Packers 27 Eagles 13: Game Balls & Lame Calls

The Green Bay Packers got off the schneid.  With their backs to the wall, they got a huge win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, who had not lost at home yet this season.  Both the Packers and Eagles entered this game without several of their preferred starters and for once, it was the Packers who overcame the losses and got themselves a win.

Green Bay improves to 5-6 and stops a four-game losing streak.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offense looked a lot more like the version we've been missing, hitting two nice scoring throws to Davante Adams, who continues to bust out this season.  Adams added a nice catch on a tightly-contested deep ball to add to his growing 2016 resume.  

On to the night's best and not-so-great.

Game Balls

Davante Adams

Adams has been on this list a lot this season.  At this point, we can stop with all of the reminders of how Adams came into this season and the struggles he faced last season.  He's clearly become the offense's top target, which is proving to be a luxury with a still-productive Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb as alternatives.  Adams had just five catches but two were touchdowns.  The second was an incredibly placed ball by Rodgers and an equally nice grab by Adams in traffic.  If the Packers are going to turn things around, Adams will continue to be a focal point and big reason why.

Aaron Rodgers

With little running game to be found, Rodgers once again had his number called nearly 40 times.  While the Packers have been struggling lately, Rodgers has somewhat quietly put up good numbers.  He looked the most like himself in this game that I've seen all season long.  The Eagles couldn't get any pressure on Rodgers, who was hampered by a leg injury in the second half that rendered him immobile.  In a game where his teammates needed to step up and give him time to work, they did just that.

I've said it a hundred times.  This team's success hangs on the arm of #12 and that isn't changing anytime soon.  Confidence is underrated in football.  A performance like this can wake up any part of Rodgers that was still asleep and bring him back to his two-time MVP form.

Offensive Line

Almost 40 pass attempts and not one sack by an Eagles defense that has been very good at home this season.  The entire line gets one here with a special shout out to Jason Spriggs, playing out of position at guard in place of T.J. Lang.  Spriggs drew Fletcher Cox for much of the night and while it wasn't pretty, he kept the big man away from Rodgers most of the evening.  The offensive line came into this season as an area of strength and has persevered the cutting of Josh Sitton and injuries to J.C. Tretter and Lang.  Offensive linemen are often unsung but they made this outcome possible by keeping their best chance to win clean all night long.

Clay Matthews

Had to get a defensive guy on this list and Matthews earns a spot for his sacrifices.  He moved back into the middle to cover for the missing Martinez and Ryan and returned after taking a few big shots.  Matthews had to come out on a few occasions but was out there until the very end and showed his commitment to being on the field and doing what he can to help the team win.  Matthews had a sack on the night to go along with four tackles.

Lame Calls

Micah Hyde

Hyde was here last week as well.  It may seem like I'm picking on him, but I had to really reach to find something bad enough to put on this list.  Hyde was burned a few times in coverage, which is the norm and will always be.  Hyde was also burned badly by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz on his touchdown run early in the game.  Hyde is more a victim of the team's success tonight than his actually having been bad.

Jared Cook

A drop that could have been a fumble/turnover and not looking for a ball on a crossing route.  Cook needs to become a bigger part of this offense and he took a step backwards in this game.  He's a pro and he'll be back.

 

Others to mention:

  • Jake Schum - nice punt to the one-yard line and fortunately his coverage was smart enough to take advantage.  Schum has punted better as the weather has turned, completely bucking any theory that his bad kicking earlier in the season would only get worse as the weather turns
  • Julius Peppers - fifth all-time on the NFL sack list.  It came in garbage time and it was a gimme, but Peppers has come up with some productivity in nearly every game.  The bad facemask on what should have been another sack nearly landed Peppers on the Lame Call list, but I can't do that to the vet on a landmark night for him
  • Quinten Rollins with some big tackles and a nice pass break up on a blitz.  Hopefully the groin continues to heal and he can turn into more of the play maker he flashed at times last season
  • Mike Daniels brings the energy.  He's never quit being who he is, whether his teammates are blocking him out or not.  This team needs a few more guys like him
  • Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the interception on a badly thrown ball by Wentz and Morgan Burnett continuing to be a rock on the back end.  Burnett is probably the most unsung player on this team and it's good to see the Packers with a stalwart at the safety position once again
  • Aaron Ripkowski, touchdown.  First touchdown run by a non-quarterback this season for the Packers.  He's not John Kuhn, but he showed why the Packers insist on keeping a fullback
  • Jordy Nelson, old reliable.  He's not that old, but he's every bit of reliable and he came up big on third down several times.  A game-high eight catches on 12 targets

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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

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Comments (20)

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cpabandit's picture

November 29, 2016 at 06:36 am

Fun game (finally) to watch, particularly the offense. The defense continues to give up first downs on third and long, and seems to be always in the middle. But the defense quietly finally stepped up. Still no rushing TDs scored by anyone named other than Aaron. ;)

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sheppercheeser's picture

November 29, 2016 at 02:06 pm

Ripkowski ran for a TD....

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packerbackerjim's picture

November 29, 2016 at 07:05 am

Game Balls: AR, Adams

Lame Calls: jayrone Elliott had no business being anywhere near the almost dead ball on the one. There was no upside at all to justify his actions.

Poor tackling technique by Hyde and Randall ON THE QB!!! Exactly what were they looking at?

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 29, 2016 at 07:09 am

I was about to explode on Elliott on that one. But he never touched the ball and regained position before he did.

Randall I give a pass, considering he hasn't played in 6 weeks or whatever. Hyde... no excuses.

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Big_Mel_75's picture

November 29, 2016 at 07:58 am

How do you put Elliott in Lame for the brilliant play? He didn't touch the ball until be reestablished himself in the field of play before he touched it. That should put it him in Game Balls not lame calls!

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packerbackerjim's picture

November 29, 2016 at 09:02 am

He didn't need to do anything! There was another Packer who hadn't crossed the goal line whose hand was over the ball. Plus no Eagle anywhere near the ball. There was no upside to his doing anything. And, I happen to really like 91 and think he should get more snaps. It was a near bone-headed play which was completely unnecessary.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 29, 2016 at 07:07 am

Game Balls:
Rodgers - All the talk about Rodgers being done was shut up last night. Other then a couple of deep balls that didn't have a chance to be caught he was on the money.

Adams - Quick Twitch - He maybe the best at creating quick separation since Jennings. Those slant passes he nearly shook the defense off their boots.

OL - OL gave Rodgers a lot of time against a very, very good defensive front.

McCarthy - It was great seeing McCarthy come out with some changes on offense. Showed different looks and it was a nice change. Also the game plan of getting the ball out fast was great to see.

Lame Calls -
Jared Cook - From last week to this week, ughhh. Cook went from our best player on offense to essentially being Richard Rodgers.

Nick Perry - Jumping offsides, basically doing nothing for most of the game. Maybe his meaningless sack at the end of the game will ignite him, but he has been trending downward.

Micah Hyde - They started Hyde and after he kept getting torched they put Rollins in, and Rollins was much better.

Capers - Simply for starting Hyde over Rollins. Also for not turning Mathews loose and taking him away from what he is best at.

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WKUPackFan's picture

November 29, 2016 at 08:34 am

Adams is now catching the ball with his hands instead of letting it get into his body. Very impressive.

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NickPerry's picture

November 29, 2016 at 05:24 pm

You're right about that TB, he's really improved catching the ball with his hands. Could it be because he caught "Bricks" all summer? LOL... Sure wish he could add another gear though, a little more speed and he could become downright dangerous.

RC... Rodgers did a much better job at getting rid of the ball. One play he scrambled to his left from pressure and he took the sure 1st down pass about 8 yards away. On the replay I saw Adams I believe it was in the end zone without a CB within 10 yards. Glad to see him take what was right in front instead of throwing a bit across his body and who knows what from there.

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dobber's picture

November 29, 2016 at 08:21 pm

Reminded me of this report of Adams hitting the weights in the off-season. Might not be quicker and may never be, but it could be that strength was the answer....

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-player-feature/article-1/...

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Tundraboy's picture

November 29, 2016 at 05:03 pm

Why all the, still not Kuhn references to Ripkowski? One, it's really only his first year, and Two, I never saw Kuhn run as hard and be so hard to take down as Rip. Been a long time since I have seen a Packer running back like him. Guy just plows forward. Team has some very good young talent on O in Adams, Rip, and Montgomery. Looking forward to watching them all playing large roles. Never thought I'd say that about Adams.

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MarkinMadison's picture

November 29, 2016 at 03:58 pm

Totally agree. At least as far as running goes I don't remember Kuhn as more than 2 yards and a cloud of dust, even in his prime.

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Tundraboy's picture

November 29, 2016 at 05:02 pm

And Rip is not too shabby catching either. I still remember last year. He had a screen and got to next level and leveled the CB or safety.

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NickPerry's picture

November 30, 2016 at 05:03 am

I think many of us were doubtful about Adams at the start of the season but the regular posters for the most part all suggested one more year before calling him a bust. I know I had wanted Allen Robinson over Adams at the time of the draft and after last year especially. But Adams play has really impressed me this year. He's fought for the catch, he's catching the ball with his hands, he seems much quicker this year (Still not fast) and he runs a HELL of a slant pattern. Still like Robinson but I'm really digging Adams when healthy. He obviously put in the work.

Montgomery should be used a lot more than he is now. He's so damn strong and he's good in space. Like to see McCarthy use him more in the role like the Patriots use James White or Dion Lewis. Throw the damn ball to him 8 to 10 times a game. This one to two passes a game is such a waste.

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Tundraboy's picture

December 01, 2016 at 04:18 pm

"This one to two passes a game is such a waste."

Drives me crazy too NP. We would have killed to have him last year and now that he is healthy......

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Since'61's picture

November 29, 2016 at 08:39 am

Game balls: AR, D.Adams, OL, and Spriggs gets a special mention. CM3, Daniels and Burnett. MM for excellent game plan.

Lame calls: Perry 2x off-sides turning 3rd and long into manageable yardage resulting in 1st downs and an FG for the Eagles. Janis for yet another dumb penalty at a critical time in the game.
Encroachment rule needs to be changed. DL needs to be allowed to get back onside if they don't make contact.

Good win and well played game by the Packers. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61

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dobber's picture

November 29, 2016 at 12:41 pm

"Encroachment rule needs to be changed. DL needs to be allowed to get back onside if they don't make contact."

I don't disagree. But the issue before the rule was changed was that it gave the power to the defense to get an OL to jump (and take a penalty) with virtually no risk so long as they didn't make contact. Certainly, the OL know the snap count and the DL jumping shouldn't be an issue, but you're picking your poison on this one. Shifting the rule this way favors the offense which is what the league wants.

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Since'61's picture

November 29, 2016 at 05:30 pm

Dobber -your point is right on but the offense has the opportunity to snap the ball and get a free play which Rodgers has done on numerous occasions. The rule as it stands now gives the offense the best of both worlds, a free play or at worst a free 5 yards. It just seems like it's being called too often. Thanks, Since '61

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pacman's picture

November 29, 2016 at 09:16 am

What says it all are the posts still asking 'where was this offense for the last 4 games'. Who is 100% confident that it will be here next week?

Starks has no speed, doesn't break tackles, didn't follow his blockers on a perfect screen. Hard to see him back next year. Maybe we are better off thinking that that we don't really have a running game.

Cook - disappointing. Maybe he was a good decoy.

Peppers - happy for him. Too bad he won't get a SB ring. $10M/yr is nice too.

AR - nice crisp, fast passes. He did it but that td pass to Adams was an interception waiting to happen. Deep ball to Jordy where he was supposed to go up and get it? He certainly was not open. I think I would drop that from the playbook and throw to the open guys.

Adams - seems like the only one on this team that can juke a receiver like that.

D - can't give them too much credit against a bad team with no WR's. Hope CM is ok.

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alaskan tundra's picture

November 29, 2016 at 01:50 pm

well Im going to enjoy what I saw in this game till the next game...1 game at a time. That being said...how could you not like this game..really...we looked like the Packers we expected them to be...finally. Sure there are issues that dont magically disappear with a victory.....but if they continue to play like this they will be competitive in every game.

Game balls
Rogers..Adams..Jordy..Mathews...O line

Lame balls
Starks...jumping around way to much..
Hyde..should be in there as a last resort
Perry...bad off sides twice
Cook...he is not in football shape...almost had another costly fumble..

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