Packers vs. Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers helped the Minnesota Vikings christen their new home field, U.S. Bank Stadium, on Sunday night, and it proved to be a joyous occasion for the Vikings.
Green Bay fell to its division rival 17-14, dropping the Packers to 1-1 on the season, while the Vikings are now undefeated at 2-0 and lead the NFC North.
It was an ugly game on both sides of the ball for Green Bay. On offense, the Packers still appear to be struggling with some of the same issues that plagued them last season: Mike McCarthy's play calls are not complex, Aaron Rodgers can't complete deep passes and receivers can't gain separation.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers are becoming injury-plagued.
Sam Shields did not start at cornerback due to a concussion, and Damarious Randall struggled being the top dog in his place. Defensive tackle Letroy Guion left the game and did not return, as the team confirmed in-game. Same thing for safety Morgan Burnett.
Defensive back Micah Hyde left the game with a leg injury, but returned to the game as the Packers' Wes Hodkiewicz reported.
These grades aren't going to be pretty, but in reliving that ugly loss, perhaps we can learn something from the Packers' missteps. Let's get to it.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Three fumbles—one lost. An interception. A passer rating of 70.7.
Are we sure this was Aaron Rodgers? Maybe it was someone wearing a really lifelike mask, like with Tom Brady.
But no, sadly, that quarterback we saw on the field Sunday—who only averaged 5.9 yards per attempt and completed just 55 percent of his passes—was, in fact, Rodgers, in one of the worst performances of his career.
For some quarterbacks, 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception would be closer to merely mediocre, perhaps deserving of a C-minus. But Rodgers is not most quarterbacks, and we know he's capable of more.
There are myriad problems plaguing the Packers offense right now, and Rodgers is just one of them. His receivers cannot seem to gain separation, making it tough to beat coverage. The run game is pedestrian. Mike McCarthy's play-calling has been especially vanilla.
And Rodgers did take matters into his own hands and run a ball in for seven of the Packers' 14 points.
Still, this team ultimately rises and falls on Rodgers' shoulders, and he didn't do enough to help it win on Sunday.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 10
Aaron Rodgers should not have half as many rushing yards as Eddie Lacy—and have the second-highest rushing yards for the Packers in a game.
But that's what happened on Sunday night, when Lacy ran for 50 yards on 12 carries, and Rodgers was right there behind him with 29 yards on three carries—one of which went for a score.
James Starks was stymied by the Vikings defense, netting just three yards on seven carries. That's right; that's an average of 0.4 yards per carry.
Lacy's average, at 4.2 yards per attempt, is actually quite respectable. But he hasn't found the end zone yet this year, and ultimately the Packers have a bigger-picture problem of failing to set up the run to benefit the passing game.
The resulting struggles have been obvious.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
In a vacuum, the Packers pass-catchers, especially Jordy Nelson, didn't have a bad night.
Nelson caught five receptions for 73 yards and had a touchdown, and one of his receptions went for 39 yards. The Packers offense needs that kind of big-play potential.
Nelson was helped by Randall Cobb's 42 yards, and tight end Jared Cook added another 31.
But the Packers receivers only had 20 receptions on 36 total targets. Nelson, in particular, had just five catches on 11 targets.
And then there were the drops—Davante Adams and Cook each had at least one—which continue to plague this offense.
Aaron Rodgers wanted to get his pass-catchers, especially his No. 1, more involved. But whether it was a factor of the play-calling on Mike McCarthy's part, the Vikings playing tight coverage or Rodgers having an off night—or more likely, a combination of all three—the Packers passing game is still looking discordant and sluggish.
Grade: C+
Offensive Line
4 of 10
Aaron Rodgers took five sacks from a ferocious Minnesota front seven that was dead set on pressuring him. He took another eight quarterback hits.
Rodgers puts himself into poor spots sometimes with his style of play, but those kinds of pressure numbers also reflect on his offensive line.
The line had a solid, if not excellent, outing in Week 1 against Jacksonville, but faltered a bit under the pressure of the Vikings defense.
As for run blocking, Eddie Lacy averaged a respectable 4.2 yards per attempt. David Bakhtiari and tight end Jared Cook helped block for Lacy on a 13-yard run. But James Starks got just 0.4 yards on average on his seven attempts.
JC Tretter drew a ill-advised penalty for taking matters into his own hands when a Vikings defender speared Rodgers in the end zone. However, sometimes the lost yardage is worth seeing a player stand up for a teammate and display fire.
Bakhtiari also gave up his first sack in 463 snaps, which was the longest streak in the league for a left tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Before it was ravaged by injuries, the defensive line was one of the Packers' high points of the night.
Mike Daniels, the unquestioned leader of this unit, had a sack and a quarterback hit and two tackles for loss on the night. He appeared at times to be literally unblockable and single-handedly kept Adrian Peterson at bay early in the game.
Nose tackle Letroy Guion had a tackle for a loss before he left the game with what ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported is a sprained MCL.
The Packers are dangerously thin on the line, and rookie Kenny Clark had to step in for Guion. He did have a pass batted down to bring up a 3rd-and-11, and it was overall a solid effort in a tough spot.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Like their front seven counterparts, the Packers' linebacking corps was also a bright spot on an otherwise bleak night for the team.
Clay Matthews, proving the team was right to move him back to the edge, had a sack, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. Nick Perry joined him in pressuring Sam Bradford with a half-sack and two hits on the Vikings signal-caller.
Second-year player and starting inside linebacker Jake Ryan was all over Kyle Rudolph in coverage and had a pass defensed.
But veteran Julius Peppers, who had a quiet game in Week 1, was the star of the show with his 1.5 sacks, tackle for a loss and three quaterback hits. Even if the Packers continue to limit his playing time, the veteran remains one of the team's best pass-rushers.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
If the front seven was the best part of the Packers' outing on Sunday, the secondary was arguably the worst.
The Packers simply had no answer for Minnesota's Stefon Diggs, who had a career night with nine receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. Anytime you're allowing a wideout to score more than 20 yards per reception, something significant has fallen apart in your coverage.
At the heart of the problem was poor Damarious Randall, who was thrown into the No. 1 cornerback role with Sam Shields out with a concussion. Randall also watched much of the help around him leave the game, as both Morgan Burnett and Micah Hyde came off the field with injuries.
Randall and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was over the top, were both to blame for Diggs' 44-yard connection with Sam Bradford.
While it's encouraging that the Packers run defense has been solid this season, the secondary's performance has been cause for concern. Whether it's injuries, execution or scheme, the unit potentially faces even tougher competition ahead and needs to shore up its holes.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
You generally don't want your punter coming on the field five times as often as your field-goal kicker, but that's what happened on Sunday.
Save for his two extra points, Mason Crosby did not put up any other points for the Packers. But punter Jake Schum had an active night, punting five times as the Green Bay offense continued to stall. Schum's average of 38.6 yards per punt was another sore spot on an already rough night. He did pin one inside the 20.
The big news of the night for special teams was Ty Montgomery's blocked punt. He continues to prove he can make plays whenever he is around the ball.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
If you're Mike McCarthy, you're damned if you and damned if you don't.
Often criticized for his conservative play selection, McCarthy actually decided to go for it in the red zone on 4th-and-2. The Packers didn't convert and ended up losing the game by three points.
Many of those chiding McCarthy for not taking the points with the field goal are the same people who complain he's too conservative. The truth is, this play was not an example of the Packers' biggest coaching problems on Sunday.
Green Bay's offense has looked incredibly simple this year. It appears receivers aren't able to get separation, but the play calls don't exactly help them do so.
Choosing to run Starks rather than Lacy on a power run was also a questionable move.
McCarthy needs to make this offense more complex—and quickly.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position | Final Grade |
| QB | D- |
| RB | C+ |
| WR/TE | C+ |
| OL | B- |
| DL | A- |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | D |
| Final Grade | C- |
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