Packers: Positives, negatives from Week 12 vs. Vikings

Positives and negatives from the Green Bay Packers’ Week 12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers lost yet again against the rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

The Packers are almost entirely out of the playoff picture and are headed for another shockingly disappointing season.

Positive: Davante Adams

It seems as though Davante Adams has finally joined the elite group of receivers in the NFL. Before the season Adams was considered to be among the tier two group of wide receivers across the league. Finally, it looks as though he has jumped into the upper echelon.

Adams is one of the best route runners in the entire league, if not the very best. While not the fastest player in a race, Adams has extraordinary hands and can gain separation against almost any defensive back across the league.

Negative: Blake Martinez

People can hype up Blake Martinez all they want, but the reality is that he is not much more than an average linebacker in today’s NFL.

In classic Packers fashion, Martinez has been left out to dry as the only competent linebacker that the team has. Oren Burks hasn’t done a thing since being drafted out of Vanderbilt, and Jake Ryan has been out for the whole season.

Management has forced Mike Pettine to trust Martinez as the team’s best linebacker despite the fact that he will never be able to lead an NFL defense to a top five finish. Martinez, while the team’s leading tackler by a mile, shows just how bad the rest of the unit is. The Packers can’t tackle anyone to save their lives, and that starts with Martinez.

Positive: Aaron Jones

Even though Mike McCarthy stubbornly refused to give Jones the ball as the primary running back until midway through the season, Jones appears to be the bell cow for the Packers going forward.

The Packers haven’t given the offense a running game for years and only after passing on Alvin Kamara in order to draft Josh Jones did they scoop up Jones in the same draft.

As Aaron Rodgers appears to have potentially lost a step, the Packers better be prepared to give Jones the ball more. This will likely only happen if there is a head coaching change, but Jones needs to be featured as the primary running back of the future.

Jones also appears to have good potential as a receiver down the field, something the Packers have also failed to take advantage of in previous years.

Negative: Safeties

The Packers should probably begin to hold open tryouts at the safety position. Against the Vikings, they were using Ibraheim Campbell and Josh Jones as the main cogs in the defensive backfield.

That is simply not going to be anywhere near good enough. While Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was never as good as advertised, he was one of the only defensive backs on the team with any bit of speed or athleticism.

The Packers yet again need an overhaul at the safety position. Josh Jones looks like another classic Packers flop in the draft, while Kevin King might be better suited to play the position going forward.

With two first-round picks, two fourth-round picks, and two sixth-round picks, the Packers have more than enough resources to properly begin to build up that defense. Jaire Alexander looks like he may have been a big first step, but more is to be done.

Positive: Corey Linsley

Corey Linsley appears to be having the best year of his career in Green Bay. When the Packers signed him to a pretty rich contract extension, it looked like the team overpaid for his services. For the most part since signing that extension, Linsley has validated that contract.

The Packers are going to have some moving parts on the offensive line in the near future, but Linsley looks like the steady rock in the middle.

The other big part of Linsley’s presence in Green Bay is his durability. Linsley has started all 64 games that he has played in the NFL, and is one of the few Packers who can actually stay on the field for extended periods of time. Linsley needs to be kept around in Green Bay for as long as the Packers can have him.

Negative: Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy has real estate in this weekly article. His schemes are simply laughable at this point. There is no creativity, imagination, or innovation in McCarthy’s offense. Aaron Rodgers is not blameless, but it is clear that both sides would be better without each other at this point.

The Packers should be grateful for McCarthy’s time in Green Bay. He helped resurrect the career of Brett Favre upon his arrival with the team. He also implemented an offensive system that seemed to prioritize balance from play to play.

Since 2015, every single defense that the Packers have played has been able to completely stymie the offense. Combine the team’s inability to adjust offensively with McCarthy not being able to provide anything for the defense or special teams. It’s time for change in Green Bay.