Green Bay Packers JV Team Extends Dominance over Detroit Lions

The Green Bay Packers elected to sit a healthy Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews III.

One-time starters Randall Cobb (as a returner), James Starks, Greg Jennings, Nick Collins, Bryan Bulaga and Chad Clifton played little or not at all.

That means nine of the team's top 25 players were out, including four repeat Pro Bowl players and two more who earned that honour last season.

But of course, we all found out that the Packers could win with players out when 15 players were injured on last year's championship team.

There were five new things we either learned or had confirmed in this contest:

1. Ryan Grant is not spent yet and is likely to be in a different uniform next season.
2. Matt Flynn is great when he has a full week to prepare for a bad pass defense and will get a chance to start elsewhere in 2012.
3. The Detroit Lions have no chance next week against a Drew Brees-led offense if they allow a team with this many backups—clearly stating the win was not as important to them as it was to the Lions—to come back for a win after spotting them nine points.
4. Even when Aaron Rodgers does not play, teams mocking his championship belt celebration lose to Green Bay. Every time.
5. We saw who the Lions get their lack of composure from when coach Jim Schwartz threw an expletive-laden temper tantrum on a bad call that he could not challenge.

Here are the grades for the Packers' performance by unit...

Quarterback: A

Unbelievable. A franchise that has had great quarterbacks like Rodgers, Brett Favre, Bart Starr, Arnie Herber, Lynn Dickey, John Hadl and maybe even Don Majkowski, Matt Flynn sets the records for touchdowns and yards passing.

I am certain to receive ridicule for this because that's how our society responds to those who offer an opinion different from the norm. But for the record, I still do not believe Matt Flynn will be a playoff-winning quarterback in this league.

I have repeatedly compared him to Ty Detmer. They have about the same lacking arm strength (I have yet to see him throw a deep out in hundreds of regular and preseason passes) but also abundant leadership and accuracy.

Detmer threw for four touchdowns and 342 yards in successive weeks in his first two starts. Still, his career ended with 34 TDs and fewer than 1,000 yards beyond what Drew Brees got this year alone.

Because he possesses even more touch, I now think he may be more Chad Pennington than Detmer. He was good enough to get a good team to the playoffs but had just two playoff wins in his career.

Regardless, someone will give Flynn a chance to start after this record-setting game. What was able to do, he did better than anyone could have hoped in their wildest dreams.

He bounced a pass to an open receiver on the last drive. He threw a bad pick that was nearly returned for a touchdown. He fumbled during the first possession on one of the three sacks he took.

He was perfect the rest of the time.

Every deep ball was perfectly placed. Every play over the middle was between the defenders. His feet bought him time and space, as well as a one-yard carry that statistically nullified his kneel-down at the game's conclusion.

Sure, he benefited from his receivers on every single touchdown (see the next two slides). But any successful quarterback sees that's happening and takes advantage of it.

As a result, Flynn was 31-of-44 (.705) with 480 yards (10.9/attempt), six touchdowns and one pick.

He led the Packers back from deficits six times during the game, including twice in the fourth quarter. That gave him a 136.4 passer rating and a total QB rating of 91.7.

Running Back: A-

Just as Nick Barnett's injury last season forced the Packers to finally give playing time that mattered to Desmond Bishop, the injury to James Starks may be a blessing. Ryan Grant was already getting playing time, but since he's no longer platooning with Starks, the Packers running game has come alive.

OK, 12 carries for 48 yards is not going to make anyone shake in their cleats. But considering the Packers' passing game, it's more than enough.

Grant was also big in that passing game with an 80-yard touchdown. And while his speed gives the Packers a big-play threat when he touches the ball, his runs on Sunday were more of the steady-eddy variety—none went beyond nine yards nor for a loss.

And after he's lost to free agency, the Packers will still have three good backs: Alex Green will return from injury as a third-down option, and Brandon Saine provides depth.

The undrafted rookie free-agent back who started on the Packers' practice squad added eight carries for 28 yards (3.5 average), giving him 18 carries for 69 yards (3.8) on the season.

He added three catches for 17 yards, and John Kuhn had two more for 10 yards to go with two runs for five yards. This gave the unit 28 touches for 188 yards—6.7 yards per touch and a score.

Receivers: A+

I am not normally a believer in putting a team's second receiver into the Pro Bowl. After Jordy Nelson was almost shut out during the Packers' loss in Kansas City following the injury to Greg Jennings, it seemed my reservations about Nelson were confirmed.

Obviously, he was racking up his big totals because he was only the second priority in the opposing pass defense. But after seeing him eat up division rivals in the last two weeks, he's certainly among the elite receivers in the league.

More than any other player including perhaps Matt Flynn, Nelson drove the Packers offense. He finished with 162 yards on nine catches (18 average) and three scores. Two touchdowns were right through the coverage that was in position to make a play on the ball, and one came when he stiff-armed a tackler on a quick hitch.

James Jones had six catches for 89 yards (14.8) and Jermichael Finley had seven for 64 and a score.

Donald Driver was wide open on his 35-yard touchdown and added another 17-yard reception. Even D.J. Williams got into the act with a six-yard catch.

Offensive Line: C

Three years ago when I started writing on the Packers, fans were calling for the team to replace Scott Wells with Josh Sitton and move Jason Spitz in at guard. Wells was too small, too slow and too close to 30 years old to expect any improvement.

I just kept saying that the line played better when he was in there. And now that he has hit 30, he was selected to the Pro Bowl. He also anchored a line Sunday that remains in flux against one of the best defensive lines in the world.

But as I have repeatedly stated, the units are graded on the performance of the people out there. If you grade on a curve because someone is a backup, you are providing an atmosphere of lowered expectations. Then why not do the same when you just are not very talented at a position?

The bottom line is that the Packers allowed three sacks and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. The line was called for two false starts, and Marshall Newhouse had one of them plus a missed blocking assignment on a screen that led to a punt.

The reality is Packers fans should be happy with the performance. Chad Clifton got some playing time and looked solid. The line was more responsible than anyone for Grant's 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

They were not bad enough to keep the Packers from scoring 45 points. But the offense still played well despite the line more than because of it.

Defensive Line: C-

Things have a way of evening out.

Last year, B.J. Raji belonged in the Pro Bowl. This year, he did not.

Last year, the Packers defensive line was one of the deepest and most potent in the league, and they drove the defense to elite levels. This year, it's thin and ineffective, and so is the defense.

However, Sunday's 41-point debacle was less the fault of the line than any other unit. There were only two tackles registered by its personnel (one each by Raji and Ryan Pickett) and an insufficient amount of pressure was applied.

Still, they held the point of attack well enough to contain the Lions backs to 48 yards on 13 carries (3.7 average).

They had no penalties and deserve some credit for the clipping and false-start penalties on center Dominic Raiola.

Linebackers: D-

In a 3-4 defense, the linebackers are the glory players. They get to make all the plays, so 15 tackles (led by Desmond Bishop's six), five assists and even two sacks (Vic So'oto and Brad Jones) as a unit is not impressive.

They're also responsible for outside and backside containment, yet the Lions got 25 yards on two reverses. And like any defense, they cover backs and share duties on tight ends: Kevin Smith had four catches for 26 yards and a score, Brandon Pettigrew had seven for 116 and Tony Scheffler another four for 65 and a score.

They also had two personal fouls (one being questionable) that gave the Lions first downs and led to a touchdown. Their ineffectiveness is exactly why Clay Matthews III, rested—this defense is in trouble if he gets hurt.

Secondary: D

Calvin Johnson caught 11 passes for 244 yards and a score. If that was all this secondary defense yielded, they would get a decent grade.

Unfortunately, the only reason the other wide receivers were held to 69 yards and two scores on 10 other catches is the referees blew a call on another touchdown.

Moreover, the safeties must shoulder a lot of the blame for the 181 yards and a score on 11 completions to tight ends. All of this led to Matthew Stafford being 36-for-59 (.610) for 520 yards (8.8/attempt) with five TDs and two picks—a 103.8 passer rating and 86.2 TQBR.

So how on earth does this unit pass?

For one, they came down with both interceptions—the first by Jarrett Bush and the one that sealed the game by Sam Shields. Morgan Burnett also recovered a fumble.

The secondary also generated a lot of tackles, albeit padded by the number of catches: Charlie Peprah was in on 11 tackles, Tramon Williams nine, Burnett seven, Shields and Bush four and Pat Lee one.

While Williams was called for a questionable 36-yard pass interference, Johnson was flagged for interference, too.

Special Teams: D

In the role as kick returner with Randall Cobb inactive Sunday, Pat Lee got his big chance to show his worth.

Based on that, he should be cut.

Lee fumbled the only two kicks he "handled" and was lucky that the Lions only ended up with two points out of it. On the second, he pulled the ball back into the end zone and knelt down, something even a high school player should know is not a touchback.

If this was his first time handling kicks, it would be something one could understand. If he were a rookie, it might be something one could overlook. But Lee has been in this role before in his four seasons with the team, during which time he has contributed little on special teams and less in the secondary.

However, the Packers overcame his deficiencies. Brandon Saine got only 20 yards on each of his two returns, and Jarret Bush had one punt return for no yards, but at least they maintained possession.

The coverage was solid but not special, allowing only eight yards on two punt returns and 103 on four kick returns (25.8 average). The only two special teams penalties belonged to Detroit.

Tim Masthay had a 42-yard net average on his four punts with one pinning the Lions inside their 20.

Mason Crosby hit his only field goal attempt (22 yards) and put six of nine kicks into the end zone, five resulting in touchbacks.