The Green Bay Packers came together under first-year coach Matt LaFleur and won 13 regular-season games, an NFC North title and a home playoff game during a captivating and often thrilling 2019 season. It ended one game short of Super Bowl LIV. Here are the best individual performances from the Packers in 2019, ordered chronologically by week:
OLB Preston Smith, Week 1 at Bears: The $52 million man was everywhere and did a little bit of everything in his first game with the Packers, creating seven pressures, batting down a pass, blowing up two read-option plays, drawing a holding penalty and finishing the game with a sack of Mitchell Trubisky on fourth down. One of his late pressures helped create Adrian Amos’ interception in the end zone.
P JK Scott, Week 1 at Bears: JK-47 hit five punts inside the 20-yard line and consistently flipped field position in a game that ended up finishing 10-3. His 63-yard bomb in the fourth quarter inspired this hilarious breakdown from former Pro Bowl punter Pat McAfee and the term “game-winning punt.”
DL Kenny Clark, Week 2 vs. Vikings: Clark was flat-out disrespectful to rookie center Garrett Bradbury. He produced seven total pressures, including a strip-sack of Kirk Cousins. Twice, he beat a block to stop a run play. Twice more, he got held by Bradbury and drew a penalty. But Clark wasn’t done with Bradbury…
OLB Preston Smith, Week 3 vs. Broncos: Smith was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three-sack afternoon against the Broncos. He sacked Joe Flacco on third down in the first half, creating a punt. His strip-sack later in the half set up a quick touchdown drive. Finally, he ended the game late in the fourth quarter with a sack of Flacco on fourth down.
CB Jaire Alexander, Week 3 vs. Broncos: Smith got the league-wide recognition but Alexander was equally as good or better. He shadowed Emmanuel Sanders for much of the game and didn’t allow a catch into his coverage. He had a diving pass breakup in the end zone, but his highlight play was a strip and fumble recovery of Noah Fant to start the second half. He also drew a holding penalty on a touchdown run with some terrific acting.
WR Davante Adams, Week 4 vs. Eagles: It’s a shame his night had to end early because of a toe injury. Adams roasted the Philadelphia secondary for 10 catches and a career-high 180 yards. He caught two passes of at least 40 yards (40, 58) and had seven first-down catches, including two on third down. It’s not hard to envision the Packers winning the game had Adams not departed early.
RB Aaron Jones, Week 5 at Cowboys: He returned to his home state and scored four touchdowns, becoming the first player ever to rush for four touchdowns in a game against the Cowboys. He produced 182 total yards, including 75 receiving yards, helping the Packers score 34 points in the first game without Davante Adams. We counted Jones forcing 16 missed tackles. Oh, and he produced an iconic moment when he waved goodbye to Byron Jones as he raced into the end zone for his third touchdown run.
RT Bryan Bulaga, Week 5 at Cowboys: Despite entering the game with a shoulder injury, Bulaga played every snap and pitched an impressive shutout against Cowboys’ Pro Bowl defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who finished with exactly one tackle and no quarterback hits or sacks. It was a pass-blocking clinic.
QB Aaron Rodgers, Week 7 vs. Raiders: 158.3. Rodgers produced a perfect passer rating for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. He completed 25 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns, and he rushed for a sixth score. Raiders Jon Gruden credited Rodgers for hanging in the pocket and making big throws despite getting hit a bunch. He created as many touchdowns (6) as he had incompletions.
RB Aaron Jones, Week 8 at Chiefs: He set new career-highs with 226 total yards and 159 receiving yards. His 67-yard touchdown catch gave the Packers a late lead, and his third-down catch with just over two minutes left sealed the deal. He had two touchdowns taken away via penalty or replay. Of his 159 receiving yards, 125 came after the catch.
LG Elgton Jenkins, Week 8 at Chiefs: Want to know why Jenkins has Pro Bowl potential? Go back and watch this game. The rookie left guard dominated as a run blocker, in pass protection and in the screen game. It was the best game played by a Packers interior offensive lineman in 2019.
OLB Preston Smith, Week 10 vs. Panthers: Both of his sacks came on third down and forced punts. He finished with four quarterback hits. On the game’s final play, Smith helped stop All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey short of the end zone with the Packers protecting an 8-point lead.
OLB Za’Darius Smith, Week 13 at Giants: He didn’t have a sack, but he produced five quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. The team credited him with 12 total pressures. On three different plays, Smith’s pressure created an incompletion. He also made three tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage.
WR Allen Lazard, Week 13 at Giants: He caught all three of his targets for 103 yards and a touchdown. His diving 43-yard catch set up an early touchdown. Soon after, he got behind the defense for a 37-yard score. His 23-yard catch in the second half converted a 3rd-and-15. He was also dominant as a blocker and all over the place on special teams, tallying a pair of crunching tackles covering kicks.
S Adrian Amos, Week 14 vs. Redskins: He produced a sack and an interception of rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He came on the blitz and took down Haskins in the first quarter. Later, he read Haskins’ eyes and ranged to his right to make an interception late in the first half.
RB Aaron Jones, Week 14 vs. Redskins: Jones sliced and diced his way to 192 total yards and a score on 22 touches. He rushed for 134 yards on just 16 carries and added another 58 yards as a receiver. He likely would have scored a long touchdown on a deep passing play in the second half had he and Aaron Rodgers been on the same page.
TE Marcedes Lewis, Week 14 vs. Redskins: Run back all of Jones’ biggest runs and you’ll find an impressive block from Lewis. Run-blocking tight ends don’t often get recognition, but Lewis deserves it. He was great in the role all year. His best work came in Week 14.
PR Tyler Ervin, Week 14 vs. Redskins: He arrived in Green Bay off waivers and immediately made an impact as a returner. He gained 51 yards on four punt returns, and all four returns gained at least 10 yards. The Packers scored touchdowns after two of his returns. Ervin helped the Packers avoid NFL history for punt-returning futility.
DL Kenny Clark, Week 15 vs. Bears: Clark’s late-season destruction began in earnest against the Bears. He produced eight tackles, two sacks, three tackles for losses and one quarterback hit over 65 snaps. Six of his eight tackles were within two yards of the line of scrimmage. One of his two sacks came on third down.
RT Bryan Bulaga, Week 15 vs. Bears: All-Pro Khalil Mack had one of his worst-graded games in years and was mostly invisible during the Week 15 meeting of the rivals. Why? Bulaga shut him down. In two games against Mack in 2019, Bulaga didn’t allow a single sack.
OLB Za’Darius Smith, Week 16 at Vikings: This was probably the Packers’ top individual performance of the season. In fact, it has a strong case for being the most dominant individual effort in the entire NFL in 2019. Smith tallied 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hits and five tackles for losses to lead a swarming overall effort against Kirk Cousins and the Vikings in primetime. He finished with nine total pressures and all his tackles were deemed to be “stops,” considered a lost play by the offense.
DL Kenny Clark, Week 16 at Vikings: Clark teamed with Smith to overwhelm the Vikings offensive line. He produced four pressures, a sack and a quarterback hit while powering the defense’s suffocating effort against the run. Clark’s third-down sack of Cousins was one of the highlight plays of the year from the defense.
LT David Bakhtiari, Week 17 at Lions: The most dominant individual performance from an offensive lineman in 2019 goes to Bakhtiari, who erased any and all challengers from the Lions during a knockout season finale performance. The Lions did not have an edge rusher capable of even threatening the All-Pro left tackle in the passing game.
QB Aaron Rodgers, Divisional Round vs. Seahawks: A vintage Rodgers performance. The numbers don’t jump off the page – 16 completions for 243 yards and two touchdowns – but Rodgers was magnificent, especially on third down. He completed seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown – good for a 155.8 passer rating – on third down to help the Packers beat the Seahawks at Lambeau Field.
WR Davante Adams, Divisional Round vs. Seahawks: Rodgers’ preferred target to start the playoffs was Adams, who caught eight passes for a franchise-record 160 yards and two touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a 20-yard connection and later gave the Packers an 18-point lead in the second half with a 40-yard score. His route-running was exquisite. He became the first player in franchise history to produce 150 receiving yards and two scores in a playoff game.