Morning Buzz: Playoffs? Packers need to win a game

Welcome to your post-bye week Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers, from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.

We’ll start with Pete Dougherty’s column comparing the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns. What’s the difference between the two teams? Without Aaron Rodgers, not much, according to Pete.

From his column:

In the current NFL landscape, these teams couldn’t be further apart. The Packers are a perennial contender. The Browns are the most ridiculed team in the league.

But Aaron Rodgers’ broken collarbone, which will sideline him for a minimum of a couple months and could be season ending, shows that these teams also define today’s NFL. Because the gulf that separates them comes down mostly to one position, the quarterback.

That is the difference between the haves and have-nots of the NFL. You’ve surely heard it before. But to appreciate just how true it is, it’s instructive to compare the rosters of these two teams, leaving out the future Hall of Famer Rodgers and the collection of flops, journeymen and rookies – Austin Davis, Cody Kessler, Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown and DeShone Kizer – who have led the Browns just since 2015.

Ryan Wood wrote on the news of the weekend, which was Martellus Bennett announcing that he likely will retire at the end of the season:

The feud between Anthony Barr and Aaron Rodgers rolls on:

I answered a couple questions in my latest mailbag, including where blame lies for the underperformance of the defense:

Elsewhere, Rob Demovsky writes on former Packers having an impact...elsewhere.

The schedule shouldn’t be a hindrance if f the Packers are going to keep their playoff hopes alive:

The Lions have had their problems at Lambeau:

Chris Peterson writes that the Packers should stick with their offensive identity:

Matt Hasselbeck spoke about being a backup QB in Green Bay:

Brian Jones highlights why the Packers' defense has not improved:

The Power Sweep takes a look at Martellus Bennett’s up-and-down Green Bay tenure:

Great look at the support Aaron Jones has gotten from his family:

Greg Jennings spoke about the loss of Aaron Rodgers:

The Packers Wire looked ahead at pending Packers free agents: