Green Bay Packers: Week 5 report card
By Josh McPeak
Five weeks into the NFL season the Green Bay Packers are 3-2. They find themselves on top of the NFC North with the Detroit Lions, who has the advantage on the Pack with their division record.
Green Bay ranks eighteenth in the league through the air, twenty-fifth on the ground and on the defensive side of things, they rank seventh versus the pass and bring up the rear of the league against the run at a dismal thirty-second.
Aaron Rodgers has again put his accuracy on display as his touchdown-to-interception ratio is a staggering 12:1. Rodgers also has more than 1,100 yards passing and a rating of 114.8 on the season.
Staggering numbers when in consideration the Pack have only had two good games out of their first five.
The run game has been a letdown so far this season. The “Hammer” Eddie Lacy has three touchdowns but is only averaging a little over 53 yards per-game this young season. James Starks and DuJuan Harris have only carried a combined 31 times.
At the receiving core it is a very unbalanced load as Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have been more than the primary target. Nelson has 34 of the team’s 101 receptions and 525 yards of the team’s 1,177 reception yards.
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However, Randall Cobb has sx of the team’s 12 touchdown receptions.
A weak link has been the number three wide receiver spot as Davante Adams and Jarret Boykin have only combined for 12 receptions, 107 yards and a lone touchdown. The tight end position has also failed to produce a stat sheet worth mentioning.
Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers have 12 total receptions for 148 yards and 1 touchdown.
Surprise, surprise but Morgan Burnett leads the team in total tackles with 48. On his heels is the “Lunch Pail” A.J. Hawk with 45 total tackles.
Morgan Burnett. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports photograph
Mike Daniels has backed up his rash talk by leading the team in sacks with 2.5 on the season.
Julius Peppers has proven to be a great addition. His 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles-for-a-loss, 3 passes defensed, 1 interception good for a 49 yard touchdown and a forced fumble that was recovered by himself has to have him as the leader for the Packers defensive MVP.
Clay Matthews is also showing flashes that would presume he is back to the “Old Clay.” Being in the right place at the right time collecting an interception and almost making six out of it.
Enough can’t be said about the recovery of Mason Crosby’s career. Before last season many fans had written Crosby out of the Packers’ plan. Last season he was lights out, to say the least.
Crosby is five-for-six with a long of 55 yards on the season. He is arguably the best kicker in the NFL over the last two seasons – a sight for which many cheesheads can let out a big sigh. That’s a very refreshing moment as Crosby is one of the most likeable figures and great human beings in the game today.
There is no doubt the Packers have plenty to improve on as the season moves ahead. The encouraging thing is the fact they have outscored all NFC North opponents by at least 18 points on the season. They also ran away from both the Bears and the Vikings.
Green Bay must improve against the run while getting production from the number three wide receiver and getting a greater involvement from the tight end position.
If the Packers are able to complete this, they will run away with the NFC North and become true contenders.
Green Bay Packers Report Card through Week 5: C