From the word go, it was a strange night for the Packers. From injuries to execution, almost everything seemed to bounce the wrong way, specifically for the offense. After allowing the first opening drive, heck the first first quarter touchdown of the entire season, the Packers defense mostly did everything they needed to do in order to win (minus a couple of dropped interceptions, more on that later). I thought it was a real team effort to get the W today, and it's indicative of the way the Packers might need to string these wins together. Despite not really dominating the game in any one way, they just found a way to win. Micah Parsons contributed two sacks (one in a very clutch moment late in the fourth), got a turnover on the Giants' game winning attempt, and persevered through so many injuries.
We all know the last few weeks have not been the most satisfying results for Packers fans. But it's games like this that the team will look back on at the end of the season and thank their lucky stars that they got the W.
Jordan Love
Jordan Love played a great game today, and don't let the box score tell you otherwise.
Despite being pressured on 9 out of 19 dropbacks, Love managed to put together a two touchdown, 105 rating game. He led the game winning, game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, and also immediately scored upon returning from injury as well. I thought both he and Matt Lafleur were improved in this game. I loved the increased rate of passing on early downs, and the way Love battled through both WR drops and inconsistent OL play.
Christian Watson
While the offense in general has certainly stagnated in recent weeks, it's so refreshing to see Watson back in the lineup and doing what he does best: making points happen. One touchdown caught, and another created for Josh Whyle.
Watson should be on the Packers' short list for an even longer extension this offseason. His ability to create space for everyone else on the field is a key facet of Matt LaFleur's offense, and there's really no one else on the roster who can fill the same role on the roster.
Evan Williams
This game ball is a bit of a retroactive award, much like a lifetime acheivment award given to an old movie star.Evan Williams just has it. He's always around the ball. If you have the opportunity to do a rewatch, count how many times Williams ends up around the ball when the play is over. Just watch his body language when he isn't in that position. He pissed off if he's not involved in each and every play.
Williams has put together such an impressive season. Is it time to start considering him as the best safety that the Packers have? And that's not a knock on McKinney either, but Williams has been so good. Even besides the game clinching interception at the end of the game, Williams allowed only one reception for 14 yards, nine tackles, and five solo tackles. The Packers have a bright future on the backend of their defense, and it's no wonder why they are still the #1 defense in the league at preventing explosive plays.
Return of the Drops
Dread it. Run from it. They've returned, or perhaps they never really went away.
In the first half alone, the Packers had five drops. 5/7 of Love's incompletions. Those five drops match the record for most in a half since 2006.
Drops are a mental issue, and can pile on themselves. You could see how Romeo Doubs got himself out of his funk as the game went on, finishing the game as his usual self. Others, especially Luke Musgrave, never did. Speaking of Musgrave, his experiment may be ending in Green Bay. After starting the game as TE1, Musgrave received only 2 snaps in the entire second half, compared to John FitzPatrick's 16 and Josh Whyle's 11 snaps. Musgrave had one fumble in the first half (and another that was overturned, but no less damning in my opinion). The team ended the game with 7 drops.
I should mention that as far as drops go, the defense also gets a lame call. For a QB like Jameis WInston to give you five opportunities at an interception, only coming up with one is pretty bad. There's an alternate version of this game where more of those interceptions are caught, and the game is much easier.
Lucas Havrisik
I tweeted after Havrisik's first XP, that the miss was objectively the funniest thing that could have happened. It became less and less funny as the game went on.
"The Substitute" went 1/3 on extra points tonight, and did not have to attempt a field goal all game long. While Havrisik was good from 63+ in pregame kicks, he struggled mightily in those in-game kicks, and the Packers are lucky that those missing two points did not come back to haunt them. It's true that the winds were ripping in Metlife today (even the Giant's backup kicker, Younghoe Koo, missed an extra point today), but isn't it just do deliciously ironic? After over a month of begging for Havrisik to come back and solve our kicking problems, he finally comes back and leaves two points on the table.
The Packers will likely be turning back to McManus when he's healthy, but with his quad injury "re-aggravated", when will that be?
Interior Offensive Line
The Packers are going to have a lot of questions to answer after the season regarding their interior offensive line, regardless of how exactly the season ends. The Jordan Morgan experience has just not gone well at all at guard, and while the team might be stuck with Rhyan at center, are probably none the better for it.
Honestly, there's a possibility that the Packers are looking to replace starters at LG, C, and RG. The Packers could move on from Aaron Banks this offseason to the tune about $4 million in savings, although I don't think it's likely that he's gone. But the Packers need answers on the interior. Jordan Morgan was dogwalked all game, Sean Rhyan did not impress in his premiere as the starting center, and Aaron Banks continues to look like one of the biggest contract mistakes the team has made in recent memory. Jordan Love has been one of the most pressure-sensitive quarterbacks this year, and if the front office wants to reverse that trend they'll need more investments in the iOL, besides what they have already done.
-- Today's Phrase of the Game is "Did what you needed to do". This was, by all accounts, the last "easy" game remaining on the Packers schedule, and got the win in what really felt like a must win situation. It was by no means pretty or easy, but the team found a way to get the W.
-- The Packers dodged a massive bullet, with the news that Josh Jacobs's injury is not likely to be season ending, though he'll be undergoing more tests when the team gets back to Green Bay. Meanwhile, injuries were also suffered by Jordan Love, Arron Mosby, Romeo Doubs, Zach Tom, Quay Walker, and Matthew Golden. While it's true that every team in football is dealing with injuries, the Packers have had real bad injury luck. It's not too late for the team to get healthy for the playoffs, but they'll need to start stringing those kind of weeks together soon.
-- Green Bay have a contest with the Minnesota Vikings next week, and it's the start of the most important stretch of the Packers' entire schedule. They have divisional opponents for three weeks in a row with the Vikings, the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving, and the Bears back at home. This stretch will, for better or worse, go a long way in defining the Packers' season. Via ESPN's playoff predictor, the two most important games that the Packers have for the rest of the season are in this stretch: at Lions and Vs Bears. The Vikings, meanwhile, have lost two games in a row. Their QB, JJ McCarthy has struggled since returning from injury, and the Packers defense should be looking to take advantage of that.