

For more, visit Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Packers blog Acme Packing Company.

Reuters

A radio host asked me this week: Is there any reason to think the Green Bay Packers aren’t the best team in football?

I was silent for a second, which felt like a minute.  Every reason I could come up with felt like nitpicking.

The Packers are rolling right now with an offense that looks unstoppable, and a defense that is making enough big plays. A forgiving schedule gives the Packers a great chance to roll up a big win total this year.

You have to squint hard to find areas of concern, but we saw a few of them in the Green Bay papers this morning:

1. The Packers are trying to teach James Starks to have better vision, according to the Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press Gazette.  Too often, Starks dances or misses the hole.

Ryan Grant seems to have great one-cut instincts but can no longer get to the outside well.  The Packers running game has been pretty good, but not great.  They could struggle against a truly elite defense.

2. Cornerback Tramon Williams hasn’t been the same since a Week One shoulder injury, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The Packers are 31st against the pass in terms of yardage, although they are first in interceptions.

We’d argue that Sam Shields and Charles Woodson haven’t been any better in coverage.  This is probably Green Bay’s biggest concern, but the personnel is there.

3. Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com looked at why Clay Matthews is stuck on one sack. Matthews does lead the team in QB hits. We covered this topic last week, but Wilde does a nice job going inside the numbers.  The Packers rush three defenders more than any team.

So there you go: The Packers aren’t perfect.  They are closer to complete through one quarter of the season than any team out there.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers say running back Ryan Grant and right tackle Bryan Bulaga won’t play Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

The team ruled them out on Friday.

Bulaga suffered a sprain and bruise of his left knee in the first quarter of the Packers’ 27-17 win at Chicago last weekend. Grant rushed for a season-high 92 yards against the Bears but bruised his kidney on a hit to his back.

“There’s a protocol you have to go through, and the staff does not feel that he’s ready to go,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I’m sure Ryan would like to go, but he has not been released from the medical staff. The same thing with Bryan Bulaga.”

Grant had been splitting carries in the first three games with James Starks, who will make the start Sunday. Marshall Newhouse, a second-year player, will make his first pro start as the replacement for Bulaga.

After he missed nearly the entire Super Bowl-winning season for the Packers in 2010 because of an ankle injury in the opener, Grant didn’t take the news well Friday that he would miss another game.

“If it was my call, I’d play,” Grant said.

The fifth-year player said he has felt fine most of the week and hasn’t seen any blood in his urine, which he did after Sunday’s game before he was taken to a Chicago hospital.

“The soreness that I have, I don’t think it has anything to do with my kidney,” Grant said Friday. “It’s nothing that I wouldn’t think that I couldn’t play with. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to trust the doctors, and they’re telling me that it’s something that I should be cautious about, and if I’ve got to sit out, I’ve got to sit out.”

Grant expects to get the OK to play in the Oct. 9 game at Atlanta.

Bulaga is ahead of schedule in his recovery, McCarthy said. Newhouse played well last week and the coaching staff was optimistic the young player is ready for his starting debut.

“It’s a big opportunity,” McCarthy said. “He did a good job down there in Chicago. He needs to take that next step, clear this next hurdle.”

Newhouse will be the fifth Green Bay player to line up at right tackle beside Josh Sitton since the talented right guard broke into the starting lineup toward the end of his rookie season in 2008.

Sitton has no reservations about Newhouse’s ability to handle the first-time assignment.

“Marshall is a smart kid, knows what he’s doing out there,” Sitton said. “It’s kind of a seamless transition. He’s smart, so it’s not like I’ve got to freakin’ baby him.”

Notes: LB Clay Matthews said Friday he’s not concerned he has only one sack after three games. The All-Pro had six sacks at the same point last season and finished with a career-high 17, including the playoffs. “Sacks are a very misleading statistic,” Matthews said. “I’m doing my job, which is to put pressure on the quarterback. There’s no doubt about that.” Matthews, who has a nagging quadriceps injury, didn’t practice Friday but is probable for Sunday. … CBs Charles Woodson (foot/knee) and Tramon Williams (shoulder), TE Jermichael Finley (ankle), LT Chad Clifton (knee) and DE Ryan Pickett (foot) are also listed as probable for Sunday’s game.