Why they won: Green Bay Packers overpowers Minnesota

Nov 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver

(89) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings cornerback

(24) during the second quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

James Jones

Over the losing streak — and really since the win in Week 3 against Kansas City — the receiving corps have been the biggest disappointment of the entire team.

We knew things were going to be tougher without Jordy Nelson, but this has been ungodly bad at times. The group is one of the slower receiving corps in the league, and defenses adjusted to that by being ultra-physical while forcing guys to win one-on-one matchups.

It was easy to overlook when Green Bay still won against San Francisco, St. Louis, and San Diego, but the scoreboard definitely showed us what any astute viewer should have: the offense was entirely unable to consistently make plays in the passing game.

The losses exposed that loud and clear, especially the one to a 1-7 Detroit team.

The one who exemplified the issues at the spot most had to be James Jones. After starting the year hot with 424 yards and 6 TDs (prorated to 1,131 yards, 16 TDs across a full year) in the 6-0 start, he managed only 3 catches on 10 targets for a measly 59 yards with no touchdowns in the 0-3 streak.

After a lot of talk over the weeks from the receivers themselves — him being the main voice on that front — that they needed to do better for their quarterback, he stepped up in a major way against Minnesota.

Jones was the most-targeted (11) receiver for Green Bay, catching the most passes (6) of any receiver while accumulating the most yardage (109) and a score. He made at least two difficult catches along the way; one was a huge gain, the other for his aforementioned score. Each could easily have been dropped or missed, but Jones was precise with his hands and with his footwork in both instances.

On a day where the other guys around him tended to still struggle, Jones was major in saving the day — and perhaps the season — for Green Bay.

Next: Kicking Dominance