Packers: Grades for Week 4 performance in win vs. Patriots

The Green Bay Packers entered Week 4 as heavy favorites but required overtime to get past the New England Patriots.

Not for the first time this season, it was anything but a complete performance from Matt LaFleur’s team. But they won, and that’s all that matters.

Let’s break down the performance with grades for each phase of the game.

Packers offense: C-

Saving the offense from a worse grade is that they finished with 27 points, 443 total yards, and ran the ball for fun with 199 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

However, we can’t pretend this was a particularly encouraging performance.

Green Bay keeps turning it over and had another two giveaways on Sunday, including a rare Aaron Rodgers pick-six.

They entered halftime with only seven points, but did turn things around in the second half, scoring on three of their four second-half possessions, before moving the ball downfield in overtime to set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning kick.

Packers defense: B

The good? Green Bay’s defense held New England to only 17 points and finished the game with four sacks and seven quarterback hits.

The pass rush continued to dominate, particularly Rashan Gary, who is having an outstanding start to the season.

But run defense remains a major issue. Even with the Patriots playing most of the game with their third-string quarterback and leaning on the run game, the Packers couldn’t stop it.

New England had 167 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Packers special teams: B

There were plenty of good moments on special teams.

Pat O’Donnell punted well again, averaging 42 yards per punt and pinning the Patriots inside their 20-yard line twice. Mason Crosby was perfect on his five kicks, converting two field goals and three extra-points. He made the game-winning kick look easy.

Punt and kick coverage was a challenge for Green Bay. Marcus Jones gave them all sorts of problems, averaging 24.5 yards per punt return and 27.8 yards on kick returns.

Amari Rodgers didn’t make any mistakes as the returner, but he also didn’t provide many positive plays, averaging 5.5 yards on punt returns and 22 yards on kick returns.

Still, up against a talented Patriots special teams unit, the Packers were solid.