The Green Bay Packers shook off last week’s loss in Tampa Bay, using four touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers – including two to Davante Adams – to run away with a 35-20 win over the Houston Texans at RNG Stadium.
The Packers are now 5-1 after six games, with three wins by 14 or more points.
Packers Wire’s Jack Wepfer and Zach Kruse talked through Sunday’s get-right win in our latest in the post-game chat series:
Zach: Alright, Jack, we’re back for another chat. I think this is how you’d want a good team to respond to a beat down. The Texans are flat-lining, but the Packers started fast, controlled the game throughout and won it comfortably, despite a few shaky moments late. The offense was without three important players (David Bakhtiari, Aaron Jones and Allen Lazard) but it didn’t really matter. The late-game lull didn’t distract me from the fact that the Packers protected Aaron Rodgers, avoided negative plays and converted on third down and in the red zone. They probably should have scored 40 or more but it felt like Matt LaFleur kind of took his foot off the gas there late. The defense had disruptive moments and held Deshaun Watson and the Texans to just 7 points deep into the second half. This was a game the Packers were expected to win, but I think there’s a lot to like coming out of Houston, right? Overcoming last week’s result and all those injuries and still cruising to a win is a nice result.
Jack: For sure. Good teams take care of business against bad teams, and even during the late-game lull, the Packers were mostly in control. I also think this game helped us learn some things about the team. For one, I think they have some intriguing talent with the two middle linebackers in Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin. They didn’t play a perfect game – there were lapses in coverage I thought could be cleaned up – but I like the upside. I also liked what I saw from Jamaal Williams, who’s molded himself into a complete back. Houston has really struggled this year on defense, but I thought Williams allowed the Packers to maintain their identity. Just thinking out loud here: if Aaron Jones’ price tag gets too rich, the Packers could have a cheaper backup plan with Williams alongside A.J. Dillon. Speaking of Dillon, how did you think he played in an extended role? Did anyone else catch your eye? Personally, I thought Dillon’s day was underwhelming, but I also wasn’t wowed by the interior run blocking. Both Williams and Dillon are rhythm backs who get better with volume, and only one back was getting a bulk of the touches today. I realize that as I write this I’m probably contradicting myself re: Williams extension…
Zach: Yeah, Sunday was interesting on the contract front for a bunch of reasons. The Packers really got a taste of life without Aaron Jones, David Bakhtiari and Kevin King. I thought Williams ran hard, Billy Turner survived fine at left tackle and Josh Jackson had a mostly solid afternoon. In no way am I advocating for the Packers moving on from Jones, Bakhtiari and King, especially after one game against a one-win football team, but it was still an interesting one-game look at potential backup options should the Packers get stuck in troubling financial waters this spring.
You asked about Dillon. I still see a running back that isn’t as decisive as the two players ahead of him on the depth chart. I’m not sure I’ve seen much of the power either. You’d expect to see a 247-pound running back to lean on tacklers a little more. Maybe I’m being too harsh on a young guy. Who knows when it happens, but it’ll be interesting to see what Dillon can do as the featured back in a game. He does look like the kind of back that needs a full workload to be most effective. As a situational runner, he might be limited.
For me, one of the real bright spots coming out of this game was the awakening of Preston Smith. He impacted this game. The box score definitely didn’t do him justice. I thought two of his early pressures directly created sacks, and his fourth-down stop of Watson was a huge play. I think Preston will always be a streaky player production-wise, but maybe he’s going to start heating up now. This defense looks so much different when he’s not invisible. Any thoughts on the defense overall? I thought they tightened up when they really needed to late in the game.
Jack: Good points on Preston. I do agree that this was a solid performance by the defense. Houston’s a bad team this year, but it’s not really because of their offense. They’ve been able to put up points. For the Packers to hold them to seven points into the fourth quarter was promising. My only concern is their middle-of-field pass defense. I think their youth was exposed a bit; DeShaun Watson seemed to find his most success early hitting the underneath crossers. Raven Greene had a nice game overall, but he was picked on a couple of times as well. I’ll have to go back and re-watch the tape, but I think Josh Jackson rebounded a bit, too. And what can we say about Jaire Alexander? He’s having a legitimate All-Pro season right now. He’s erasing the opponents’ best receivers week in and week out.
Is there anything else you think we’ve learned this week about this team? Also, with the trade deadline coming, should a 5-1 roster with a real shot in the NFC look into sacrificing some long-term roster health for a short-term burst of talent?
Zach: I’m not sure we learned much on Sunday. We already knew this is a good football team. They’ve crushed all the bad teams on their schedule so far. That’s what good teams do. This offense, especially, has taken care of business against the overmatched defenses. We just can’t be sure this team is capable of going head-to-head against the best. We’ll see. That 49ers game in Santa Clara looms large for me. It’s in 11 days. That’s going to provide a great measuring stick for this team.
The trade question is such a fascinating one. The Packers are clearly a contender in the NFC, but the roster has a few obvious weak spots. Potential fatal flaws, if you will. You’d always want a team in this position to try and patch a hole and prepare for a title run. It doesn’t have to be a big move, or an “all-in” move. Just a sensible addition that could help at some point over the next few months. Then again, this team needs every penny possible to keep the roster intact past 2020. Do you really want to trade for a three-month rental and sacrifice the financial ability to sign a player like Aaron Jones or Kevin King or Corey Linsley in the spring? I don’t know. I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision. Generally speaking, the Packers prefer long-term stability over instant gratification, so I assume they’ll be very picky when calling teams about potential trades.
What’s your take? Is there a fatal flaw you think the Packers could fix before the deadline?
Jack: I’m still a believer in MVS, but my faith is being put to the test. His third-down drop on an out, a difficult-but-catchable ball, just seems like a recurring issue. He can make a big play here or there based on his speed, but even as a No. 3, he’s not productive. Rodgers threw another ball to Davante Adams today that was eerily close to his pick-six last week. It just seems that Rodgers’ lack of playmaking options, or at least a lack of dependable depth, is cause for concern insofar as the offense can become a bit predictable in gotta-have-it situations. If they could find a cheap veteran guy who wouldn’t blow up the cap, I think that’d be a good middle ground. Either that, or they can look into buttressing the interior of the defensive line. I saw a rumor that Quinnen Williams may be available, which would give the Packers a rookie contract with several years left. If one of those types of players is available, I think they at least have to make a strong offer.
I guess we could end it here. Maybe we’ll chat later this week about potential trades, but I think this team is starting to stabilize a bit. They’re 5-1 and host Minnesota next week. The Packers have a great opportunity to begin the season 6-1, but like you said, the next game where I think we learn something of value about this team will be when they play San Francisco.
More from Sunday’s win
Recap: Packers 35, Texans 20
12 takeaways
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