Full Green Bay Packers Report Card Heading into Week 9 Bye

Heading into their bye week, the Green Bay Packers are 5-3 midway through the 2014 NFL season.

Before they were beaten by the Saints 44-23 last Sunday night in New Orleans, the Packers had won four games in a row and were on a roll.

But the loss to the Saints looked a lot like the opening game of the season, when the Packers were beaten by the Seahawks in Seattle. Green Bay kept it close in the first half of that game, as well, before being thoroughly outplayed in the second half.

Obviously, both the Saints and the Seahawks made much better adjustments in the second half than the Packers did.

Still, the Packers are only a game out of first place in the NFC North division, as they trail the Detroit Lions. The Packers play the Lions in Week 17 in Green Bay. The Lions have not won in the state of Wisconsin since 1991.

Currently, the Packers have the fifth-best record in the NFC.

The Packers will play five of their last eight games this season at Lambeau Field, where they have been 35-7-1 since 2009.

I am now going to grade each of the positional groups, as well as the coaching staff, for the Packers based on their performance so far in 2014.

Quarterback

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

Grade: A-

If this grade was based solely on the performance of Aaron Rodgers, the grade would be an A, perhaps even an A+. Rodgers is having another fine season, as he has thrown for 2,092 yards with 19 touchdown passes versus just three interceptions.

All three of the picks that Rodgers has thrown have come off of deflections. No. 12's passer rating is 113.6, which is second in the NFL, only behind Peyton Manning.

If Rodgers continues with a passer rating of over 100, it will be the sixth consecutive year that he has been able to accomplish that mark.

Speaking of passer ratings, Rodgers is the all-time leader in NFL history with a 105.6 mark. The former California Golden Bear is the only quarterback in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100.

Rodgers has also rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Backup Matt Flynn has gotten some small playing time, either because the Packers were up by a large margin or down by a fairly big score.

It's hard to give a fair grade to Flynn because of when he came into games, but so far he only has a 19.8 passer rating, as he has completed 4-of-8 passes for 30 yards and an interception. No. 10 has also fumbled once.

Running Back

USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B

It doesn't appear that Eddie Lacy will match the rushing yardage production that he had in 2013, when he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but Lacy might be having a better overall year this season.

I wrote about that situation recently. Lacy is truly becoming a complete running back, one who can play on all three downs.

Currently, No. 27 has 428 yards rushing (4.1 average) and four touchdowns. Lacy also has 21 receptions for 209 yards.

Although Lacy's rushing yardage projects to be less than 1,000 yards this season, his yards-per-carry average is exactly the same as it was last season. Plus, he projects to make more than 40 catches this season.

But the biggest improvement that Lacy has made this season is his blocking. That is what keeps him on the field on third down. That and his ability to catch the ball effectively.

James Starks has rushed for 144 yards (4.4 average) and one touchdown, plus he's caught seven passes.

Third-string running back DuJuan Harris hasn't gotten untracked in limited playing time, with just 12 yards rushing in eight attempts. Harris has also caught one pass for 11 yards.

Fullback John Kuhn has seen his playing time get decreased because of Lacy's ability to pick up blitzes on third down. No. 30 has rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes.

Wide Receiver

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Grade: A

The wide receiver unit is having a fabulous season and has great depth overall.

The group is led by Jordy Nelson, who has caught 50 passes (sixth in the NFL) for 737 yards (fifth in the NFL) and six touchdowns (tied for sixth in the league).

Randall Cobb is tied for the league lead with nine touchdown receptions, as No. 18 also has 40 receptions for 578 yards.

Rookie Davante Adams has really come on the past few weeks, as he now has 24 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Adams has taken advantage of his playing time, partly due to a groin injury suffered by Jarrett Boykin, which caused him to miss three games.

Boykin has only caught two passes for passes for 17 yards so far this season, after having 49 receptions last season. No. 11 has also had a couple of drops.

Rookie Jeff Janis has looked good in limited playing time with two catches for 16 yards, while Kevin Dorsey also has one catch for four yards.

Tight End

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

Grade: C+

Earlier this summer, rookie tight end Richard Rodgers was having a good training camp, while veterans Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick seemed to be going in different directions.

Quarless was not exactly having a great camp, while Brandon Bostick looked to be the heir apparent to be taking the role that Jermichael Finley had for the past few years in Green Bay— the down-the-seam, deep-passing threat at tight end.

But then Bostick suffered a slight fibula fracture in the preseason, which has changed the dynamic at tight end significantly. Even when Bostick was finally available to play, the team decided to stay with the combination of Rodgers and Quarless because they knew their assignments better.

Bostick has only caught one pass for two yards this season, while Quarless has 15 receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns (including a game-winner at Miami), while Rodgers has seven catches for 111 yards.

While okay at times, the run blocking and pass blocking need to be more consistent with both Quarless and Rodgers.

It remains to be seen when Bostick will get his next opportunity to get meaningful playing time.

Offensive Line

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Grade: B-

The Packers are only 19th in total offense in the NFL currently, but they are also ranked fourth in points scored. One of the reasons for the success in that last statistical area is the play of the offensive line.

It's remarkable how well the line has played behind rookie center Corey Linsley. Linsley has made a few errors but has graded well overall in both the run game and the passing game.

The guard play has also been very solid behind Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang. Scout Chris Landry talked to me about how good Sitton is recently. The talent at the guard position has helped Linsley mature at a faster rate as a rookie.

Both left tackle David Bakhtiari and right tackle Bryan Bulaga have been solid overall, but both have had some issues with their pass blocking. Packers quarterbacks have been sacked 21 times, which is the seventh-worst mark in the league.

Still, Aaron Rodgers is having another great season throwing the ball, as you saw in the slide on quarterback play.

The Packers are only ranked 24th in rushing offense, but the team is averaging four yards per rush attempt and have scored seven rushing touchdowns.

The biggest issue with the offensive line this year is the lack of quality depth. Derek Sherrod was up and down when he had to replace Bulaga at tackle when No. 75 sprained his knee and was out awhile, and Lane Taylor also struggled at guard when Lang sprained his ankle early in the game against the Saints.

The Packers are hoping to fix that issue with the return of JC Tretter. Tretter was the starting center this preseason for the Packers before injuring his knee.

The talented second-year player out of Cornell looks to be the first lineman off the bench now if there is an injury at center, guard or tackle.

Defensive Line

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Grade: D

Of all of the positional units, the defensive line grades out the worst. Why? The team is dead last in the NFL in rushing defense, as the Packers have allowed 153.5 yards a game on the ground and have allowed ball-carriers to average 4.8 yards a carry.

Stopping the run starts in the trenches. And the defensive line of the Packers is not getting it done. Yes, the season-ending injury this preseason to nose tackle B.J. Raji has hurt the ability to stuff the run as a unit. But overall, except for brief stretches, the team just can't stop teams from gashing the defense via the run.

It's also true that the linebackers and defensive backs have to make tackles when given the opportunity, but the ability to stop the run all starts at the line of scrimmage and who controls it.

The ankle injury to defensive end Datone Jones has also been a detriment to the overall success of the defensive line, but everyone has to start playing better. With Jones being out, the three starters are Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion and Mike Daniels.

Daniels is the best pass-rusher of the group and has 2.5 sacks. But No. 76 has to improve his play in defending the run, just like everyone in his unit.

Linebacker

USA TODAY Sports

Grade: C+

The linebacker play for the Packers has been uneven. The outside linebackers have played pretty well, but the inside linebacker play has been horrid at times.

The biggest issue at inside linebacker has been the position's inability to get off of blocks and stop the opponent's run game. This is one of the reasons why the Packers are playing musical chairs at the inside linebacker position opposite A.J. Hawk, where Brad Jones, Jamari Lattimore and Sam Barrington have all seen some playing time.

Hawk does lead the team in tackles with 60, but a lot of those tackles are after the ball-carrier is well past the line of scrimmage.

The inside linebacker position also struggles in pass coverage, although Lattimore does have the group's lone interception.

The outside linebacker position has been much more effective. Between Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Mike Neal and Nick Perry, the unit has 11.5 sacks, two interceptions (one for a touchdown), three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Although the unit is more effective in stopping the run than the inside linebackers, this unit also has also had issues at times (especially Matthews), when teams utilize a zone-read run play.

The Packers have also been using a new scheme called their "NASCAR" look. When they are in that scheme, the Packers will have Peppers, Matthews, Neal and Perry on the field at the same time.

The scheme was very effective against the Panthers, but it wasn't as good against the Saints.

Secondary

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Grade: B+

The secondary as a unit has done very well this season overall. The Packers are ranked ninth in passing defense and are fifth in the league in holding down the opposing quarterback's passer rating (82.1).

This is even after Drew Brees lit the Packers up like a Christmas tree last Sunday night. To be fair, the Packers were missing two starters in the secondary with cornerback Sam Shields being out with a knee injury, while safety Morgan Burnett was out with a calf injury.

Shields is probably the best cornerback on the team and is certainly the fastest. Burnett might be having his best season ever. So their absence in the New Orleans game was certainly a factor in the success Brees had that night.

Both the cornerback and safety positions are pretty deep. Besides Shields, the Packers also have Tramon Williams, Casey Hayward, Davon House and Jarrett Bush at cornerback.

Besides Burnett, the Packers have rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde and Sean Richardson manning the safety position.

Clinton-Dix had had some up and downs with his play in his first season in the NFL, but overall he looks to be an excellent prospect.

As a unit, the secondary has seven interceptions and 36 passes defended.

Special Teams

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Grade: B

Kicker Mason Crosby is having another stellar season this year, as he has made 11 of 12 field goals, including making both of his tries from 50 yards and beyond. Overall, Crosby is tied for 14th in the NFL in scoring with 58 points.

Crosby has also been solid on kickoffs, as he has 26 touchbacks on his 46 kickoffs.

The Packers have tried two onside kicks this year, and in both instances, each kick could have been recovered but were not.

Punter Tim Masthay has also been booted the ball well, as he has a 47-yard average overall and a net average of 40.8. Masthay has placed nine of his punts inside the 20. No. 8 did have one of his punts blocked, however.

The return and coverage units have been solid. On kickoff returns, the Packers have allowed an average return of 25.1 yards, while the punt coverage units have allowed an average return of 5.8 yards. Neither unit has allowed a score.

On returns, Micah Hyde has returned four kickoffs for 96 yards (24.0 average) and five punts for 49 yards (9.8 average).

DuJuan Harris has a 23.4 yard average on kickoff returns, while Randall Cobb has returned eight punts for 86 yards (10.8 average).

Coaching

Associated Press

Grade: B

In grading the coaching, I would give Mike McCarthy and Tom Clements a B+ on offense, Dom Capers a C- on defense and Shawn Slocum a B on special teams. That is how I arrived at the overall grade of B as a whole with the coordinators.

The other coaches have done a pretty good job overall, especially with the job Edgar Bennett has done with the receiver group. Other standouts include quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Sam Gash, offensive line coach James Campen and the work he has done with rookie center Corey Linsley, safeties coach Darren Perry, cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt and Ron Zook, who is the assistant special teams coach.

Winston Moss, who is the assistant head coach and the linebackers coach, needs to get the inside linebackers to play much better in the second half of the season, while defensive line coach Mike Trgovac has to get his unit playing at a much higher level.

The offense of the Packers has been able to score almost four touchdowns a game, although there has been some inconsistency at times.

On defense, the Packers play the pass well overall but are horrific at times trying to stop the run. That has to improve, especially with the weather about to get much colder.

Special teams have been solid, but that unit needs to make more big plays in the return game.