Green Bay Packers Week 17 Stock Report
The Green Bay Packers lost ugly to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and the stock report heading into Week 17 reflects that.
Few players looked good, as the Packers struggled to put up points and watched the Cardinals' lead grow more and more insurmountable.
Certainly, Mike Daniels' interception and punter Tim Masthay's successful fake punt were highlights of the night, but there were many more lowlights. Unsurprisingly, all the players with upward-trending stock this week are defensive ones, while offensive players as a whole are trending downward.
Let's break down whose stock is rising or falling heading into the final game of the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings with the division on the line.
Falling: QB Aaron Rodgers
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While it is true that Aaron Rodgers hasn't had the help and support of a solid offensive line, a productive group of pass-catchers or an explosive run game at points throughout the 2015 season, he also needs to take on some of the blame for the Packers' struggles on offense.
His completion percentage is just 60.4, one of the worst among the NFL's starting quarterbacks this season. Sure, he was working with a new play-caller, he's missing Jordy Nelson, and his receivers can't hang on to the football.
But even when you remove some of those factors, the numbers still show that Rodgers is struggling. Rodgers is 19th among starting quarterbacks in yards in the air without drops included, per Pro Football Focus, with 1,714.
He completed just 53 percent of his passes against the Arizona Cardinals and had a 1-1 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions.
Rodgers has also been holding on to the ball longer than most quarterbacks this season—taking 2.69 seconds to attempt a pass, per Pro Football Focus, which is the third longest in the league. Though it's often because his receivers are struggling to gain separation or because his line can't hold its blocks, it's affecting the tempo of the game.
This offense rises and falls with Rodgers, and though he's had moments of brilliance this season, he can't do it all alone.
Rising: DE Mike Daniels
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Mike Daniels may have gotten a huge payday in early December, but that's not decreasing the effort he's putting in for the Packers.
In fact, if anything, it's increased.
Daniels' pass defensed and interception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 were both his first of the season.
Heading into Week 17, Daniels is ranked the No. 3 3-4 defensive end in the league, behind just J.J. Watt and Cox, per Pro Football Focus. And per ESPN.com's Rob Demovksy, Daniels' average of $10.5 million makes him the third-highest-paid 3-4 defensive end in the league.
His 38 quarterback hurries on the season are third in the league among defensive ends, and he had just three missed tackles. Daniels' four sacks this year rank third among all Packers defensive players.
Daniels has established himself as a vocal leader on this defense for multiple seasons now, but he's really turned it on this season. His effort against the Cardinals in Week 16 is a shining example of that.
Falling: OL Don Barclay
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Veteran backup Don Barclay started at left tackle in place of David Bakhtiari against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and to say he struggled would be an understatement.
The entire offensive line was a mess on Sunday, as the Packers also lost T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga and, briefly, Corey Linsley to injuries, but Barclay was the weakest link.
Of the four sacks Rodgers took, Barclay alone allowed four, per Pro Football Focus. He also allowed four hurries and had three penalties called against him.
Having Josh Walker filling in at tackle on the other side of the line certainly didn't help matters much for Barclay, but the truth is the Packers offensive line is not built to withstand multiple injuries to its starting five.
If the Packers are going to find success against the Vikings defense in Week 17, they'll need to get Bakhtiari back fast.
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Rising: DL Mike Pennel
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Former undrafted free agent Mike Pennel has quietly put together a solid season for the Packers, and his stock continued to rise in Week 16 against Arizona.
Playing 30 snaps at left defensive end, Pennel had a sack, a hit and a hurry on Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, the only defensive player to register all three types of pressure on the passer. The sack came after he tossed his offensive lineman aside like a rag doll.
He also did his part to turn the tide of the game in the Packers' favor by forcing a fumble, which safety Morgan Burnett recovered for Green Bay.
He ended his day with three defensive stops and graded out as the No. 2 player overall on the Green Bay defense, per Pro Football Focus.
Though Pennel has subbed in at multiple positions on the defensive line this season, his natural position is nose tackle. With both B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion primed to become free agents in March, Pennel's continued improvement is extremely beneficial to the Packers' salary cap.
Falling: RB James Starks
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James Starks' continued fumbles have become more than a problem. They're an epidemic.
Starks fumbled the ball on the first play of the second half against the Cardinals, which landed him on the bench for the rest of the matchup.
Rightfully so; it was Starks' fifth fumble of the season, which more than doubles his previous season high, and it was his fourth in as many weeks.
While the running back has usually seen the bench immediately following his fumbles this season, the coaching staff has continued to feed him the ball. While Starks can be an incredibly valuable contributor in the passing game on screens, Eddie Lacy needs to be the featured back in Week 17 and into the playoffs.
With Green Bay's upcoming matchups sure to be close battles, the team must avoid mistakes. Starks simply cannot be trusted with the stakes so high.
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