Packers first-quarter report card: Defense needs more from its star players

After what looked like a potentially serious knee injury to Jordan Love in Week 1, the Green Bay Packers were spared from a lost season before it started, and they wrapped up the first quarter of the season at 2-2.

Even at 2-2, the Packers have only lost their two games by seven combined points. If special teams nightmares with missed field goals were finally behind them this season, the Packers could very easily be sitting at 4-0.

Here's how the Packers' first-quarter report card breaks down.

Offense Report Card

Quarterbacks: B

Both Love and Willis have started two games this season, producing two starkly different offensive game plans in Week 1 and 4 compared to Weeks 2 and 3.

With only a few days in town before jumping into a starting role, Willis has surprisingly been the Packers' most efficient quarterback and one of the most efficient in the NFL during his two weeks under center.

After four weeks, Willis registered the ninth-highest adjusted QB EPA (Expected Points Added) and led the Packers to both of their first two wins. With Love back from injury, Willis retakes the backseat but hangs his hat on a 90.6 QBR and 122.7 passer rating, which ranks second in the NFL. If nothing else, he proved he can compete for a starting role on a quarterback-needy team.

As for Love, he certainly hasn't looked himself so far this season. In his defense, the Packers as a whole looked out of sync in Week 1, and in Week 4 against the Vikings, Love's injured knee was an obvious factor in his timing, power transfer, and running. He did have a redeeming fourth quarter, reminding everyone how hot the Packers offense runs when firing. Love tallied 207-yard, three-touchdown, and one-interception line in the Packers' comeback effort.

However, his overall line is still far from the norms of last season, which earned him the mega-extension. After four weeks, he owns a 55.7% completion percentage (30th) and an 83.0 QBR (23rd). But there's also something to be said about a quarterback on a bum knee, coming back from being down 28-0 to only lose 31-29 to one of the last undefeated teams in football.

Running backs: A-

Has anyone heard from the "Josh Jacobs is washed" crowd lately?

Through four games, the Packers' ground attack is defined by explosive plays. They are second in rush yards per game (174.5), second in rushing yards (698), third in yards per carry (5.4), and tied for the most runs of at least 20 yards (seven). However, the Packers only have two rushing touchdowns, neither coming from Jacobs or Emanuel Wilson.

Despite only a 56% snap share due to how well Wilson has served as a complementary back, Jacobs's All-Pro talent has certainly resurfaced in Green Bay. He's tied for the fourth most runs of 10-plus yards (nine), seventh in rushing yards (329), and one of only 10 running backs with at least three runs of 20-plus yards.

Jacobs is again standing out for his elite explosiveness, contact balance to bounce outside or escape, and tremendous vision when pressing the line of scrimmage. The only concern is his early fumbles (two), including one at the goal line, and he leads the NFL in carries without a touchdown (78).

Wide receivers and tight ends: B

All the hype coming into the season was around the Packers pass catchers. After being the youngest offense in the NFL in 2023 and blowing expectations out of the water, this season has been a slower start than surely most expected. Love's injury certainly plays a significant role in the so-far slow start for the collective bunch, but there have been enough signs of life to signal an imminent outburst of production is near.

Jayden Reed, however, is making a ton of noise this season and establishing himself as a premier weapon in the offense. His dynamic abilities as a runner have added a wrinkle to Matt LaFleur's scheme that we haven't seen in past years, and he's been the Packers' most consistent pass catcher.

Fellow receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who many picked as a breakout receiver this season, has fully leaned into the Davante Adams comparisons. Like Adams, his year two season has been plagued by drops, as his four drops are second most. However, the upside remains visibly present. He leads the Packers in receiving touchdowns (three) and is eighth in the NFL in percent of snaps that have produced separation (84.62%), per PFF.

As for the tight ends, what was thought to be a two-headed monster with Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave has turned into Kraft taking over. While he remains a yard-after-catch machine (111 yards), his improved run-blocking has earned him the lion's share of snaps. Kraft's 12 catches are second on the Packers, he's third in yards (130), has logged their only tight end touchdown, and is third in the NFL for catches of 20-plus yards for tight ends (three).

Don't look now, but he's developing into one of the most complete tight ends in recent history for the Packers.

Offensive line: A+

In a season when offensive lines across football have struggled, the Packers have faced no such difficulties. This unit remains one of the best in football, surrendering only 1.5 sacks per game, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL.

Leading the pack is right tackle Zach Tom, who has emerged as a top-five offensive tackle in the league.

That's right, Tom's first All-Pro season seems to have arrived. He has allowed zero sacks this season. According to The 33rd Team, his 1.5-percent pressure rate allowed is the best in football.

Another lineman up for an All-Pro bid this season is Elgton Jenkins. The guard has only allowed three pressures on the year and has yet to surrender a hit or sack on the quarterback.

A surprise in the group has been Sean Rhyan's solid contributions at right guard. He's yet to be flagged for a single penalty or given up a sack, and he's held off competition from first-round rookie Jordan Morgan as he's been healthy.

Defense Report Card

Defensive line: C+

The Packers' top four edge rushers (Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Preston Smith, Kingsley Enagbare) have a combined 5.5 sacks on the year. Whereas Gary produced a 22.2% pressure rate last season, not a single edge rusher is producing over a 10% pressure rate this season.

Devonte Wyatt has been the team's most disruptive pass-rusher, leading the Packers with three sacks, good for fourth-most of all interior defenders. However, it's Wyatt's improvement in run defense that's been a testament to his development.

Gary, fresh off a $107 million extension in October, and Kenny Clark, with a $64 million extension of his own, have shown up the least on the stat sheets.

Clark's struggles are becoming concerning. Despite consistently getting double-teamed, at his pay grade, the expectation to produce outweighs just playing well within the system, especially when those doubled at least as much as Clark are vastly outperforming him.

Van Ness and Enagbare seem locked in a battle for playing time. Neither is consistently dominating, but Enagbare has looked slightly more explosive. While Van Ness was drafted as a developmental project, he's been slow to hit his stride for a first-round pick. Enagbare is not just some guy off the streets, though, as he had a third-round draft grade in 2022. Just don't look at players drafted shortly after Van Ness.

Linebackers: D+

After coming out of Georgia with sky-high potential, Quay Walker has simply not lived up to his first-round draft status. He looks lost filling a run lane, and he's still a constant target for quarterbacks to pick on over the middle or in man coverage. He may be picking up the defense well and still playing fast, but it's not translating into many positive results on the field.

The other starting linebacker, Isaiah McDuffie, has also not improved so far this season. His 48.6 PFF run defense grade is the ninth-worst of all linebackers, and he's fared about as poorly as Walker in pass coverage.

With rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper looming and playing impressive in his limited snaps, the Packers may have no choice but to hand Cooper the keys to a starting role if Walker or McDuffie don't quickly get on track. Not only does he have jets to chase down any play, but he's been disruptive as a pass rusher, and his instincts continue to mature weekly.

Secondary: B

In what's turning out to be a monumental signing, Xavier McKinney has been the star of the Packers' defense this season. With four picks in four games, he leads the NFL in interceptions and has more interceptions than 23 other teams.

With McKinney, the Packers have also seemingly solved their long-standing curse at safety trying to replace Nick Collins since 2012. His 89.5 PFF coverage grade leads all safeties, as he's allowing a marginal 16.9 passer rating when targeted and a 37.5% completion percentage.

Fellow safety Javon Bullard has also made his presence felt early on. While he hasn't been as tight in coverage, he's been an upgrade over recent Packers safeties against the run and tackling. He epitomizes "flying around," and Hafley recently said he wants to get him in a position to be around the ball more. When Bullard is playing up in the box, good things tend to happen.

The other star of the secondary, cornerback Jaire Alexander, got off to a slow start but was starting to turn it around before missing the Vikings game with an injury. His 61.9% completion percentage allowed and 85.3 QBR when targeted are all trending back in line with his most dominant seasons.

As for the other corners, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, and Keisean Nixon, it's been a mixed bag of results. But Jaire's absence against Minnesota put his value in the Packers' secondary on full display. Stokes's health looks to be in the best spot in years to this point, and despite some recent struggles, he's flashed some of what made him great as a rookie before the injuries.

Special Teams Report Card

Kicker: D

After a poor rookie year from Anders Carlson in 2023, the season started with a kicking competition between Carlson and Greg Joseph. It has since resulted in Brayden Narveson being brought in after both Carlson and Joseph were cut before the regular season.

Narveson has only hit 100% of his total attempts in one game this season, and his two missed field goals against the Vikings would have made a dramatic difference in a two-point loss. Narverson's 69.2% field goal percentage puts the Packers at the third-lowest conversion percentage in the NFL.

In a season where both losses have come from a combined seven points, the misses have been consequential. At this point, the only saving grace with Narveson is that he hasn't missed any extra points yet (9-9).

Punter: A

Daniel Whelan has been a saving grace for the Packers' special teams. He currently ranks third in PFF punting grade and has consistently flipped the field for the Packers. His 43.9 net yards per punt are good for ninth in the NFL, and six of his 13 punts have been inside the 20-yard line.

Coaching Report Card

Matt LaFleur: A+

Matt LaFleur's Packers might be 2-2, but his play-calling in the first quarter of the season has looked as good as ever.

After four weeks, the Packers' play-callers are fourth in team EPA, with LaFleur being eighth for offensive play-callers.

He has fully leaned into Reed's ability with the ball in his hands, calling split-back packages with Reed and a running back lined up next to Love. The formation gives Green Bay a plethora of looks and contributed to them being the top rushing team in football after three weeks. Reed's contributions have a lot to do with LaFleur calling pre-snap motion frequently, and it's seemingly unlocked a new layer to LaFleur's creativity.

The Packers' rushing attack being so potent and explosive this season is in large part due to the design. The tight ends and wide receivers play crucial roles with motioning or blocking, and linemen have been getting to their spots or climbing effectively.

LaFleur has faced a lot of criticism in the past around whether it's the quarterback or him, and those conversations all but ended after Willis's two-week stint filling in for Love. Willis's stat line was about as efficient as possible, tossing 324 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a 73.5% completion percentage, and 114 yards rushing with a touchdown. The script was limited, but it was nearly perfect.

With Love returning against the Vikings, it was undoubtedly a rusty start, as Love was unable to make the regular throws or runs he's accustomed to. However, as the game progressed, the offense reminded everyone just how hot they can run, going on a 22-0 run in their comeback effort.

Jeff Hafley: B

There are definitely signs that Jeff Hafley is in his first stint as an NFL defensive coordinator, but there's also been plenty of promise.

More impressive than anything, the Packers are second in run defense EPA in the NFL. This comes off the back of regularly being one of the more picked-apart run defenses for a good portion of the last decade. Hafley rightfully deserves credit here being that the talent up front has not changed.

The disappointment lies in the pass rush. While maybe Hafley is showing his version of "aggressive," as he spoke about all offseason, the trends would say it's not working. Through four games, the Packers rank last in pass-rush win rate, per ESPN. It might take some recalibrating of what he's asking from his best pass-rushers because right now, they aren't winning one-on-ones and stunts aren't often enough getting vertical to collapse the pocket.

The Packers' pass coverage has held up reasonably well, and an improved pass rush would undoubtedly help the cause.

Maybe a leading indicator of Hafley's success so far is he ranks eighth in EPA among defensive play callers. This unit is poised to take another step and remain one of the better defenses in the NFL.

More Packers news and analysis