Biggest Takeaways from Green Bay Packers' Week 15 Win
From a box-score standpoint, the Green Bay Packers beat the Oakland Raiders convincingly with a 30-20 result.
But the tape tells a different story.
Oakland quarterback Derek Carr's mistakes, including an interception that cornerback Damarious Randall returned for a touchdown, helped the Packers mightily in their win.
Though the team clinched a playoff bye Sunday, it's fair to wonder how far this offense can take it into the postseason as it currently stands.
Green Bay's passing game looked anemic, with Aaron Rodgers throwing for just one touchdown and one interception. A sluggish run game that struggled to get much going against Oakland's front seven, which has been stout against the run in recent weeks, didn't help.
The Packers did have a few big plays, such as James Jones' 30-yard touchdown catch-and-run down the right sideline, but they lacked consistency.
Let's review five takeaways from the Packers' win and examine what they'll need to do moving forward.
McCarthy's Play-Calling Can Only Do So Much
1 of 5
Head coach Mike McCarthy was back at the helm calling plays for the Packers for the second game this season, but he still hasn't been able to cure this team of whatever is plaguing it.
After calling a well-balanced game in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy seemed to deviate away from the run—and, as such, from Eddie Lacy—in Oakland.
The Packers attempted a pass on 39 plays but ran the ball on 28, with four of those runs coming from wide receiver Randall Cobb lining up in the backfield and another three from one of McCarthy's favorite weapons— fullback John Kuhn.
After a week in which he posted 124 yards on 24 carries, Lacy split the load in the backfield with James Starks, who lost a fumble.
Why the Packers didn't feature Lacy in inclement weather while holding a lead is a mystery, but it's one that starts with McCarthy.
And even when McCarthy's designed plays were great calls, the players often couldn't execute. Davante Adams dropped what would have been a 14-yard touchdown reception. Rodgers completed just over 50 percent of his passes.
McCarthy might make Green Bay more competitive than his associate Tom Clements did, but he hasn't been able to solve his team's problems yet.
Defense Looking Playoff-Ready
2 of 5
While the Packers offense raised some red flags against Oakland, the defense was looking ready for the postseason.
The unit helped the team start the game off on a strong note when Micah Hyde and Damarious Randall both intercepted Oakland quarterback Derek Carr on back-to-back plays.
Randall returned his pick for a touchdown and helped give the offense some breathing room, to the tune of a 14-point lead.
The Packers were missing veteran cornerback Sam Shields, but Randall held his own. Drawing the unenviable task of shadowing Amari Cooper, Randall held the star receiver in check when it mattered in the fourth quarter of the game.
Julius Peppers had a big day too, getting 2.5 sacks on Carr and another three hits. He also had two tackles for loss.
Defensive backs Morgan Burnett, Quentin Rollins and Hyde also each had two passes defensed to their name on the day.
"It was a great start," Peppers said, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com. "They fought back, as we expect all teams to do,” Peppers said. “It was a grind-out win for us, and that’s the kind of guys we have in here. Grind-it-out, play-four-quarters."
Jared Abbrederis Sees Role Increase
3 of 5
One thing has become clear since Mike McCarthy took over the Packers' play-calling: The head coach wants to see more Jared Abbrederis.
It was only Abbrederis' third game this season with a reception, and though he didn't match his output from Week 10 (four receptions for 57 yards), he came close, ending his day against the Raiders with three catches for 33 yards.
In fact, McCarthy was so determined to find ways to get Abbrederis onto the field that he ran a package four times in which Randall Cobb lined up in the backfield so that Abbrederis could split out wide.
He may not have had the most volume on the stat sheet, but Abbrederis handled himself (and the ball) surely on Sunday, something that cannot be said for all his teammates, most notably Davante Adams.
Abbrederis caught every pass that came his way, and two of them were for first downs to keep drives alive.
If the key to success for a Packers receiver is developing trust with Aaron Rodgers, Abbrederis proved he can deliver on Sunday.
"He can get open," Rodgers said, per Robert Zizzo of Press-Gazette Media. "He’s a good route-runner. He needs to be on the field more."
From his lips to McCarthy's ears.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Packers Still Struggling to Convert Third Downs
4 of 5
Green Bay came into Sunday's matchup with Oakland converting just 36.2 percent of its third-down attempts, which was 25th among all teams.
The Packers didn't fare much better in Week 15, going just 4-of-13 on such attempts—or a 30.8 percent completion rate, which is even lower than their season average.
And as Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed out even before Sunday's game, the Packers have struggled particularly in 3rd-and-1 situations, which should in theory not be difficult to convert when you have Eddie Lacy, James Starks, John Kuhn and a fairly mobile quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
"They shouldn't be having these major problems," McGinn wrote. "However, when linemen and others don't block well and backs don't run with fiery determination, one yard is hard to pick up."
Is this issue a factor of the coaching staff's poor play selection or the players' failure to execute? The fact that the issue has spanned both Tom Clements' and Mike McCarthy's tenues as play-caller suggests the onus belongs more to the personnel.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari said it best.
"It's execution," he told McGinn. "When we need it we have to get it on 3rd-and-1."
Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo Aren't Getting Job Done
5 of 5
The Packers have lacked explosivity at the tight end position for years now, dating back to before Jermichael Finley suffered what would prove to be a career-ending neck injury.
Between the two of them, tight ends Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo caught just two passes for 12 yards against the Raiders, which is barely enough to register on the radar.
Sure, Rodgers had scored touchdowns in his last two games against the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys, and the Hail Mary reception in Week 13 especially proved how much of a difference his athleticism and size can make in the end zone.
Yet, the Packers also need a big tight end who can create mismatches and who can be used to attack the seam, and they don't currently seem to have one on the roster.
Veteran Andrew Quarless temporarily remains on injured reserve, but the Packers will have to decide whether to activate him, release him or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
With just two games left in the season and Quarless' last game snaps having come in Week 3, it's hard to imagine he's who they turn to heading into the playoffs.
But the current tight end situation in Green Bay is not doing the team any favors.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
