Three takeaways from Packers’ win over Browns in Week 16
Takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Browns on Christmas Day.
It was closer than it probably should’ve been, but the Green Bay Packers held on for an important victory over the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Day.
With that win, the Packers move to 12 victories for the third straight season, a truly incredible accomplishment for head coach Matt LaFleur in his first three years in the job.
Let’s dive into the takeaways from Week 16.
Record-setting day for Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers made history on Saturday afternoon, setting a new Packers franchise record for career touchdown passes. He entered the game tied with Brett Favre on 442 touchdown passes but added three to his total versus the Browns to set a new record.
RELATED: Looking back at Aaron Rodgers’ memorable TD passes on journey to record
Rodgers continued to battle through a toe injury, but he was still highly accurate as he took his season passing touchdown tally to 33.
Takeaways make the difference
For a game settled by just two points, you wouldn’t quite believe the turnover differential. The Packers protected the ball all game long, but the defense came up with four interceptions.
Two belonged to Rasul Douglas, including the game-clinching pick as the Browns attempted to drive for a game-winning field goal. Chandon Sullivan and Darnell Savage also had interceptions.
When the Browns weren’t turning it over, they found some success against Joe Barry’s defense. The four turnovers proved to be the difference.
Far from a perfect performance
You can never complain about a victory. Great teams find ways to win even when they don’t play to their best. But there definitely were some concerns from this performance.
Yes, the defense made four interceptions but they also had little answer for the Browns’ rushing attack, allowing 219 yards and a touchdown on the ground. In total, Cleveland had 408 yards of offense.
The defense has been trending in the wrong direction in recent weeks, something that needs to be addressed.
On offense, the Packers were moving the ball for fun in the first half, despite Rodgers playing through some pain. But in the second half, they were far more conservative, punted three times and put up just three points from a Mason Crosby field goal.