The Green Bay Packers coasted into the bye week with a comfortable victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field, using four touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers and three sacks from Za’Darius Smith to get to 4-0 to start the 2020 season.

Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ 30-16 win over the Falcons on Monday night:

Studs

QB Aaron Rodgers: This is a talented and experienced quarterback who is perfectly in-sync with the playcaller and the plan every week. Even without Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, Matt LaFleur cooked up easy throws to running backs and tight ends for Rodgers, who was once again decisive and accurate on his way to completing 81.8 percent of his passes and averaging almost 10 yards per attempt. He’s throwing the ball downfield and attacking the middle of the field without coming close to a turnover. The Falcons had no answers to LaFleur’s man coverage beaters, so Rodgers just picked them apart. This scheme doesn’t need Rodgers to be a superhero, but he’s still playing like one.

TE Robert Tonyan: Three scores for Big Bob Touchdown Tonyan. His first touchdown was a layup after the linebacker assigned to him in coverage got picked by his own teammate. He made the catch and powered through a crowd and into the end zone. On the second touchdown, Tonyan simply outran athletic linebacker Deion Jones across the middle of the field and gave Rodgers a big enough window to make the throw. There’s no doubt Tonyan can really run. His third score featured a terrific release off the line of scrimmage from a bunched formation, which forced the defender to grab him as he was blowing past him. Tonyan somersaulted, righted himself and then was wide open for the touchdown. He has 11 catches and four touchdowns in his last two games.

CB Jaire Alexander: He didn’t allow a catch to Calvin Ridley, who ended the contest without a reception. Alexander was sticky in coverage and an active tackler in space. On one play, the Falcons attempted to trick him on a concept that has gotten the Packers in the past, but Alexander kept depth in his coverage, took away the deep shot and then came up to stop Julio Jones in the flat for little gain. Later, he came off his own coverage and upended Matt Ryan short of the sticks on third down. Quarterbacks really aren’t even challenging him. Alexander is playing at a very high level.

OLB Za’Darius Smith: He was disruptive against the run in the first half and disruptive as a rusher in the second. He’s so good at winning inside and blowing up runs. It gets him in trouble sometimes, but it also creates tackles for losses. Smith will be kicking himself for missing Todd Gurley on a potentially big loss in the first half. He ended the first half with a sack when he got a running start and bowled over the right guard on his way to Matt Ryan. Teams keep trying to use tight ends to block him and it usually ends the same way, with Smith in the quarterback’s lap. On his strip sack, Smith whooped the left guard with quickness and swatted the ball out. He beat the left guard again for his final sack. Give him one-on-ones against a guard and you’re asking for trouble.

RB Jamaal Williams: Forget his eight rushes for 10 yards. Williams did his best work in the passing game, essentially serving as a fill-in wide receiver for the Packers offense. He caught eight passes for 95 yards, including a 29-yard catch against Cover-2 in the first half. An energetic and powerful runner with more wiggle this year, Williams forced a handful of missed tackles and gained over 60 yards after the catch.

DL Tyler Lancaster: He helped set the tone early when he shed the block of Alex Mack and stuffed Todd Gurley for no gain on the second play from scrimmage. Lancaster unleashed an identical rip move on Mack in the third quarter and created another stuff. For much of the night, he had his way with Mack, a veteran center. Lancaster is much more effective playing nose tackle. The Falcons didn’t get much done running inside.

S Adrian Amos: He nearly had an interception in the first half on an overthrow from Matt Ryan, and he all but ended the game with a huge pass breakup in the end zone on fourth down in the fourth quarter. The Packers didn’t allow any explosive passing plays, and Amos was a big reason why. He also didn’t miss a tackle on a night where missing tackles became contagious.

Duds

CB Josh Jackson: He came off the bench when injuries hit the cornerback position and played 28 forgettable snaps. Not only was he penalized for a holding penalty after getting grabby with a receiver downfield on fourth down, but he missed three tackles, including one a third-down run from Todd Gurley and another in the hole on Gurley’s first touchdown run, and gave up a first-down converting catch on third down. While Jaire Alexander is a star, Jackson is looking more and more like a bust.

RG Lucas Patrick: He had a vital block on a third-down blitz, allowing Aaron Rodgers time to find a chain-moving completion. The rest of the night didn’t go as well. Patrick was flagged for holding and struggled in the run game. He also got run over by a blitzer on a third-down throw in the second half.

LG Elgton Jenkins: Arguably the worst game of the young offensive lineman’s career. Jenkins appeared to miss one-on-one blocks on at least three different runs. He also got dinged for a questionable holding penalty and was saved from allowing a sack by a terrific improvisational move from Aaron Rodgers.

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Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur improved to 8-0 against the NFC North to start his coaching career when his team came back from 14-3 first quarter deficit to beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field, with 31 straight points between the second and third quarters helping the Packers score a decisive 42-21 win over the visiting Lions in the home opener.

Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

Studs

RB Aaron Jones: Three big plays highlighted Jones’ star performance. He broke the game open when he burst through a hole and split the safeties with speed and balance for a 75-yard score to open the second half. He showed his receiving chops when he skied for a 30-yard catch against a cornerback on a go-route. He put the game away when he ran through an arm tackle in the hole and beat the safety to the end zone for the Packers’ final score. Jones, who had four runs over 10 yards and four catches gaining a first down or scoring a touchdown, can do it all. He finished with a career-high 168 rushing yards and 236 total yards, plus three scores.

CB Jaire Alexander: No. 23 always brings the juice. His energy kept the Packers from crumbling on defense, and his sticky coverage all but took Marvin Jones – the Lions’ best active receiver on Sunday – out of the game. The Lions targeted Alexander six times but he gave up four catches for just 19 yards. He broke up a deep ball to Jones and was a second away from delivering a pick-six. He also sliced in and dropped Jamal Agnew for no gain on a short throw underneath.

QB Aaron Rodgers: He was sharp again, with both decisiveness in the pocket and the right amount of aggressiveness attacking downfield. With help from Matt LaFleur and a well-crafted plan, Rodgers peppered the middle of the field for big plays against the Lions’ heavy man coverage looks. A handful of bad drops ruined what could have been another dominant statistical performance. He probably should have finished with over 300 yards passing and three scores but had to settle for 240 and two. He scrambled twice for 12 yards and even tallied his second career catch on a batted ball, although the reception lost six yards.

C Corey Linsley: He eventually left the game with a hand injury, but Linsley was nothing short of dominant during his 65 snaps. His work in the run game has been impressive through the first two weeks. He’s quick off the ball, great moving laterally on reach blocks and good at finding the second level defender with the right timing on combo blocks. The Packers destroyed the Lions on inside runs because Linsley and left guard Elgton Jenkins were so good moving people on Sunday. The offense had six runs of 10 or more yards  and over 170 total rushing yards when running between the left and right guard.

OLB Rashan Gary: His 33 snaps were productive and often disruptive. He finished with 1.5 sacks, a career-high, and his quick pressure on Matthew Stafford early in the second half set up Chandon Sullivan’s pick-six. On his solo sack, Gary beat the chip of a running back and the right tackle on his way to Stafford. He also combined with Preston Smith for another second-half sack. On Sullivan’s pick, Gary was able to burst off the ball, avoid the cut block from the running back and force Stafford to throw outside, where Sullivan was waiting.

P JK Scott: He wasn’t put in high-pressure situations, but the third-year punter did his job effectively, placing all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line. In fact, all three punts pinned the Lions at or inside their own 10-yard line. The Packers delivered delivered stops after all three punts, including a pick-six from Chandon Sullivan.

CB Chandon Sullivan: He gave up an early third-down conversion to Danny Amendola, but he was lights out the rest of the way. Sullivan not only delivered the game-changing pick-six, but he also broke up a pass on third down to force a punt and held Amendola to just two catches.

Duds

TE Jace Sternberger: Two bad drops on two easy targets is a sure-fire way to land in the duds. Sternberger had a chance for a big play in the first half on a well-designed rollout play but tried to turn upfield before securing the catch and dropped it. Later, he let another easy catch goes right through his hands as he neared the sideline. Sternberger is still looking for his first career regular-season catch.

DL Dean Lowry: Down Kenny Clark, the Packers needed a veteran like Lowry or Tyler Lancaster to step up and help control gaps along the defensive line. Neither could do it consistently on Sunday. Since signing an extension ahead of the 2019 season, Lowry hasn’t looked like a starting-caliber player. He rarely gets off blocks in the run game or pushes the pocket as a rusher.

LB Christian Kirksey: His 12 tackles led the Packers for a second straight week, but he also gave up eight catches in coverage, including four for first downs and a touchdown. There are times he can look dynamic – like when he sifted through traffic moving to his right and stopped T.J. Hockenson after a short catch. But through two games, he hasn’t been a consistent positive against the run and he’s been mostly a clean-up player in coverage.

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The Green Bay Packers started a sixth consecutive season with a win, using four touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers to power Matt LaFleur’s team to a 43-34 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ win in Week 1:

STUDS

QB Aaron Rodgers: Sunday in Minnesota was Rodgers operating at or near his full capacity as a quarterback. He threw with incredible accuracy, completing almost 73 percent of his passes despite a handful of drops and a few throwaways. He threw on time and in rhythm with the call, often taking the easy throw within the framework of the play. He attacked downfield with patience and precision, hitting five passes thrown over 20 yards in the air, including two touchdowns and two other near touchdowns. And he was still creative, completing two high-difficulty throws for touchdowns moving to his right on extended plays, and he drew the Vikings offsides four different times. All the tools on his Hall of Fame tool belt were in play Sunday. Rodgers was scary good.

WR Davante Adams: The Vikings couldn’t cover him, and they tried everyone. Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Cameron Dantzler all got a crack. They all got beat, often for easy completions. Rodgers and Adams have developed a connecting resembling what Rodgers once had with Jordy Nelson. They always know where the other will be, and what the other is thinking. Several times on Sunday, Rodgers was throwing the ball before Adams even got out of his break. No one can defend that. On his first touchdown, Adams uncovered for just a second in the scramble drill, and Rodgers threw to a spot without any hesitation, knowing it was Adams’ ball or nothing. The three-time Pro Bowler was sublime, but he probably should have finished with 16 catches and three scores. The drop on the goal line was the lone blemish. It’s tough to nitpick such a terrific individual performance.

LT David Bakhtiari: You run out of things to say about the All-Pro left tackle. He just eliminates people from games. No one even threatened Bakhtiari for a pressure. Newly acquired Vikings rusher Yannick Ngakoue took a few tries and came up empty. Forty-five times, Bakhtiari completed a pass-blocking snap without giving up a single pressure.

OL Elgton Jenkins: The Packers’ second-year offensive lineman turned in a classy season debut. He played the game’s first 33 snaps at right tackle before sliding back to left guard, his position last season, for the final 47 snaps. He was good at tackle and great at guard. Playing guard and playing tackle in the NFL couldn’t be more different, but Jenkins handled both transitions with ease. He’s strong and smart, and he’s really coordinated as an athlete when he has to move his feet and use his hands. Some offensive lines would have crumbled given all the shuffling Sunday. Jenkins made sure the Packers’ held together.

LB Krys Barnes: The undrafted rookie linebacker wasn’t even on the active roster until Saturday afternoon. By Sunday, he was starting next to Christian Kirksey against Dalvin Cook and the Vikings in the regular season opener. Barnes gave up a quick reception and looked out of place on a few run fits early, but he settled in and played a solid game overall. He dropped Cook twice for losses, including once on a well-diagnosed screen pass. Both tackles helped short-circuit drives for the Vikings. His stop on the screen likely prevent a big play.

CB Jaire Alexander: He gave up a late touchdown pass with the game in hand, but he also made game-altering plays in the first half. Two plays after the Packers were stopped on fourth down at the 1-yard line, Alexander blitzed off the left side of the offensive line and dropped Kirk Cousins in the end zone for a safety. He said he was anticipating run and improvised his blitz. No one touched him, and Cousins had no chance to see him or escape. Later in the second quarter, he blanketed Adam Thielen’s route and made a juggling interception of Cousins’ errant throw, setting up a quick touchdown strike right before the half. All-Pro corners change games. Alexander did just that on Sunday.

C Corey Linsley: He anchored an offensive line that played really well despite a lot of moving parts, both before the game and during. Linsley didn’t allow a pressure, and he was terrific in the run game, especially as a reach blocker on some the traditional wide zone concepts. He really fires off the ball and moves well laterally, getting level or to the outside shoulder of interior defenders in a flash. It’s a valuable skill in this offense. The Packers got chunk run plays behind several Linsley blocks.

TE Josiah Deguara: The Packers’ third-round pick might be the team’s most impactful rookie in 2020. He looked really comfortable in the H-back role. Several times, he helped spring runs from with good blocks at the point of attack, including an awesome cut block that took out two defenders on an Allen Lazard run in the first half. The Packers played him at several alignments. He’s also going to be a factor on some different passing game concepts, including vertical route combinations. Don’t be surprised if a couple of the seam routes hit for big plays this year. They were close Sunday.

DUDS

S Darnell Savage: Savage committed a cardinal sin, letting Adam Thielen get behind him for a 37-yard touchdown with the Packers up big in the second half. He looked tempted by the intermediate route and let Thielen run past him. Savage also got dinged for a questionable 15-yard penalty late in the first half, helping set up a Vikings field goal, and he missed a tackle on Dalvin Cook. It’s possible he was just over-aggressive in the season opener.

TE Robert Tonyan: He led the Packers’ tight ends in snaps played and lined up all over the field, but his impact was minimal. In fact, he wasn’t targeted despite running 24 routes. The Packers clearly wanted to feature the receivers in the passing game, and the Vikings countered many of the tight end looks with their elite safeties – Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris – in coverage. Tonyan’s time will come.

LB Christian Kirksey: The Packers new inside linebacker looked a lot like the last Packers inside linebacker. Like Blake Martinez, Kirksey did a lot of cleaning up, both against the run and in coverage. He led the team in tackles but only had one or two truly impactful stops. On the Vikings’ opening touchdown drive, he was flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty. And Kirk Cousins out-ran him on a scramble for a 15-yard run.

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The Green Bay Packers advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a 28-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

Here are the studs and duds from the playoff victory:

Studs

QB Aaron Rodgers: This was a classic Aaron Rodgers performance. He found big plays down the field, operated an efficient offense and made clutch throw after clutch throw. The final numbers weren’t overwhelming – he completed 16 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, with a passer rating of 113.7 – but one could argue this was his best game of the season. Third-down throws to Jimmy Graham (27 yards) and Davante Adams (32) were sublime. Perfect touch, perfect accuracy. Overall, Rodgers produced eight conversions on third down (seven passing, one rushing), including two chain-moving completions on the final drive and a key quarterback sneak. He averaged 9.0 yards per attempt and 15.2 per completion. Is this Rodgers getting hot at the right time?

WR Davante Adams: It was a historic night from Adams, who set a new franchise record with 160 receiving yards while also becoming the first player in franchise history to produce at least 150 receiving yards and two or more touchdowns in a playoff game. Adams did it all. He caught a 20-yard touchdown pass on third down to cap off the opening drive. He caught three straight passes for 44 yards and drew an 18-yard pass interference penalty during a second touchdown drive. He caught a 40-yard touchdown on a wicked route and run-after-catch to open the second half. And he helped put the nail in the Seahawks’ coffin with a 32-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 on the final drive. Adams punished a Seahawks secondary that couldn’t find a consistent answer to his greatness.

TE Jimmy Graham: Graham caught 38 passes and played an ancillary role in the Packers offense in 2019, but he made the most of every opportunity against his former team on Sunday night. Three times, Rodgers targeted him on third down. Three times, Graham came down with huge catches. He beat Bradley McDougald across the middle for 13 yards on 3rd-and-8, extending the Packers’ opening drive. He won up the seam and got behind K.J. Wright for a 27-yard catch on third down, extending another scoring drive. Finally, Graham won across the middle and stumbled his way to the first down on 3rd-and-9, sealing the win. The Packers don’t win without his three clutch plays.

DL Kenny Clark: The Clark vs. Joey Hunt matchup went about as expected. Despite a back injury, Clark dominated. He was just too powerful and quick for the undersized Hunt. After a dominant first half, Clark produced a big play when he chased down Russell Wilson from behind for a sack. The big nose tackle had seven pressures and was a big reason why Marshawn Lynch and Travis Homer rushed for only 39 yards on 15 carries. He helped stuff an early third-and-short run, forcing a punt.

OLB Preston Smith: When the Packers defense desperately needed a big play, Smith provided it. He exploded off the right edge, beat a sorry block attempt by the tight end and swarmed Russell Wilson in the pocket for a huge sack on third down late in the fourth quarter. It got the Packers defense off the field, and the Seahawks never got the ball back. Smith finished with two sacks, four quarterback hits and at least a half-dozen hurries.

OLB Za’Darius Smith: The Seahawks couldn’t keep him blocked in the first half. He produced two early sacks and had a chance or two or three more over the course of the game. At times, he was overaggressive and allowed scrambling opportunities for Russell Wilson, but it’s hard to fault a player like Smith for going 100 miles an hour at the quarterback every play. He wore out a little towards the end, but he was impactful throughout. Like Preston, Za’Darius finished with two sacks and four quarterback hits.

Duds

RG Billy Turner: If there was a weak spot on the offensive line, it was probably Turner. He really struggled at times in pass protection. Stunts gave him a lot of trouble, which might’ve been a trickle-down effect of the Packers not having Bryan Bulaga available. Without knowing the protection calls, it’s tough to pin any pressure on one player, but it appeared Turner missed blitzers more than once, including one resulting in a sack. The Packers will need him to be much better next week in San Francisco.

The Green Bay Packers are the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff field after coming from behind to beat the Detroit Lions in the season finale on Sunday at Ford Field.

Here are the studs and duds from the 23-20 win:

Studs

LT David Bakhtiari: The Packers left tackle is playing at an increasingly high level. The Lions simply didn’t have a player capable of threatening him off the edge in the passing game, so Bakhtiari dominated snap after snap. Aaron Rodgers was rarely bothered in the pocket and looked increasingly confident the edges would be blocked up. The play of Bakhtiari and right tackles Bryan Bulaga and Jared Veldheer made it easy for Rodgers and Matt LaFleur to keep dialing up passing plays. Bakhtiari will go into the postseason playing at an All-Pro level again.

RB Aaron Jones: He slashed and dashed and eventually wore down the Lions front over 25 carries. He just kept chipping away, gaining yards in bigger and bigger chunks, side-stepping tacklers and exploding through gaps with his patented vision and quickness. He all but put the game away on a 31-yard catch-and-run on the final drive. Getting him the ball in the passing game was a focus, and he probably should have caught 5-6 passes and scored a couple of touchdowns. Rodgers kept missing him or throwing it to him late. On one play, Jones burst upfield in the scramble drill and should have had an easy touchdown, but Rodgers overthrew it. Jones finished with 143 total yards, putting him over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,500 total yards in 2019.

WR Davante Adams: Three of his seven catches converted on third down, including a 20-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-10 with the Packers desperate for a score. He ran a picture-perfect post-corner route from the slot and was all alone in the end zone. It was a beauty. Later, he likely saved the game with a 3-yard catch against Darius Slay on 4th-and-1. He finished with 93 receiving yards and his fifth receiving touchdown of the season.

OLB Za’Darius Smith: He didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but as he’s done all year, his snaps were loaded with impact. Twice, he burst through the line as a rover and blew up running plays. It’s a way for Mike Pettine to get the best matchups for his dominant edge rusher. In the second half, Smith’s pressure ensured rookie David Blough would struggle throwing the football. He was particularly menacing on a few third downs late in the game. Every game in 2019, Smith showed up, played with maximum effort and impacted games. He’s a legitimate star.

LB Blake Martinez: He struggled again against the run, but his big plays as a rusher and in coverage helped turn the game in the second half. He beat the running back on the blitz for a sack, hurried Blough into an incompletion on third down, intercepted Blough on an errant pass over the middle and awarely took away a crosser on third down on the Lions’ last possession.

OL Lucas Patrick: It was a terrific two-day stretch for the backup Packers lineman. On Saturday, he signed a two-year extension. On Sunday, he came off the bench for an injured Corey Linsley and put up one hell of a fight against Pro Bowler Damon Harrison. Patrick isn’t big or all that athletic, but he’s such a competitor, and sometimes effort, physicality and willpower can overcome the measurables.

Duds

QB Aaron Rodgers: It was a confounding performance from No. 12. On one hand, Rodgers delivered at least 5-6 throws that few others can make. At times, his accuracy can be other-worldly, but that fact makes his misses all the more bewildering. The Packers wanted to attack the league’s worst passing defense down the field, but Rodgers and the receivers weren’t up to the task. His accuracy wasn’t good enough, especially in the first half, but the entire operation looked disjointed – a potentially troubling sign in Week 17. Many of the misses weren’t off by much and could likely be explained by something other than just poor accuracy from the quarterback. Eventually, the Packers defense gave Rodgers enough opportunities to create the comeback. His 3rd-and-10 touchdown pass to Allen Lazard was a great throw under pressure.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: A consistent connection with Rodgers never developed in 2019. Valdes-Scantling caught just two of seven targets on Sunday. He dropped an easy third-down catch, gained no separation on a vertical route on another third-down attempt and then was out of position on a deep ball in the second half. A quarterback and receiver on the same page would have probably created a big play on the final deep ball. It was there. The connection wasn’t.

DL Dean Lowry: The majority of the Lions’ big runs in the first half came when they got Lowry blocked at the point of attack and allowed a lineman to get to the second level and wall off Blake Martinez. Lowry had been playing really well coming into Sunday, but the consistent physicality just wasn’t there against the Lions. The Packers need strong play by the front three because Mike Pettine so often plays light behind them. Lowry couldn’t handle the combo blocks in the first half, leading to the Lions gashing the Packers for over 170 rushing yards.