Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
About three hours before the game, the Vikings announced that Teddy Bridgewater would be inactive and Christian Ponder was set to start the game for Minnesota.
Ponder has had his finest moments as a pro against Green Bay, but Thursday night was not one of them.
The Packers dismantled Ponder and the Minnesota offense, and Aaron Rodgers handled the Vikings defense with ease on the way to a 42-10 win at Lambeau Field.
With a light dusting of rain, Eddie Lacy lowered the boom time and again on his way to a season-high 105 rushing yards on just 13 carries and two touchdowns.
Green Bay's defense sacked Ponder six times and forced three turnovers.
Quarterback
1 of 10
At first glance, it would appear that Rodgers didn't do much heavy lifting for the Packers in their win over the Vikings.
Rodgers threw just 17 passes and dropped back to pass 19 times. He was deadly efficient on those 17 passes though, throwing a touchdown apiece to Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams.
After Green Bay had the game well in hand, Matt Flynn came in and promptly threw an interception on his first attempt of the season. He settled down after the early mistake, making a few nice third-down completions to rookie receiver Jeff Janis.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
True to his word, Mike McCarthy gave James Starks a fair share of the load after the former Buffalo Bull went without a touch in last week's win over the Bears.
It was an easy task with the game out of reach and Eddie Lacy already having totaled 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Lacy got on track early thanks to Hummer-sized holes paved by the offensive line, ripping off runs of 18 and 29 yards on Green Bay's second drive of the night. Many a Vikings defender will be thankful for their 10-day layoff after the punishment distributed by Lacy's 230-pound frame, specifically defensive back Robert Blanton.
Starks had a decent night with 46 yards, mostly in garbage time, and John Kuhn had his fourth and fifth touches of the season.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Last week, Davante Adams caught a touchdown pass that did not count, though it was a remarkable play by Aaron Rodgers.
This week, the touchdown counted in a less remarkable play from the quarterback but a more important one for Adams.
It wasn't a huge week for the receiving group, as Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb totaled just four catches after combining for 17 last week. Nelson's only catch went for a 66-yard touchdown in the first quarter, just minutes after Rodgers hit Cobb for an eight-yard score.
Rookie Jeff Janis caught his first two NFL passes, both from Matt Flynn in garbage time and both going for first-down conversions on third-down attempts.
Adams struggled in keeping his footing, falling down twice on consecutive attempts from Rodgers.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Holes through which to run—where have they been this season?
Eddie Lacy busting off chunk yardage was more a product of running room than Lacy's running ability. Cutback lanes were there early and often. Edges were sealed.
At least one of the two sacks Aaron Rodgers took was on him trying to create a play downfield. The line played admirably against a defensive front that showed a variety of looks and blitzes.
Grade: A
Defensive Line and Edge Players
5 of 10
Julius Peppers, in a Packers uniform, returned an interception for a touchdown and leaped into the end-zone stands for his first-ever Lambeau Leap.
What a great sight for Green Bay fans.
The big boys up front were an every-down menace for Minnesota. Christian Ponder was sacked six times, including three sacks and seven hits combined from interior linemen Letroy Guion and Mike Daniels.
Defensive tackle Luther Robinson, invited to camp on a tryout basis and signed to the active roster on Thursday, was able to get his mitt on a Ponder pass in the second quarter. It fluttered in the air until Peppers was able to haul it in, and the former Panther and Bear rumbled 49 yards for his first touchdown in five seasons.
Grade: A+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Jamari Lattimore is not giving up his starting spot anytime soon.
Starting his third straight game in place of Brad Jones, Lattimore recorded his first NFL interception and added five tackles and a pass defensed. Fellow inside backer A.J. Hawk flew around as well, recording seven tackles, half a sack, a pass defensed and one of the team's 16 quarterback hits.
Jones was inactive due to injury in recent weeks, but now he's relegated to be the bench with the mostly adequate play from Lattimore. Big plays from Lattimore like he showed on Thursday will go a long way to keeping Jones on the bench.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Playing against Christian Ponder and a Vikings team without Adrian Peterson has to be fun for NFL defensive backs.
The Vikings never posed a threat offensively until Green Bay called off the dogs in the fourth quarter, largely due to the play of Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Casey Hayward, Davon House, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde and Morgan Burnett.
It's been a long time since I've watched the Packers secondary play fast. Thursday night, they did. Burnett and Clinton-Dix in particular flew around like the players we watched in college, wrapping up receivers immediately after the catch or blowing the plays up entirely.
Hayward led all defensive players with two passes defended.
Grade: A+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Packers punter Tim Masthay had a busy night after what must have seemed like a vacation last week. The veteran averaged nearly 51 yards on six kicks, with his only miscue coming on a single touchback.
Mason Crosby's night consisted of six extra points and zero field-goal attempts.
Green Bay's kickoff coverage unit allowed a 46-yard return to Marcus Sherels but was otherwise efficient.
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Packers could have easily entered this game overconfident and playing without a sense of urgency. But Mike McCarthy had his group ready to play, and it showed early.
Despite a three-and-out to start the game, the offense did enough early to force Minnesota into come-from-behind mode. This allowed Dom Capers to dial up some exotic looks designed to confuse Christian Ponder and create negative plays.
McCarthy got the run game going early and then went to a shot play for Jordy Nelson. It might as well have been a 66-yard handoff considering the ease of which it was executed.
There was no letting up until the game was firmly in hand.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A- |
| WR | B |
| OL | A |
| DL | A+ |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | A+ |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | A |
These games are the easiest on the blood pressure. Five minutes in and the outcome is well in hand.
The game might have been more competitive had Teddy Bridgewater gotten the start, but the Packers were winning this game regardless of the signal-caller donning purple and gold.
Now, even though Josh Sitton hates these Thursday night games, I'm sure he loves a 10-day layoff after a 32-point home win against a hated division rival. Next Sunday it'll be on to Miami and an AFC East battle with the Dolphins.
Can Green Bay get to 4-2? We shall see.
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