The Green Bay Packers were fortunate to avoid an upset at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Two-touchdown underdogs, the Jaguars outplayed the Packers for much of Sunday, but the overwhelming advantage at quarterback and production from the pass-rush helped Matt LaFleur’s team save the day.
Some observations after several re-watches of the Packers’ win:
– For the second time in three weeks, rookie linebacker Kamal Martin looked explosive on the blitz. On one snap in the first quarter, he burst through the A-gap and blew up the running back in pass protection, forcing Jake Luton out of the pocket in a panic. The rookie can really play downhill.
– MVS made the big play to start the second quarter with pure speed. A play later in the quarter showed heightened awareness. In the scramble drill, he found a soft spot in the coverage and stayed put, letting the defense flow away from him. The savvy move provided a throwing window for Aaron Rodgers on third down.
– Gary had several empty rushes early while trying to use speed and bend around the corner. Once he started using power against right tackle Juwan Taylor, he dominated. Gary isn’t a finesse player. He’s all power. Converting speed to power is the key to unlocking his production potential in Year 2.
– Darnell Savage was fortunate not to give up two big plays. On the first, D.J. Chark was behind his coverage and open for what probably should have been a long touchdown. Luton’s pass hung up in the wind and Savage had enough recovery speed to disrupt the ball at the catch point. Later, he got caught cheating up and nearly allowed another touchdown down the middle of the field, but Luton airmailed the pass.
– The Jaguars didn’t seem to mind the cold, but they had major issues with footing at Lambeau Field. Several times, a player slipped down or lost his footing and ruined a play. On Adrian Amos’ interception, Tyler Eifert slipped down. Jacksonville’s pass-catchers had problems all afternoon with the footing. In the fourth quarter, a slip from the defensive back allowed Robert Tonyan to convert a big third down.
– JK Scott had issues punting both directions.
– The game really could have gone in a different direction had Davante Adams’ touchdown late in the second quarter not been wiped out by penalty. The Packers had just taken a 14-10 lead and were poised to go up 11 points after getting a takeaway. Losing the touchdown and then settling for the field goal kept the Jaguars in it.
– Juwann Winfree, who was elevated from the practice squad, missed a block in the run game, creating an easy tackle for loss in the second quarter.
– The Jaguars did a terrific job defending the quick receiver screens, especially in the first half against Adams. Of course, when the Packers finally broke one, it set up a touchdown. Valdes-Scantling got 18 yards with some tough running on a bubble screen on the go-ahead touchdown drive.
– The Packers didn’t run the ball well. The Jaguars committed resources to stopping the run, often putting eight men in the box and using a single-high safety. In windy conditions, the plan was clearly to contain the run, even if it meant taking some chances defending the downfield passing game.
– It’s still hard to understand what happened on the interception. It looked like both a bad decision and a bad throw, a rare combination from Rodgers. Valdes-Scantling never looked open, and the throw was a little behind.
– The two holding penalties negating James Robinson touchdowns were debatable calls. The Packers got lucky on both. The second penalty changed the game, turning seven points into just three. The Packers won by four.
– The Packers’ pass-rush took over late. Both of the Jaguars’ final two possessions ended harmlessly because of relentless pressure. Mike Pettine put Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary on the field together and let them go to work as a four-man rushing group.
– Re-watches confirmed what was apparent on Sunday: The Packers were fortunate to win this game. Luton really struggled. The rookie missed several big throws. With competent quarterback play, the Jaguars win, maybe comfortably. A couple of penalties also benefitted the Packers, and the Jaguars struggled with their footing at Lambeau Field.
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