Packers vs. Giants: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
In yet another game this season, the Green Bay Packers walk away with a win without looking much like themselves in so doing.
The Packers defeated the New York Giants on Sunday 23-16 at Lambeau Field.
Ultimately a win is a win, but if the Packers want to advance into the postseason they'll need to get their coaching to a more consistent level and figure out how to maximize Aaron Rodgers and the offense.
Rodgers had fantastic protection from his offensive line and didn't take a sack all night, but he threw two interceptions and completed just 51 percent of his passes. At times, the Packers' play-calling looked stagnant, especially in the second half. That's been an issue during multiple games this season.
The defense continued to be the flashiest phase of the game for the Packers; the team had 53 tackles overall and sacked Eli Manning four times.
Though starting cornerbacks Sam Shields and Damarious Randall were injured, Green Bay limited Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. and held the Giants to just one touchdown, with the rest of their points coming in field goals.
Let's break down how each individual position group fared on Sunday Night Football.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Any night in which Aaron Rodgers throws two interceptions in primetime at Lambeau Field can't be an "A" night for him.
But ultimately, both Rodgers' uncharacteristic picks didn't do much to change the flow of the game. One of the Giants' resulting drives ended in a punt, and the second in a field goal.
Rodgers ended his night 23-of-45 for 259 yards and two touchdowns in addition to the two interceptions. That's a fairly normal night for many quarterbacks, but we've come to expect more from Rodgers, especially in terms of accuracy. Both the 51 percent completion rate and the two picks are somewhat troubling given the home-field advantage.
Rodgers owed a lot to his offensive line on Sunday for keeping him upright (zero sacks) and allowing him to extend plays.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
Eddie Lacy may not have found the end zone yet this season for the Packers, but he's still moving the chains for them and demonstrating that his fundamentals are drastically improved from 2015.
Lacy came into Sunday's game averaging five yards per carry, and ended his night at 7.4 with 11 carries for 81 yards.
Unfortunately, Lacy's night ended early when he suffered an ankle injury and didn't return. After Lacy, it's all James Starks, as the Packers don't really have halfbacks on the depth chart after those two. Starks didn't rack up many yards, but he at least allowed the Packers to keep their looks varied as they maintained their lead in the second half of the game.
Lacy looked strong before his injury, but ultimately no running backs found the end zone or topped 100 yards.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It was another big night for Jordy Nelson, who is now the only wide receiver in the league with a touchdown catch in each game he's played so far this season, as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette confirmed. The one he had on Sunday was beautiful, a fully extended end-zone grab.
Davante Adams joined him in connecting with Aaron Rodgers for a touchdown on the night.
However, it was Randall Cobb who turned out to be the Packers' leading receiver with nine receptions for 108 yards. His big night turned scary when he took a nasty hit from a Giants defender, but he walked off the field on his own as the game came to a conclusion.
As for the tight ends, Richard Rodgers isn't making the most of his extra snaps with Jared Cook out. Rodgers caught one pass on five targets for six yards.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line played, in a word, tremendously against the Giants.
Rodgers didn't take a sack all night thanks to his line, which was able to limit overall pressure on him (three QB hits total) and allow the quarterback to move freely in a clean pocket and extend plays with his feet.
Sure, left tackle David Bakhtiari had a holding penalty, but he was terrific in pass protection. Meanwhile, center JC Tretter continued to prove that the Packers can depend on him to step in for Corey Linsley, as he was right on top of Rodgers' audibles and protection calls.
Rodgers may be looking more and more like a sandlot player this season, but the high level of play from the offensive line allows him to do it with a great deal of success.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Sunday night belonged to the rookies on the front seven.
Defensive tackle Kenny Clark recovered a fumble forced by outside linebacker and fellow rookie Kyler Fackrell. The Packers weren't able to score on the resulting drive, but at least the fumble prevented the Giants from decreasing the Packers' eight-point lead at that time.
The Packers also had eight passes defended on the night, and defensive linemen Mike Daniels and Letroy Guion each had one.
The run defense also continued to look stout against the Giants, though, to be fair, Rashad Jennings did not play. But the Packers limited the Giants to just 43 rushing yards and no rushing touchdowns.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Packers continue to show depth and promise at their linebacker position beyond the obvious choices of Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers.
That's not to say Matthews didn't have a great night; he had two tackles (one for loss), a sack and a hit on Eli Manning.
But Nick Perry continued to put together the best season of his career, adding four tackles (one for loss), a sack, and two quarterback hits to his numbers on Sunday.
On the inside, Jake Ryan led the team in tackles with seven, and Joe Thomas tipped a pass that could have been intercepted had one of his teammates been in the right location. Blake Martinez rounds out the group which has become a strength instead of a liability.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
The Packers had their work cut out for them against Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard while missing their two starting cornerbacks in Sam Shields and Damarious Randall.
All in all, they were up to the challenge. In primary coverage on Beckham, Quinten Rollins performed admirably. The Giants tested him, targeting him five times in the first half while targeting other defenders no more than twice, as Pro Football Focus pointed out.
Beckham finished with just five receptions for 56 yards, though he did have that toe-tapping touchdown late in the game that could have given the Giants a chance to come back.
Meanwhile, Micah Hyde excelled in the slot. Shepard had just two catches on seven targets.
All a team can ask is that when its starters get injured, the depth players step up and get the job done. And they did.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Packers' offensive scoring has really slowed down in the second half of games so far this season, but luckily there's always Mason Crosby.
Crosby scored nine of the Packers' 23 points against the Giants and also went 2-of-2 on extra-point attempts. His longest field goal was 44 yards.
Meanwhile, punter Jake Schum continued to experience some growing pains in his fourth outing this season, including one cringeworthy 32-yard punt. His average on the night was 36.5 yards. Not ideal, and his performance brings the grade down for the whole unit.
Ty Montgomery had a 24-yard punt return, but overall nothing special happened in the return game.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
The Packers are developing a habit: They start the first half of games strong, often heading into halftime with a lead, and then drift through the second half without building upon that lead and allow their opponent to get back into the game.
Thankfully for Green Bay, on Sunday night the Giants weren't able to make a full comeback, but they certainly tried to stage one in the fourth quarter when Eli Manning connected with Odell Beckham Jr. in the back of the end zone to bring the score to within seven points.
On offense, head coach Mike McCarthy seems to have the most success when he varies personnel groupings constantly.
However, in the second halves of games he continues to fall comfortably back into the standard 11 personnel, relying too much on Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams rather than work in some of the remaining four receivers the Packers carry on their roster, not to mention tight ends.
The Packers are also struggling big-time to convert third downs. It's arguably the worst part of their game right now. That's the biggest area McCarthy needs to work on heading into Week 6.
On defense, however, Dom Capers is getting excellent production out of his crew.
Grade: C
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Quarterback | C+ |
| Running Back | B |
| Wide Receiver/Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | A |
| Defensive Line | B+ |
| Linebacker | B+ |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | C |
| Final Grade | B |
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