Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
Last week, the Green Bay Packers overcame a slow start and came back from an 18-point deficit to snatch a victory from the New York Jets, avoiding an 0-2 hole.
Unfortunately, there was no carryover into the team's Week 3 battle with the Detroit Lions.
Don Carey returned an Eddie Lacy fumble 40 yards for a touchdown on Green Bay's second offensive snap of the game, and the Packers offense could only muster 223 yards in an embarrassing 19-7 loss to the Lions at Ford Field on Sunday.
The Packers' point total is the fewest for a game started and finished by Aaron Rodgers, and it's the first loss for Rodgers to the Lions in a game of which he played the entirety.
Green Bay's much-maligned defense played admirably enough, forcing three turnovers, allowing only 10 points to a talented Detroit offense. The Lions' other points came on Carey's aforementioned fumble return and a safety by Lacy.
There were opportunities to be had, but Rodgers and the offense could not take advantage.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Rodgers has a healthy track record versus the Lions, he thrives in a dome and Detroit's secondary is littered with backups and no-names whom you couldn't pick out of a lineup. All those factors should have added up to a banner day for the 2011 league MVP.
Such was not the case.
Rodgers struggled to find a rhythm with his receivers. He missed Jordy Nelson on a fourth-down throw to the end zone that he absolutely had to make. He used his escapability to make a few throws out of the pocket, but he was unable to scramble for any positive yardage.
In all, Rodgers managed just 162 yards and one touchdown after posting gaudy numbers in Week 2's win over the Jets. His 6.0 yards per attempt contrasts starkly with a 8.2 YPA career average, as the Lions' defensive backs held him squarely in check.
Rodgers and Packers fans alike surely expect more from arguably the best player in the league.
Grade: C
Running Backs
2 of 10
Where is the 2013 version of Eddie Lacy?
Lacy struggled to get any traction versus the Lions' front seven, getting just 36 yards on 11 carries. His fumble on the Packers' second offensive snap turned into a defensive score, putting the team in an early hole for a second-straight week. He managed a 17-yard carry in the second half, but he gained just 19 yards on his 10 other attempts.
To be fair, the Green Bay offensive line wasn't exactly blowing Ndamukong Suh and company off the ball. But Lacy's tentative running didn't help matters either.
James Starks spelled Lacy after the fumble and fared slightly better, though he did have a drop on his lone target of the game.
DuJuan Harris got the ball for one series, totaling just two yards on three attempts.
Grade: D+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
After Jordy Nelson's 209-yard performance last week, he and the other Packers receivers had to be licking their chops at the thought of going up against a banged-up Detroit secondary in a dome.
That secondary had different plans.
Green Bay's talented receiving corps had trouble getting separation all game, forcing Rodgers to scramble for time in hopes that his targets would uncover. Randall Cobb does not look like the explosive player he was before his injury last season.
In the first signs of life from a tight end, Andrew Quarless caught a 10-yard strike from Rodgers in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-all. He caught four passes on five targets, his highest outputs of the season.
Backed up to the 1-yard line, Richard Rodgers was blown up by Jason Jones on a Lacy rushing attempt that led to a Lions safety. He was not targeted.
After impressing playing against the Jets, Davante Adams was a non-factor versus the Lions. Jarrett Boykin's 11 yards on four targets was uninspiring.
Grade: C
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Offensive Linemen
4 of 10
The Lions boast a formidable front four, and it showed on Sunday. Green Bay's minuscule 223-yard offensive output was in large part due to the disruption caused up front.
Green Bay's running game never got on track, averaging just 3.5 yards per rush. Aside from their two longest runs, Packers running backs had 44 yards on 20 carries. Rodgers was only sacked twice, but he was hit and hurried frequently.
Bryan Bulaga replaced Derek Sherrod at right tackle but wasn't much of an upgrade.
Josh Sitton committed the line's lone penalty, a false start that helped to stall a promising second-quarter drive.
Grade: C+
Defensive Linemen and Edge Players
5 of 10
As bad as the offense was Sunday, the Packers had a chance to win because of their defense, in particular the pass rush and defensive line.
Julius Peppers had his best day in a Green Bay uniform, forcing the Lions to replace six-year pro Garrett Reynolds with rookie Cornelius Lucas. The former Panther and Bear completed the sack/forced-fumble/fumble recovery trifecta with the Lions deep in Packers territory. He added three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.
Clay Matthews impressed before having to leave the game due to a groin injury, a far too common occurrence.
Aside from a 26-yard touchdown scamper from Reggie Bush that was more a fault of the secondary than the defensive line, Detroit's running game was held mostly in check, though the Lions were able to ground and pound for the game's final seven minutes, putting the game on proverbial ice.
Mike Neal added a sack, and the team combined for nine quarterback hits, a season high.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
6 of 10
I don't know if I've seen A.J. Hawk play a more decisive football game.
Hawk and fellow inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore were impressive Sunday, totaling 16 tackles between them, 12 of the solo variety. Hawk did get lost in coverage versus Bush—an unfair matchup—but he shot gaps aggressively and didn't wait for the opponent to engage.
Lattimore was effective running sideline to sideline, limiting yards after the catch on dump-offs to Bush. He left with cramps but was able to return. Sam Barrington played in Lattimore's stead.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
Finally, Green Bay fans can stop asking, "Is this the week a Packers safety records an interception?"
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix picked off a Stafford pass intended for Corey Fuller early in the contest, the first at the team's position since Morgan Burnett snatched two from Christian Ponder on December 2, 2012.
The Alabama rookie added one tackle and a pass defensed.
Cornerback Davon House came up with Green Bay's other interception, a gorgeous over-the-shoulder catch on a long pass intended for Calvin Johnson.
Johnson was targeted 10 times, catching six balls for 82 yards.
Sam Shields surrendered a 52-yard completion to Fuller—his first NFL catch—though Fuller did get away with a slight push-off to gain separation.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Cobb's 22-yard punt return after Detroit's stalled first drive was the highlight of an uneventful day of special teams.
Tim Masthay was busy throughout the game, booming five punts with no touchbacks. He dropped two inside the 20.
Mason Crosby was not called on frequently, kicking just one extra point and handling two kickoffs.
Tight end Brandon Bostick was the bonehead special teams player of the week (TM), penalized for false-starting on a Masthy punt and later flagged for holding on a kickoff.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
This game was not Mike McCarthy's finest moment. When you get outcoached by Jim Caldwell, you're doing it wrong.
The Packers were not able to take advantage of the Lions' banged-up secondary and instead force-fed the ball to Lacy and Starks with meager returns.
No team with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback should ever go three quarters without scoring. Rodgers took a not-so-subtle shot at McCarthy after the game, saying the offense "didn't make enough good adjustments to score more points," according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel.
For the second-straight week, the team was simply unprepared to take the field. It got away with a slow start versus the Jets, but it was not so lucky this week.
On the defense, though, I give Dom Capers credit. We didn't see the blown assignments and miscommunication that have plagued this defense for years.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | D+ |
| WR | C |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | A- |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | C |
| Cumulative Grade | D |
It's a good thing the defense showed up for this game, otherwise we'd have seen a result similar to last year's game in Detroit on Thanksgiving.
This is one of those games where you just hope something good comes from it down the road. An honest self-scout is needed by the players and coaches, and the tape won't lie on this one.
A 1-2 record three games into the season is not a death sentence. Green Bay had a similar record in 2012 and ended up with 11 wins and a divisional title. But if the Packers continue to play a poor brand of football, they won't wind up with a similar result.
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