Packers vs. Titans: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers failed in all three phases of the game in their hard-to-watch 47-25 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Green Bay gave up 446 yards and allowed the Titans to go 3-of-4 in the red zone.
They committed 12 penalties and converted only four out of 15 third downs.
They turned the ball over three times.
This Packers team needs to take a long look in the mirror and figure out why it seems to have no communication ability on the field. It needs to stop waiting for injured players to return because, at this rate, there will be no season left. And head coach Mike McCarthy needs to figure out how to get his players inspired to play football because, right now, they look lost.
Let's take a look at the grades for each position group after Week 10.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Aaron Rodgers passed for 371 yards on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, marking only the second time this season that he has surpassed the 300-yard mark.
Unfortunately, the offense had little to show for all that yardage. Rodgers threw only two touchdowns and threw two interceptions to match them. He only completed 61 percent of his passes. His vision was also questionable. One play comes to mind on which Davante Adams was wide open, but Rodgers threw to Jordy Nelson.
As has been the usual story this year, it wasn't all Rodgers' fault on Sunday. The defense and the special teams units made life uniquely difficult on the offense this week.
And, as we have also seen before, there were a couple of drives on which Rodgers looked downright dazzling, such as the one in the third quarter on which he ran the ball 20 yards for a touchdown.
He was contacted late by Perrish Cox, and seemingly the entire Packers offense rushed to his aid. It was an encouraging sight for a team that has been lacking fire or, seemingly, leadership this season, but ultimately the Packers missed too many opportunities (going 4-of-15 on third downs) to get anything going on offense.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
In what could have been the biggest difference-maker of the day for the Packers against the Titans, James Starks returned to the field in Week 10.
However, the Packers fell behind by three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Needless to say, they were never in a position to use Starks much. They had to throw for their lives to try to bridge the scoring gap.
Indeed, the Packers attempted 55 passes to just 13 carries on Sunday. That's what falling into a hole early will do. Starks carried the ball seven times, gaining 33 yards, and connected with Rodgers for a 13-yard receiving touchdown before halftime.
However, the Packers now have only three rushing touchdowns on the season, and all three have been from Rodgers. That's basically this backfield in a nutshell.
Grade: D
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Aaron Rodgers' 371 passing yards weren't distributed very evenly among his wide receivers. Instead, it was Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson who enjoyed the bulk of the work, gaining 156 and 126 receiving yards, respectively, and combining for 18 of Rodgers' 31 completions.
Nelson saw a whopping 18 targets from Rodgers and brought in 12 of them. He also had his eighth touchdown reception in nine games, which puts him in a tie for the most in the NFL. There's not much more you could expect Nelson to be doing.
Adams finally reintroduced the deep play to the Packers offense, averaging a whopping 26 yards per catch on his six receptions. His longest went for 46 yards.
On multiple plays, Packers receivers appeared to stop short on their routes or even flat-out fall down prior to connecting with the ball. Their mechanics and communication still need work.
The Packers really could have used Jared Cook back on the field against Tennessee, the team that drafted him. In his absence, Richard Rodgers was a non-factor with four receptions for 27 yards.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Packers offensive line suffered two injuries to starters on Sunday, as both guard T.J. Lang and left tackle David Bakhtiari left the game and did not return.
As ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported, Lang injured his ankle and Bakhtiari injured his knee.
Don Barclay came into the game in place of Lang, and rookie tackle Jason Spriggs replaced Bakhtiari. By the end of the day, the Packers offensive line had allowed five sacks and six hits on Rodgers.
One of Rodgers' sacks came on 3rd-and-13 at the beginning of the first quarter, and the distance was so unmanageable because of a false-start call on Bakhtiari. It was a prime opportunity to get on the board early that the Packers missed.
Run blocking didn't factor heavily into the grades this week, as the offense attempted so few runs. Starks did average more than four yards per carry.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
As was the case against the Colts' Andrew Luck, the Packers weren't able to get much pressure on Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota up front. They weren't able to contain running back DeMarco Murray either.
The run defense headed into Sunday's game having given up an average of just 75.8 rushing yards per game. It gave up a 75-yard touchdown to Murray on the Titans' first play from scrimmage, and things didn't get better from there.
In all, the Packers allowed Murray 123 yards and the touchdown, not to mention a reception of 35 yards and a touchdown throw to Delanie Walker.
Defensive tackle Mike Daniels said in the week leading up to the game that the team was angry, as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported, but the Packers were not ferocious against the Titans up front.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Packers suffered a big loss at linebacker early in the game when inside 'backer Jake Ryan left the game with an ankle injury.
Joe Thomas joined Blake Martinez inside to try to contain the Titans. Martinez led the team in tackles with 10, and Thomas had a gold-star moment on the opening play of the game when he sniffed out the Titans' onside-kick attempt and recovered it.
But the linebackers, who were missing their leader in Clay Matthews for the third straight game, didn't make much of an impact against Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray or the rest of the Titans. Datone Jones pitched in with a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit, and Jayrone Elliott had two tackles for loss.
Overall, however, Mariota wasn't disrupted enough to be kept from throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns, or completing 73 percent of his passes.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
The Packers secondary had no answer for tight end Delanie Walker, who torched it for 124 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
Five different Titans receivers found the end zone on passing plays. That's right: Even though Marcus Mariota threw only four touchdowns, running back DeMarco Murray connected with Walker for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
The Packers were also burned by Tajae Sharpe and Rishard Matthews on big plays. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix gave up a 21-yard bomb to Sharpe early in the first quarter, while Matthews had a 32-yard touchdown reception.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
Like the other two phases of the game against the Titans, the Packers' special teams play was a disaster.
No, they didn't give up a touchdown return on the game's opening drive and in fact sniffed out an onside kick and recovered it. But returner Trevor Davis muffed a punt in the second quarter, which the Titans recovered before quickly scoring on the ensuing drive.
Not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things, but Mason Crosby also missed an extra-point attempt, just his second miss of the season.
If it's any consolation, Jacob Schum pinned a punt inside the 20-yard line and had an average above 50 yards.
Grade: D
Coaching
9 of 10
At this point, as the Packers stand at 4-5 on the season after losing to such teams as the Indianapolis Colts and now the Tennessee Titans, head coach Mike McCarthy's job might actually be in jeopardy.
There have been moments of obvious careful thought and planning that turn into successful execution, such as lining Jordy Nelson up in the slot to scheme Randall Cobb open (though Cobb couldn't bring in the catch).
But overall, McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers seem to be losing their influence over this squad. The Packers looked listless and apathetic against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 and downright lost against the Titans.
Yes, this team has been ravaged by injuries, but even with those injuries, the Packers still have more talent on their roster than other teams could hope to assemble. The injuries haven't kept the Packers from the playoffs in past seasons. They shouldn't do so this year.
Of course, it's not just on McCarthy. Player execution, or lack thereof, plays a big role.
But the Packers have been playing not to lose rather than playing to win. They can't build early leads. They can't get out of second-half holes. And the coach has to take responsibility for that.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Quarterback | C |
| Running Back | D |
| Wide Receiver/Tight End | B- |
| Offensive Line | C- |
| Defensive Line | D |
| Linebacker | C |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | F |
| Final Grade | D |
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