Packers vs. Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
The 9-6 Green Bay Packers continued to run the table with their win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, their fifth consecutive victory.
The Vikings, meanwhile, haven't looked like the same team that won five straight at the beginning of the season.
The Packers are solidly in second place in the NFC North and have eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention. With a Detroit Lions defeat in Week 17, Green Bay wins the division.
For as high-octane as the Packers offense was Sunday, the defense had some serious issues. Green Bay will need to find more consistency on both sides of the ball in order to make a deep playoff run.
Let's break down the Packers' Week 16 win over the Vikings and hand out some position grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
For the second week in a row, quarterback Aaron Rodgers earns the highest grade possible with another heroic performance.
This time, Rodgers threw four touchdowns and ran another one in himself, completing 74 percent of his passes for a passer rating of 136.6.
Rodgers also averaged 9.1 yards per attempt, one of the highest averages of the season.
In addition to the calf and hamstring injuries, there was a scary moment in which Rodgers' neck appeared to be injured after a sack. The quarterback came back in on the next series, however, and finished the game without further incident.
The Packers would not be "running the table" and contending for a playoff berth without Rodgers, plain and simple. In this five-game stretch, he has played some of the best football of his career.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
Make no mistake: Ty Montgomery is still the answer for the Packers at running back. He just wasn't the answer on Sunday against Minnesota.
The Vikings' stout defensive front stymied the Packers' run game. Montgomery totaled only 23 yards on nine carries for an average of just 2.6 yards per attempt. Christine Michael carried the ball just four times for as many yards.
Aaron Rodgers was able to find a hole in the Vikings run D large enough to run in a touchdown, however, and the Packers' win was not contingent on a prolific running game. Still, the Packers will want to find the balance they had against the Chicago Bears in Week 15 in the playoffs.
Grade: D
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Randall Cobb missed Sunday's clash with the Vikings, but his teammates did more than step up in his absence.
The seemingly ageless Jordy Nelson went off for one of the biggest days of his career, totaling 154 yards on nine receptions and catching two touchdown passes. Nelson had an explosive 48-yard play and further strengthened his case to be named Comeback Player of the Year.
In a surprising turn of events, it was undrafted rookie Geronimo Allison who was the Packers' No. 2 receiver on the day. He helped keep drives alive with his four receptions for 66 yards.
Davante Adams and tight end Richard Rodgers were the other two players who connected with Aaron Rodgers for scores on the day. Adams had another end-zone drop that would have otherwise been a touchdown, something that could spell big trouble in the playoffs.
Richard Rodgers and Jared Cook had five receptions for 57 yards between them, and the Packers benefited from the increased tight end involvement. It's the costly drop by Adams and another by Ty Montgomery that tack the minus onto the end of this A.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line suffered some setbacks against the Vikings.
Right tackle Bryan Bulaga hurt his shoulder; rookie Jason Spriggs had to replace him.
Aaron Rodgers was under duress, taking four sacks, including two on back-to-back plays. On one sack, Rodgers was slow to get up and suffered an apparent neck injury.
The Packers have had one of the better offensive lines in football this season, and no unit is perfect. That being said, plays that could knock the quarterback out of the game have to be limited at all costs, and the line also needs to hold running blocks longer.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
There were a handful of flashy plays up front on defense, but overall the Packers defensive front could have generated even more pressure against one of the worst offensive lines in football in the Vikings.
The Packers sacked Sam Bradford four times, but the Minnesota passer had enough time to make magic happen again and again with Adam Thielen, who had an insane day with 12 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
On paper, the Packers did a better job of containing the Vikings' run game, though of course they did not have to face off against Adrian Peterson, who was inactive. Minnesota's top rusher, Jerick McKinnon, had just 50 yards on 11 carries.
Mike Daniels was able to come up with a fumble Clay Matthews forced, and rookie Kenny Clark recovered a fumble on a bad snap. Those crucial plays kept the Vikings from clawing their way back.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Nick Perry returned to action for the Packers on Sunday and, in so doing, had a pair of sacks.
Meanwhile, his teammate Clay Matthews has been on a snap count as he works through a shoulder sprain, but he saw enough playing time to make a huge play for his team.
The momentum was turning in the Vikings' favor, big time, and Minnesota was driving for another touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the first half when Matthews came up with a strip-sack of Sam Bradford, which Mike Daniels recovered.
It was a huge play that protected the Packers' lead heading into halftime and allowed them to even extend it, when Aaron Rodgers ran the ball in for a score.
Perry also had two tackles for loss on the day, as well as two quarterback hits. In addition to his sack, Matthews had three quarterback hits.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
It was a brutal day for the Packers secondary.
Cornerback Damarious Randall, who was unceremoniously benched in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears, didn't even come into the game until defensive back Micah Hyde got injured. Then, LaDarius Gunter left the game with an elbow injury.
Quinten Rollins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix took bad angles when Adam Thielen caught a Bradford pass to give the Vikings their first touchdown of the game in the second quarter and bring the score to 21-13.
Randall was able to redeem himself toward the end of the third quarter when he broke up a deep pass intended for Cordarrelle Patterson and forced Minnesota to punt.
All in all, though, the Packers secondary gave up a whopping 382 yards to wide receivers and three passing touchdowns. It's a unit that is going to be in big trouble in the playoffs if it can't shore up the holes and work on the fundamentals.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
There was some good, some bad and some ugly on the Packers' special teams on Sunday, but thankfully nothing that negatively impacted the game's outcome.
In the good, Jeff Janis had a huge coverage tackle in the third quarter on a 47-yard Jacob Schum punt, holding the Vikings to no return. It's every so often that Janis makes a play like that on special teams and reminds us why he's still on the roster.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Micah Hyde muffed a punt but, thankfully, was able to recover it.
With Ty Montgomery emerging as the No. 1 running back, Christine Michael replaced his role on kick returns and killed it, averaging 21.3 yards per return with one for 30 yards.
Mason Crosby was perfect on field goals and extra points. Schum averaged 43.2 yards on six punts.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The game against Minnesota likely didn't go the way Mike McCarthy drew it up, but the Packers emerged nevertheless with a 38-25 victory that had the head coach feeling confident.
"We plan on going to Detroit to win the division," McCarthy said at the podium after the game, per Cheesehead TV's Zachary Jacobson.
McCarthy no doubt would have liked to see more balance between the run and the pass. Aaron Rodgers attempted 38 passes, but the Packers only ran the ball 15 times. Especially since they led throughout the game, the Packers should have leaned on Ty Montgomery more.
There were also some questionable play calls that always seem to sneak into the mix.
As usual, the third quarter proved to be underwhelming for the Packers, who went 0-of-4 on four straight third downs. McCarthy's predilection to call horizontal passes on 3rd-and-5 reared its ugly head.
However, the Packers held on and prevented the Vikings from closing the gap.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
Quarterback | A+ |
| Running Back | D |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | A- |
| Offensive Line | C |
| Defensive Line | B |
| Linebacker | A- |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B |
| Final Grade | B+ |
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