Patriots vs. Packers: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
With the game on the line, and with everything at stake, Mike McCarthy put the game in the hands of Aaron Rodgers, and he delivered—with some help from an awesome offensive line.
The Green Bay Packers (9-3) stated their case as the best team in the National Football League with a 26-21 win over the New England Patriots (9-3) at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.
Rodgers totaled 390 yards (368 passing and 22 rushing) and tossed two touchdowns; one a piece to Richard Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, the latter on a two-minute drill at the end of the first half.
Dom Capers’ defensive unit held its own, forcing a key stop near the end of regulation to force New England’s kicker onto the field for an attempt to bring the game within two. The kicker missed, Rodgers connected with Randall Cobb for seven yards on 3rd-and-4, and that was all she wrote.
Quarterback
1 of 10
When we’re old and gray, and Rodgers has long retired, one of the games we’ll look back upon fondly will be this one.
Rodgers and Coach McCarthy executed their game plan on Sunday, targeting the secondary receiving options (Davante Adams, Richard Rodgers) until New England’s defensive staff was forced to make its adjustments. ESPN Stats & Info noted Rodgers' impressive 2014 TD-to-interception ratio:
"Aaron Rodgers at home in 2014 20 TD passes 0 Interceptions
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 1, 2014"
Despite the gaudy passing numbers (24-of-38, 368 yards, 2 TD), Rodgers would be the first one to tell you that he left some yards out on the field. His touchdown passes to Rodgers and Nelson were lengthy—32 and 45 yards, respectively—but the team was unable to score touchdowns on each of its four red-zone possessions, and that’s largely on the quarterback.
Randall Liu, NFL Director of NFC Communications, highlighted Rodgers' consistency in pass attempts and touchdowns without throwing an interception at Lambeau Field:
"#Packers Aaron Rodgers now at 360 consecutive pass att & 31 pass TDs in a row w/out an INT at home. Both @NFL records
— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) December 1, 2014"
Still, Rodgers did what he does best; not make mistakes, force the defense to show its hand early and make it pay when he’s able to get outside the pocket and put receivers into the scramble drill.
Not even a bloody left hand could slow down the greatest player on the planet.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
McCarthy likes to cite the number of attempts by a running back more so than yards gained when grading a runner’s performance.
He’d be impressed with Eddie Lacy’s performance Sunday night.
Lacy’s 21 carries were his second-highest this season (he had 25 in last week’s win at Minnesota) and he topped 100 scrimmage yards for the fifth straight game (98 rushing plus 17 receiving). He gained 51 yards on the Packers' first four offensive plays as Green Bay marched down to take a 3-0 lead. Rodgers complemented Lacy on his performance, emphasizing the importance of the run game (via the Packers' official Twitter account):
"Rodgers: It's another character win for us. Eddie (Lacy) had another great game, some tough running. You have to run the football. #NEvsGB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 1, 2014"
James Starks contributed more than he has in recent weeks, making a memorable catch down the right sideline for 28 yards on one of his three touches. Three plays later, Rodgers hit Nelson for a 45-yard scoring strike to give the Packers a nine-point lead going into the half.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
When you play against Bill Belichick’s defense, he’ll take away what you do best.
For the Packers, that’s the Rodgers and Jordy Nelson/Randall Cobb connections.
So, for Davante Adams, the rookie wideout from Fresno State with just four catches and eight targets in his last three games, that meant showtime. NFL Live host Trey Wingo described Belichick's strategic game plan going into any game:
"Why is Davante Adams having a big day? Because that's what Belichick does: He takes away your two best options..and makes your 3rd beat you
— trey wingo (@wingoz) November 30, 2014"
Aside from a touchdown drop in the fourth quarter, Adams played a great game, setting season highs in targets (11) and yards (121). Realizing Nelson was the focus of the Patriots defense, the Packers worked to "get Adams involved," according to Rodgers (via the Packers):
"Rodgers: They're a matchup defense. They wanted to try to take away Jordy (Nelson), so we tried to get Davante (Adams) involved. #NEvsGB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 1, 2014"
Nelson’s two receptions came just before the half. Facing 3rd-and-2 at New England’s 45-yard line, Nelson lined up wide to the right and matched up with Darrelle Revis, aka the best cornerback in football. Revis made a mistake playing outside technique, allowing Nelson to break inside untouched. Rodgers put the ball on him, and Nelson did the rest.
Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse provided an interesting description of the Nelson-Revis matchup:
"Jordy Nelson went to Revis Island and had himself a nice, tall drink.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) November 30, 2014"
Andrew Quarless caught each of his two targets, as did Richard Rodgers. Each of Quarless’ receptions went for first downs, and Rodgers’ first catch was good for a 32-yard score.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
I’ve literally never seen a quarterback have as much time to throw on a single play as Rodgers did Sunday night. ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde highlighted the time advantage:
"From snap to throw, Rodgers had the ball for 11.75 seconds according to my @RobDemovsky autograph model stopwatch.
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) December 1, 2014"
The play before Adams dropped the touchdown pass, Green Bay had 2nd-and-5 at the New England 10-yard line with 9:03 to play. Lacy and four receivers were in the game, and each went out on a route. Rodgers danced forward and backward, left and right, read the entirety of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series…then threw it away. Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz was impressed by the Packers' offensive line:
"Damn. Packers o line has been very good today.
— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) December 1, 2014"
The offensive line played with a fire Sunday night, as illustrated by Wilde's comments:
"#Packers G @TJLang70: "There is just something about playing at Lambeau. We feel like we’ve got some good mojo on our side right now."
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) December 1, 2014"
"More @TJLang70: "I saw maybe 2 out of 20 [media] people picked us to win the game. That kind of lights a fire under your ass a little bit."
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) December 1, 2014"
Despite three sacks of Rodgers Sunday night, this was a banner performance from Green Bay’s hogs up front.
Grade: A+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Packers hadn’t sacked Tom Brady in the first 56 minutes. They needed one here.
Brady had just taken a shot down the left sideline to Rob Gronkowski, and the All-Pro tight end just let the ball slip through his fingers. On 3rd-and-9 at Green Bay’s 20-yard line, Brady dropped back but was enveloped by the Packers’ Mike and Mike duo (Daniels and Neal) before he could check down to Edelman for a decent gain.
Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discussed the significance and necessity of Daniels' play:
"Mike Daniels on #Packers third-down sack... "That was awesome, that was clutch, that was a play that needed to happen.”
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) December 1, 2014"
Per ESPN, Daniels totaled three quarterback hits to go along with his half-sack. Being modest, Neal commended his teammates, especially Daniels, in making the hit:
"Neal giving his teammates props: "We've got good players, man. I mean, Mike Daniels beat the hell out of his dude."
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) December 1, 2014"
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Sam Barrington, have a day. Dunne noted Barrington's consecutive hits, resulting in a Patriots punt:
"Sam Barrington stuffs Vereen (2 yards) and Blount (0 yards) on consecutive plays to force a Patriots punt.
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 30, 2014"
Starting in place of A.J. Hawk, the second-year ‘backer played with a fierce temperament from the first play to the last.
On the outside, Clay Matthews showed the Patriots what they’re missing when they traded away the pick to Green Bay that became his selection. Patriots left tackle Nate Solder spent all day trying not to get his quarterback crushed, and if it was any quarterback not named Tom Brady, Matthews would have racked up at least two sacks.
He did have a lapse in coverage, though, as noted by Chris B. Brown of SmartFootball.com:
"Clay Matthews exposed on that wheel route to Vereen. He tried to jump shallow inside, needed to carry the wheel
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) November 30, 2014"
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Tramon Williams and Davon House each were beat by Brandon LaFell for touchdowns, and the tackling wasn’t spectacular, but when Brady’s Patriots only put up 21 points on you, your secondary must be doing something right.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix made his finest play of the night when he wrestled the potential game-winning touchdown catch away from Gronkowski one play before Brady was sacked. Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin described the play:
"Clinton-Dix did just enough to prevent Gronkowski from grabbing the go-ahead touchdown. #Packers
— Paul Imig (@Paulimig) December 1, 2014"
But he did get steamrolled by LeGarrette Blount on more than one occasion.
Sam Shields went to the locker room after his head hit Blount’s knee on a (missed) tackle attempt, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Mason Crosby has been so automatic this season that it’s a shock when he doesn’t blast it through the uprights.
He missed one of his five field-goal attempts Sunday night, with makes from 32, 35, 33 and 28 yards and a miss from 40. With the way the Packers offense was stalling in the red zone, those points were especially valuable. Despite missing a field goal, Crosby was still able to cross the 1,000-point threshold, per the Packers:
"Mason Crosby goes over 1,000 career points, second in #Packers history to do so. Trails only Ryan Longwell. #NEvsGB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 30, 2014"
Tim Masthay did not punt in the first half for the third straight home game. His 38-yarder in the second half was a returnable low liner, but Davon House made an excellent individual effort, tackling Danny Amendola for just a three-yard gain.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
The last time these two teams met, McCarthy needed an onside kick to spark his team.
This time, it was sparked from the get-go.
Green Bay scored on its first five possessions and would have scored on its first six if not for a missed 40-yard field-goal attempt.
As vanilla as the offensive concepts were against Minnesota, that’s how elaborate they were against New England. Brian Carriveau is partial to Cobb occasionally lining up in the backfield:
"I love seeing Randall Cobb lined up in the backfield on the occasional basis. Historically effective. Modest gain there.
— Brian Carriveau (@BrianCarriveau) November 30, 2014"
Cobb caught a 33-yard pass from Rodgers after initially lining up in the backfield and then wheeling up the right sideline, easily defeating his one-on-one matchup with a linebacker.
McCarthy and Rodgers showed great faith in Adams. Early on Belichick showed his plan to take away Nelson and Cobb, and Green Bay knew it’d have a favorable matchup with Adams, and the Packers exploited it. Kruse applauded McMarthy and Co. for developing a counterattack to the Patriots' plan:
"Credit to Mike McCarthy and his staff. Quickly developed answers to NE's plan to take away Cobb/Nelson.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) November 30, 2014"
When you out-coach Belichick, that’s as good as it gets.
Grade: A+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| Quarterback | A+ |
| Running Back | A- |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | A |
| Offensive Line | A+ |
| Defensive Line | A- |
| Linebacker | A |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | A+ |
| Cumulative Grade | A+ |
When the schedule came out back in April, you can bet that there were plenty of big circles around this one.
Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are arguably the two best quarterbacks in the game, and the Packers and Patriots are the only two teams to each have winning records and make the playoffs each of the last five seasons.
But all that didn’t matter on Sunday. What mattered were the players playing in this game and the coaches coaching this game. And when the plays mattered most—3rd-and-9 and Brady gets sacked, 3rd-and-4 and Rodgers hits Cobb for the first down—Green Bay prevailed.
This game is the answer to the question, “Who have the Packers beat?”
Hopefully it’s a foreshadowing to playoff success. But for now it’s just one game.
Follow me on Twitter @PeterSowards.
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