Category: Latest Packers News

Good, bad, and ugly from the Packers’ victory over the Panthers

We recap the good, bad, and ugly moments from the Green Bay Packers 24-16 win over the Carolina Panthers.

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Following a stinker of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers returned home to Lambeau Field, where winter arrived just in time to help the Packers against the Carolina Panthers. The Packers rode the likes of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams to a victory, beating the Panthers 24-16. Sunday’s game had a little bit of everything, but more importantly, it gave Green Bay another signature win before their bye week.

Thanks to the win, the Packers are now 8-2, and will head into their bye week as one of the best teams in the NFC. As they get healthy and aim to fix some mistakes, the team is undoubtedly in the chase for a first-round bye, and their first game out of the bye will be an important one, as they look to take on the presently undefeated San Francisco 49ers.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Packers’ 24-16 victory over the Panthers.

The Good

  • Aaron Jones: There’s not much left to say about Aaron Jones that hasn’t already been said. The leader of the Packers running back room and possibly MVP of the offense once again proved his worth on Sunday, as Jones ran for 93 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He finished the game averaging 7.2 yards per carry and was crucial to the Packers killing some of the clock late in the fourth quarter. As good as Davante Adams is, and with all respect to Aaron Rodgers, there is an argument that Jones has been the best player on the Packers offense in 2019. The Packers will undoubtedly be leaning on him as they continue to play down the stretch.

  • The Smiths: The Packers’ dip into free agency during the offseason continues to pay off. Za’Darius and Preston Smith once again wreaked havoc on the Panthers offensive line and young quarterback Kyle Allen. The pair combined for two sacks and seven quarterback hits, with Za’Darius adding in a bunch of other pressures to boot. Preston Smith has already hit his career-high in sacks, and with Za’Darius not too far behind his own, it’s been clear that these two have completely changed the Packers defense for the better.
  • Red zone defense: For the last six weeks, the Packers defense has been anything but the elite unit that many thought they had become to start the season. However, the Packers “bend but don’t break” mentality on defense has proven to work so far. Although Green Bay gave up 401 yards to the Panthers, they were able to shut them down when Carolina got into the red zone, forcing a turnover and a late goal-line stand that won them the game. The Packers’ defense continues to be extremely opportunistic and live off of turnovers, and while that might be troublesome when it’s not working, the Packers have proven that when they need to, they’re able to tighten things up.

  • Kenny Clark: The Packers’ best defensive lineman had a quiet October, but he produced one of his best games of the 2019 season. He played a big part in limiting Christian McCaffrey to 108 rushing yards and was consistently disruptive as a pass rusher.

The Bad

  • J.K. Scott: To Scott’s credit, he did finish the game with a couple of nice punts, but it was a rocky game for the young kicker. After starting off the season on fire, Scott has once again cooled along with the weather. In a wet, snowy game at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Scott’s first couple of kicks were flat out awful, and as a whole, his punts averaged just 35.3 yards, with his first two kicks giving the Panthers great field position. Scott has been extremely streaky this year, and it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back following the bye.
  • Penalties: The Packers played a much more disciplined game this week then they did against the Chargers last week, but an alarming trend of penalties killing the team is starting to pop up. Green Bay finished the game with 10 penalties totaling just 64 yards, but the manner in which they came was rough. On offense, false starts and delay of games doomed some of the Packers drives, and late in the game with the Panthers on a potential game-tying drive, both Za’Darius and Preston Smith were caught offsides in crucial moments. It didn’t come back to bite them on Sunday, but giving teams extra chances to beat you is never good, and something the team will have to work on.
  • David Bakhtiari: A surprising entrant on this part of the list, Bakhtiari has struggled during the last couple of weeks. Coming into the season as an All-Pro candidate and one of the best left tackles in the league, Bakhtiari has looked like anything but recently. Not only was he beat a handful of times on Sunday, but he’s been whistled for a ton of penalties that have severely hurt some Packers drives in recent games. The bright side of things is that whether it’s a minor injury or just a stretch of poor play, it’s a safe bet that Bakhtiari will turn things around at some point.

The Ugly

  • Pre-halftime play: It’s important to note that as far as this play is concerned, I believe the decision to go for it was the absolute correct one, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Just prior to the end of the first half, the Packers had the ball on the Panthers 1-yard line with two seconds remaining. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Packers opted to go for it and were stuffed for a 3-yard loss. Not only was Aaron Jones not on the field, but the Packers lined up in a heavy formation, essentially letting the Panthers know they’d be trying to run straight up the middle. Not only did Panthers defensive end Gerald McCoy, who blew up the play, say he knew what was coming prior to the snap, but David Bakhtiari also whiffed on a blocking attempt, which ended any chance of the play succeeding. Going for it was the right decision, but they’ll need better plays for those moments in the future.

Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams emerging as top NFL RB tandem for Packers

Matt LaFleur and the Packers are getting maximum returns from RBs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams in 2019.

Going into the 2019 NFL season, the running back position was a bit of a mystery for the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Jones had flashed moments of stardom during his first two NFL seasons, but he wasn’t able to finish out either year due to injuries and that naturally raised questions about his ability to handle the workload of a feature back.

Jamaal Williams has always shined in pass protection and shown solid receiving ability, but he underwhelmed as a runner in his first two NFL seasons and he wasn’t given as many opportunities as a receiver over that time span as he probably should have been, especially now in hindsight.

But all of that’s changed in 2019.

In Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme, Jones and Williams have been utilized to their maximum potential.

Through 10 games, Jones is tied with Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey for the league lead in touchdowns with 14. He’s also on pace for over 1,500 all-purpose yards and 21 total touchdowns.

Williams currently leads the Packers with five receiving touchdowns, and his yards-per-carry average is up to 4.5 from 3.8 last year.

Jones’ improved ability in pass protection has allowed him to stay on the field for more snaps, and the increased usage as a receiver has allowed him to become a major weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the passing game.

Williams has also seen a major uptick in passing game work. His previous career-high for receptions in a single season was 27, and this year, he’s already up to 25.

With LaFleur calling plays, the Packers are finally taking advantage of their running backs’ receiving ability, and that change is a big reason why they’ve been able to get by with lackluster production from their receiver group.

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8 observations from the Packers’ win over Panthers

A collection of observations from the Packers’ 24-16 win over the Panthers at Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers talked all week about bouncing back from a disappointing effort in Los Angeles and going into the bye week with a win over the Carolina Panthers.

Matt LaFleur’s team delivered on Sunday, even if it took all 60 minutes to get it done. A goal-line stop with no time left cemented the 24-16 win over the Panthers at Lambeau Field.

Here are a few observations from Sunday’s win in the snow:

1. All Pro 97: Kenny Clark got it going early and never really quit. Overall, Sunday was easily his best performance since the first month of the season. On the second play of the game, Clark drove center Matt Paradis three yards into the backfield and then lassoed Christian McCaffrey down after a short gain. Paradis had trouble with Clark all night. McCaffrey gained 108 rushing yards, but Clark was a big reason why he didn’t have more. And he terrorized everyone in front of him in the passing game. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark finished with a career-high 10 pressures. He abused Paradis on a late third-down sack by Preston Smith. The struggling Packers defense needed an All-Pro performance from Clark, and he delivered one.

2. Fantastic finish: The final three plays of the Packers’ first touchdown drive are worth a re-watch. On 3rd-and-9, Aaron Rodgers bought time to his right and found Allen Lazard, who now has at least three catches in five straight games, to extend the drive. There’s a serious trust forming between No. 12 and No. 13. He was targeted on four different third downs. A play later, the Packers got Davante Adams lined up against a linebacker, and he made quick work of the matchup. Watch the patience of the route. Adams does so many subtle things with his feet, shoulders and head to trick defenders. Easy completion. Finally, the Packers dialed up a play Rodgers loved, a split zone run with Marquez Valdes-Scantling serving as the jet action. The design froze many of the Panthers’ second-level defenders. Jace Sternberger crashed down and cut off the backside, and Aaron Jones made Luke Kuechly miss in the hole and scored. Beauty.

3. Rodgers to Davante: The 38-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams in the second quarter was a work of art. The throw and the catch were both sublime, but so was everything else. Jace Sternberger blocked an edge rusher one-on-one. Aaron Jones picked up a blitzer. David Bakhtiari looked beat off the snap but recovered. Rodgers held the safety just long enough. The placement of the football was about perfect, and Adams waited until the very last second to put his hands up and make the catch, giving the cornerback no chance to know the ball was coming. Matt LaFleur talks all the time about all 11 doing their job. This big play was the perfect example.

4. Give away: The final play of the first half might have been doomed from the start. Panthers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy said he picked up on a few pre-snap keys and knew when to jump the snap. As a result, he got off the ball in an instant. That left David Bakhtiari grasping for air as McCoy blew past him and smacked Jamaal Williams for a loss. Coach Matt LaFleur said he regretted the call. The play was in trouble regardless of McCoy’s effort. And one other thing: Allen Lazard wasn’t set at the snap and should have been penalized. Just bad execution on a critical play.

5. Sternberger shows up: Rookie tight end Jace Sternberger has likely earned himself a legitimate role over the final six games of 2019. He proved capable as a blocker in a variety of roles on Sunday. As the game went on, he looked more and more comfortable. It looked like the Packers were setting up some kind of action play for Sternberger, but it never arrived. Watch for one coming out of the bye. There will be creative ways to get him running down field and in the open, especially if he keeps blocking effectively.

6. Elgton dominates second half: The Packers rookie left guard keeps looking more and more impressive. He was utterly dominant during the third quarter Sunday. Watch any of the explosive runs from Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams and Jenkins was at the point of attack clearing away a defender. Williams was especially effective running off the left side. On one 9-yard run by Jones, Jenkins blocked his man right to the turf. He also pitched another shutout in pass protection. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst found a really good one.

7. Campbell dime: The Packers gave Ibraheim Campbell plenty of snaps as the dime linebacker. The results were mixed. He certainly gave the run defense a boost. He plays downhill with aggression and tackles well in space and in a crowd. The issues came in coverage. The Panthers found ways to get him thinking with crossers and combination concepts, and it created a few big plays. He did have good coverage on a double move from Christian McCaffrey on the game’s second-to-last play, forcing a wide throw.

8. Martinez, Fackrell scramble: Huge credit goes to Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell on the final play. Martinez realigned Fackrell right before the snap and it saved the day. The entire defensive line was out of position, and neither Fackrell nor Kenny Clark was all that ready for the snap, but Fackrell still found a way to swim past left guard Greg Van Roten and hit McCaffrey in the backfield, allowing Preston Smith to get there and clean it up in time. The Panthers must’ve loved their call, especially with a left guard on Fackrell and everyone scrambling up front before the snap. It took an excellent individual effort to prevent what should have been an easy touchdown.

Preston Smith wins race to 10 sacks, plans Rolex watches for entire Packers defense

Preston Smith won the race to 10 sacks. Now he’ll buy Rolex watches for every player on the Packers defense.

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The race to 10 sacks between Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith already has a victor, but everyone on the Green Bay Packers defense is about to be a big winner.

Preston tallied two sacks of Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen on Sunday, pushing him to 10 sacks through the first 10 games of the 2019 season. Za’Darius, despite being close to several sacks, remained stuck at 8.5.

The two Smiths put a friendly wager on the race to 10. Whoever got there first would be responsible for buying gifts of their choice.

Preston, the winner, has made his decision.

He said in the locker room Sunday night that he’ll be buying Rolex watches for every player on the Packers defense. Not just for the outside linebacker room, but everyone on defense.

Za’Darius said he was planning to buy every player a chain with their number if he had gotten to 10 sacks first.

Preston beat him there and then beat his present idea.

“Yeah, that’s big,” Za’Darius said, smiling.

Preston should be able to afford it. He signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Packers in March that included a $16 million signing bonus.

The two Smiths were dominant on Sunday, producing two sacks, seven quarterback hits and at least a dozen total pressures. Preston even got credit for tackling Christian McCaffrey on the game’s final play, preserving the Packers’ eight-point lead and securing the victory.

Together, Preston and Za’Darius Smith have 18.5 sacks through the first 10 games of 2019. The Packers are getting their money’s worth, and then some. Now, with Preston officially a member of the double-digit sack club, everyone on the Packers defense is about to benefit.

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