The Packers began the most crucial stretch of their schedule in impressive fashion. Whether or not you want to call it a "statement" victory versus the struggling Vikings, you can't deny that the final score feels extremely satisfying. After weeks upon weeks of having to grind out last minute, one score games, it felt so good to be able to just put a team away. The Packers defense did just that in the second half, allowing only four yards over fifteen plays. Jeff Hafley's group finally was able to generate the turnovers they've been desperately searching for.
Emmanuel Wilson
I know a lot of Packers fans were confused by the near-constant rushing in this game (more on that later), but let's just take a moment to appreciate what he was enabling.
In his very first start of his NFL career, Wilson looked unstoppable. He was the hammer that Matt LaFleur used to bludgeon the Vikings all game long. Wilson earned 107 yards on the ground, the first time a Packers running back has crossed the 100 yard mark all season. He added two touchdowns to his mark, but to me the most impressive aspect of his game was the way he absolutely refused to go down. Out of his 107 yards, 94 came after contact, meaning he gained roughly an additional three extra yards per rush on Sunday. He was also credited with six missed tackles forced, and had four rushes go for over ten yards. I know we are all looking forward to the return of MarShawn Lloyd, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine giving any snaps away from Wilson (or Brooks in pass protection, for that matter).
Let's give an honorary game ball to the offensive line for their performance in this game as well. The unit looked much more settled in this game, and the surprise addition of Anthony Belton to the RG rotation seemed to work out nicely. I expect that to continue for the next couple games.
The Pass Rush
Speaking of bludgeoning...
The entire defense left a bloodbath on the field, but a the game ball goes to the pass rush. They created five total sacks, two QB hits, nine hurries, and sixteen pressures, which means McCarthy was put into an disadvantageous position on over half of his drop backs. Micah Parsons showed of his ability to create havoc even through the double and triple teams, but the rest of the team reminded the league that they can take advantage of the attention opposing offenses must give to Parsons.
Warren Brinson may have earned some extra snaps next week with his performance today. Besides his first NFL sack, Brinson tallied four pressures (each of which also turned into a hurry) which tied him in first place with Parsons in that stat.
Rashan Gary had a very good game, the highlight of which was definitely the QB hit that turned into an interception for Isiah McDuffie.
LVN was back in the game this week for the first time since week 6, but only logged six total snaps. He'll likely get an increased share against the Lions.
Overall, JJ McCarthy was held to 87 passing yards on the day, but lost 35 yards to sacks.
The Special teams (???)
Are we collectively hallucinating a good game from the special teams?
Brandon McManus went 3/3 on field goals, Romeo Doubs had a good sixteen yard return (though I wish he would learn to use both hands to hold the ball), and the punt cover team was able to actually recover a turnover. The MVP of the special teams, as he has been all year, was certainly punter Daniel Whelan, who had three punts land in the 20, including one booming 63 yarder.
Run/Pass Ratio
There's a bit of a caveat to what seems like a weekly inclusion in the "Lame Calls" section of my game reviews. I've not held back on my frustration with the run/pass ratio this season for the Packers, who rank among the most run heavy offenses in the league. I want to be clear that I don't have a problem with a run heavy offense, at face value. When you look at the most run heavy teams in the league, you'll see that the Packers are keeping company with some of the most effective offense this year, such as the Lions, Seahawks, and Bills.
The problem comes from the fact that the passing offense has been so much better.
Just look at the gameplan for the Packers last week vs the Giants. Tons of runs, but they came from under center. That allowed the Packers to marry those concepts with under center play action, and attack the middle of the field. When you are abandoning the actual passing part of your attack, it becomes too one-dimensional. In their first fourth quarter possession, the Packers had seven runs in a row. It led to a McManus field goal and a 20-6 lead, but it just leaves everyone who is watching scratching their head and wondering "Why?".
My gut tells me this was probably the game to shield Jordan Love against any and all contact from the defense. We all saw that his shoulder was so banged up that he couldn't even use that hand to hand the ball off. Once the Packers scored 17, the game was out of reach for this Vikings offense.
The Run Defense
While it was mentioned on the broadcast, it really does seem like the book is out on how to beat this Packers defense. They can't stop the run.
The difference in this game was that the Packers were able to get to an early lead that could force their opponents to throw. Since JJ McCarthy is... not good, this strategy worked out perfectly. Whether or not that formula can hold against the elite of the NFC will remain to be seen. Jaymyr Gibbs is playing like one of the best running backs in the entire NFL right now, coming off a game with 250+ yards from scrimmage. The Packers will need to figure out a way to plug those holes, while still guarding against play action shots.
-- Today's Word of the Game: "Relentless". Whether it was the pass rush or the running game, the Vikings had no answers to the advantages that the Packers had in this game, and you have to be impressed with the way that the Packers just kept coming at them. That's the kind of game that the Packers can beat any team in the league with, provided the players are executing.
-- Keisean Nixon suffered a stinger early in the second quarter, forcing Kamaal Hadden into the game, where he played significant snaps. I'd guess that his status for Thursday's matchup with Detroit will be in serious doubt. The team will be looking to get some major reinforcements in other areas however, and we'll see if some players who were held out of this game can heal up in time. Those names include: Josh Jacobs, Quay Walker, Matthew Golden, Nate Hobbs, and (potentially) Jayden Reed.
-- The Packers' run of divisional opponents marches on with a Thanksgiving day contest in Detroit, in only four short days. According to The Athletic's playoff simulator, the Packers currently sit with a 77% chance of making the playoffs. A win against the Lions in Detroit on Thursday would raise those chances all the way up to 92%, and a loss would drop the chances to 69%.
Losing wouldn't be the end of the world, but losing to both the Lions and Bears would leave Green Bay with only a 40% chance. If the Packers can go 3-3 over the last six weeks of the season, it leaves them with a very good chance to make it to the dance, in basically any order of wins/losses. The road to the playoffs is clear, and boy it'd be nice to get those wins out of the way early in the remaining stretch.