Packers vs. Texans: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
From Randall Cobb's jubilant snow angel after his touchdown reception in the second quarter to fullback Aaron Ripkowski enthusiastically spiking the football after his score in the fourth quarter, this 21-13 Green Bay Packers win over the Houston Texans was a classic romp in the snow in Lambeau.
The Texans' inability to figure out how to use the weather to their advantage stood in stark contrast to the Packers' skilled maneuvering around the field, to the point that quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked better in this snowstorm than in most dry games he's played this year.
Rodgers completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 209 yards and connected with Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson for two touchdowns total. It wasn't a record-breaker for yardage by any means, but the Packers played smart and efficiently and knew what they needed to do to get the win.
On the other side of the ball, the defense allowed a couple of big plays but on the whole limited Houston's passing game when it mattered most. Brock Osweiler went 21-of-34 on passing and the Texans converted just 40 percent of their third-down attempts.
Let's take a look at the grades for each position in this important Packers win, one that keeps their playoff hopes alive for another week.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It wasn't his most productive game ever, but a clearly hurting Aaron Rodgers got the job done against Houston.
Rodgers, who injured his hamstring last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, appeared to be hampered again on Sunday against the Texans.
But neither that nor the snow did much to slow the quarterback as he dissected Houston's passing defense and treated us to some vintage Rodgers throws, like his touchdown pass to Cobb across his body for nine yards in the second quarter.
Rodgers will go down on the stat sheet as having a lost fumble in the first half, but he couldn't get the snap as Vince Wilfork came bearing down on him. Ultimately, the Texans weren't able to generate any points off the takeaway, so it was harmless for the most part.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
The Packers didn't see much from new signing Christine Michael yet again, who averaged only 19 yards on nine carries against the Texans.
But Mike McCarthy went back to what has worked previously this season and ran Ty Montgomery, who was the Packers' leading rusher on the day with 40 yards, out of the backfield on six attempts.
The real story of the day for the running backs, however, was once again Ripkowski. For the second week in a row, the fullback found the end zone for the Packers and also rushed for 14 yards on three carries.
Ripkowski is still the only Packers running back who has found the end zone this season.
The Packers are just lucky they're good at passing in the snow.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
In case you were worried about Jordy Nelson, he came out on Sunday to prove that he's still as deadly as he's always been for the Packers.
Nelson was the team's leading receiver against the Texans, with eight receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. He proved that he's still the deep threat the Packers need him to be, with an explosive 32-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter and two more for 21 and 28 yards apiece on the following drive.
Jeff Janis hasn't done much this season, but it was encouraging to see McCarthy utilize his athleticism in a creative way for a 19-yard gain that set up Ripkowski's touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Aside from Nelson, however, none of Green Bay's other receivers put up more than 20 yards on the day, though Rodgers connected with seven different receivers. They didn't need to in order to get the win, but it would have been nice to see tight end Jared Cook and top receiver Davante Adams make more of their targets.
But, given the snow, at least there weren't drops galore on Sunday.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The ground may have been slick with snow at Lambeau, but Green Bay's offensive line held its ground.
Rodgers took just one sack from Houston's Whitney Mercilus. The line also gave him time to scramble and extend plays. Green Bay's offensive line has trended down heavily in pass-blocking this year, and its run-blocking could definitely stand to improve. That may be an issue that becomes more crucial in the playoffs, if Green Bay earns a berth.
Rookie Jason Spriggs started in place of right guard T.J. Lang after doing a phenomenal job in the same position the week before against the Eagles.
Upon another viewing, Rodgers' fumbled snap could be blamed on center Corey Linsley, but given the conditions it's not enough of an error to drag the grade for the line down too much.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The only member of the Packers defensive line to record a sack on Osweiler was rookie Dean Lowry, who had an impressive performance Sunday that has to have defensive coordinator Dom Capers excited about his future.
The fourth-round draft pick out of Northwestern also had a tackle for loss, a pass defended and a quarterback hit, proving that he may have moved past the point of "project" for this defense.
Meanwhile, Mike Pennel made a splash for the run defense when he met Houston running back Lamar Miller in the backfield for a four-yard loss. Then, Letroy Guion tackled Alfred Blue for a nine-yard loss after Osweiler escaped a sack.
Mike Daniels didn't do much that gets recorded on the stat sheet, but he overwhelmingly won almost all his matchups against Jeff Allen.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
It was looking like another long day for the Packers linebackers when they lost both outside 'backer Nick Perry (hand) and Jake Ryan (ankle) in the first half, but both players returned to the field in the second half.
With Clay Matthews having to move inside due to Blake Martinez being out, Julius Peppers picked up the slack outside, chasing down Osweiler for a 10-yard sack.
After the game, McCarthy commended Matthews, Perry and Ryan for battling through injuries to stay on the field, per the Packers' Twitter. But those players will need to stay healthy over this crucial final stretch, or the Packers could be in trouble.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Fans weren't happy when the Packers secondary gave up a touchdown to Houston wide receiver Ryan Griffin in the third quarter, but that play aside, the pass defense made a lot of plays on Sunday.
On multiple occasions, even when Osweiler had the ball right on target a Packers defender was there to defend the pass.
LaDarius Gunter had a crucial pass breakup on Will Fuller in the fourth quarter that stalled the Texans' attempts to take over the momentum.
Then Micah Hyde broke up a well-thrown pass intended for tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz that forced the Texans to punt with just under nine minutes remaining in the game.
For a secondary that's struggled to defend the pass and allowed some serious yardage this season, holding Texans receivers to 202 yards can be chalked up as a win. However, the secondary appeared to get more lax in the second half as the Texans found their rhythm, which has been a bad habit this season.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Randall Cobb stole the show on special teams Sunday. The wideout returned two punts for 44 yards and set the Packers up with ideal field position for two drives.
Ty Montgomery and Jeff Janis handled the kick return side of things, recording 39- and 28-yard kick returns, respectively.
Kicker Mason Crosby didn't have the opportunity to try any field goals in the snow, but he did convert all three of his extra-point attempts.
Punter Jacob Schum averaged 42.8 yards on his punt attempts, three of which were pinned inside the 20.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
McCarthy coached his team to a win in a snowstorm, but the game wasn't without a handful of head-scratchers.
It was encouraging to see the coach try to get Christine Michael involved, but calling four straight rushing plays on the team's first drive in the second quarter brought up a 4th-and-2 that Michael, thankfully, converted.
At that point in the game, McCarthy would have no doubt been criticized for his aggressiveness had the Packers failed to convert, but they ended up scoring a touchdown on the same drive.
However, don't necessarily blame McCarthy for the Packers' failed attempt on 4th-and-2 in the third quarter which gave the Texans the ball on their own 47-yard line. It appeared to be a pass play that was called that Rodgers changed to a handoff when he noted the tight coverage, resulting in Ripkowski's failed dive.
If that play was designed by McCarthy, however, he deserves the criticism for its futility.
The Packers got off to a slow start in the first half, and the game was within reach for the Texans for longer than it should have been, given both McCarthy and his players' experience in this kind of weather.
McCarthy's play-calling has shown more creativity in the last two weeks, such as an end-around to Janis for 19 yards against Houston, but he'll need to keep that up in the coming weeks to defeat Seattle, Minnesota and division-leading Detroit.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Quarterback | A- |
| Running Back | C+ |
| Wide Receiver/Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | B+ |
| Defensive Line | B |
| Linebacker | B |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | B |
| Final Grade | B+ |
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