What We Saw: Week 7

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
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Broncos @ Browns
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Football Team @ Packers
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Football Team @ Packers

Final Score: Packers 24, Football Team 10

Writer: Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

 

Washington once again struggled to score against a middle-of-the-pack defense, allowing the Packers to coast to an easy victory.  The running game of both teams was relatively bad in this one, but there were plenty of big plays through the air that kept the game interesting.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers seem to be rolling with ease now, while Washington struggles to figure out how to get the ball into the endzone.  Taylor Heinicke has looked decent enough, but drops, fumbles, and sacks end promising drives.

Let’s take a look at this low-scoring affair and see how the fantasy-relevant players performed.

 

Washington Football Team

 

Quarterback

 

Taylor Heinicke: 25/37, 268 yards, TD, INT, Fumble | 10 carries, 95 yards

 

Taylor Heinicke completed his first pass to Terry McLaurin and then scrambled for a first down on third-and-short.  His next pass was also to McLaurin, although it was a great jumping catch by the receiver.  To finish off the drive, Heinicke avoided a sack and bombed it deep to McLaurin, who hauled it in for a touchdown.

It was a great catch in traffic, however, this one is just as much on Heinicke for escaping pressure and finding his main receiver for the touchdown.

The second drive for Washington started with a short run and two incomplete passes.  McLaurin had a chance to catch the second pass, but defensive pass interference was called and Washington was awarded a first down.  After a bunch of run plays, Heinicke scrambled once again for a solid gain on second down.  Heinicke then targeted McLaurin on third-and-five but threw it too high, forcing Washington to kick a field goal (which was blocked).

The third drive started with RB1 Heinicke scrambling for 38-yards.

Heinicke scrambled a lot in this one and led Washington in rushing yards for most of the game.  The drive stalled after a few good defensive plays and Washington turned it over on downs.

The second half started with a Gibson run, and on the next play Heinicke was sacked and fumbled the ball away.

Heinicke came out on the next drive with a first down pass to Ricky Seals-Jones.  He then found Deandre Carter and Adam Humphries to get it to the fifty-yard line.  Heinicke then once again found McLaurin on a short crossing route, which McLaurin broke a tackle and took it 28-yards.  Washington got it to the six-yard line.  Heinicke scrambled for a short gain, followed by a run that went nowhere.  Heinicke then scrambled into the endzone for a called touchdown.  Unfortunately for him, he made a big mistake and dove short of the goal line.  On fourth-and-inches, Heinicke tried to sneak it in but the Packers stuffed him and Washington turned it over on downs for the second time.

Heinicke once again rebounded after the previous drive, pouncing on a fumble by his receiver and then scrambling for a big gain to the 10-yard line.  Washington faced a third-and-two and Heinicke threw a great pass to McLaurin in the endzone but he just dropped it.  It was a relatively easy catch that McLaurin straight up dropped.  On fourth down, Heinicke hit Seals-Jones in the hands but he couldn’t bring it in either.

After the Packers’ field goal, Heinicke started seeing a ton of pressure.  He managed to find McLaurin for a first down and then again on the next play for a short gain.  Washington moved the ball down the field with runs and screen plays.  On the 14-yard line, Heinicke targeted Dax Milne in the endzone but it was knocked away.  Heinicke then escaped a sack on the next play and found Seals-Jones for a short gain.  On third down, Heinicke made an ill-advised throw in the endzone that was intercepted.

After the Packer fumble, Heinicke found McLaurin and Seals-Jones for back-to-back first downs.  Heinicke was then sacked on first-and-goal.  After a run that went nowhere, Heinicke was sacked once again and Washington kicked a field goal to make it 24-10.

The last drive of the game started with an incomplete pass to Milne. The next pass was complete to Milne, who took it out of bounds after a first down.  He found Seals-Jones for six yards to make it a third-and-short. Heinicke was then sacked again to make it fourth-and-long.  Somehow Heinicke managed to scramble 15-yards for a first down to keep their hopes alive.  The game ended with a Heinicke scramble for a short gain.

 

Running Back

 

Antonio Gibson: 14 carries, 51 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards

J.D. McKissic: 4 carries, 22 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards

 

Antonio Gibson got the start once again even though he was questionable all week.  He took his first carry three yards.  J.D. McKissic came in for third down, and then stayed in and took his first carry for five yards.  Gibson came back in a took a carry four yards after a nice spin move allowed him to get past the offensive line.  On third down, Gibson carried it and stayed on his feet to get plenty of yards for a first down.

The second drive started with a Gibson carry for a short gain.  McKissic also carried the ball for a short gain and then caught a short pass.  On third-and-short, Gibson carried the ball and pushed the pile for another first down.  Gibson showed his strength once again by staying on his feet and extending the drive.

After the Heinicke scramble, both Gibson and McKissic were on the field.  Washington faked it to McKissic and then gave it to Gibson, who took it for five yards.  McKissic was targeted on third-and-three but he was hit hard by the Packer defender and couldn’t hold on.

The second half started with a Gibson run, which probably could have gone for a touchdown but Gibson was tripped up by his own lineman.  There was only one guy to beat, but unfortunately, he was knocked down after a five-yard gain.

Gibson had a decent 10-yard carry on the next drive that was called back for holding.  After that, he saw a few carries for short yardages.

Later in the third quarter, Gibson carried it near the goal line but fumbled it, although he got lucky and a Washington player managed to recover it.  Gibson has been struggling with fumbles lately, but Gibson stayed in and took another carry on the next play for a short gain.

McKissic was on the field on the next drive and took his first carry for eight yards.  McKissic was then targeted on the next play but was hit hard and couldn’t bring it in.  McKissic was hit hard a few times in this game.  He stayed in the game, however, and got a first down on the next play with a good run up the middle.  McKissic then took a screen for another first down.

McKissic was on the field after the Packer fumble but only took one carry for negative yards.

McKissic caught his last pass of the game with seconds remaining that went for over ten yards.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Terry McLaurin: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 122 yards, TD

Ricky Seals-Jones: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 51 yards

Adam Humphries: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards

Dax Milne: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards

DeAndre Carter: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards | 1 carry, 27 yards

 

Terry McLaurin got the first three catches for the Football team, including a 40-yard touchdown catch on an almost busted play.  His second catch was a great leaping grab, and his touchdown catch was an amazing catch in traffic.  Note that Dyami Brown was injured on this drive and did not return (knee).

McLaurin was targeted a few more times on this drive, making him the only receiver to see targets up to this point!

McLaurin again saw the only target for a receiver on the third drive.

Ricky Seals-Jones got his first target of the game on the second drive of the second half, catching a pass for a first down.  DeAndre Carter was the first receiver not named Terry McLaurin who caught a pass, although it only went for four yards.  Adam Humphries then saw his first catch which went for 16-yards and a first down. McLaurin then took a pass 28-yards to move it into the redzone.

After the Packer punt, Deandre Carter took a trick play run for 27-yards, although he fumbled it at the end.  Heinicke managed to jump on the ball.  Later in the drive both McLaurin and Seals-Jones were targeted in the endzone, but neither one could make the catch.  McLaurin dropped it and Seals-Jones had a defender make a good play to break it up.

McLaurin was involved early again on the next drive, catching two quick passes.  Humphries got his second catch of the game that went for 5-yards.

After the Packer fumble, McLaurin caught another pass for a first down.  Seals-Jones then caught another first down pass on the next play.

It seems like the only viable fantasy receivers on this team are McLaurin and Seals-Jones.

 

Green Bay Packers

 

Quarterback

 

Aaron Rodgers: 27/35, 274 yards, 3 TD | 2 carries, 17 yards

 

Aaron Rodgers started off with a first down pass on the first play of the game, finding Davante Adams across the middle.  Later on the drive, Rodgers took a shot downfield to Equinimeous St. Brown but he could not keep his feet inbounds.  On third-and-11, Rodgers scrambled up the middle for 15 yards to continue the drive and get into the red zone.  The Packers went for it on fourth-and-three, and Rodgers scrambled outside the pocket and found Adams wide open in the middle of the field and he took it for six.

This was a great heads-up play by Rodgers, who extended the play and then threw across his body, while falling over, to his favorite receiver.

The second drive was short-lived, with an incomplete pass and a sack that forced the Packers to punt.

The third drive started with a pass to Tight End Robert Tonyan, followed by a few passes to Aaron Jones.  Rodgers then found Adams and Cobb to move the ball down the field into Washington territory.  Rodgers managed to duck Montez Sweat on second-and-long and managed to get a few yards on a carry, but the drive did stall and the Packers had to kick a field goal (which was blocked just like Washington’s).

After Washington turned it over on downs, Rodgers got to work with three minutes left in the half.  He found Allen Lazard for a quick first down and then found him again two plays later.  On third-and-two, Rodgers once again found Lazard, making it three consecutive catches.  Rodgers then decided to target someone else, finding Tonyan for a short gain.  But don’t worry, Rodgers went right back to Lazard on the next pass.  This was a quick throw at the line of scrimmage that Lazard took for a big gain.  After a short pass to Adams and an incomplete catch by Cobb, Rodgers found Lazard for the fifth time on the drive for a touchdown.  The video can be seen below.

After the Washington fumble, Rodgers found Tonyan for a 20-yard touchdown.

After the Washington turnover on downs, the Packers were pinned in their own endzone and couldn’t get anything going, forcing a punt.

After yet another Washington turnover on downs, Rodgers hit Adams for a first down.  He then found Adams again on the sideline for a big gain.  Rodgers then found Tonyan again for a big gain across the middle.  On the next play, Rodgers targeted Adams deep that Washington was called for defensive pass interference.  Rodgers targeted Lazard in the endzone again but it was just out of his reach.  Rodgers had to throw the ball away after a penalty made it third-and-twenty and the Packers kicked a field goal.

After the Washington interception, Rodgers rolled out left and found Marcedes Lewis for a first down, but the drive ended with an A.J. Dillon fumble.

The last Packer drive didn’t do much, with a few carries for no yards and an incomplete pass.

Overall Rodgers was efficient, and short fields allowed him to score relatively easily.

 

Running Back

 

Aaron Jones: 6 carries, 19 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 20 yards

A.J. Dillon: 3 carries, 6 yards, Fumble | 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards

Kylin Hill: 3 carries, 2 yards | 1 target

 

Kylin Hill surprisingly got the first carry of the day but only took it three yards.  Aaron Jones came in for the next play and caught a pass that got the Packers a first down.  Later on the drive, Jones took a carry 9 yards for his biggest play on the drive.  Jones got another catch on first down after the Rodgers’ scramble.  He then rushed for a small gain and caught another pass for no gain.

On the second drive, A.J. Dillon got the first carry but didn’t find much room.

Jones caught two passes in a row on the third drive, taking the second pass for a tough first down.

Jones got a carry on the next drive but didn’t gain any yards.

Dillon was in on the drive after Washington turned it over on downs, but was unable to do anything.  He did fumble the ball on a catch but thankfully the Packers were able to pounce on it.

Jones saw the field after the Washington turnover on downs late in the third quarter.  He had a few carries again that went for short yardages.  This game was one to forget for all Packer Running Backs.  None of them got over 20 yards rushing.

After the Washington interception, Dillon got a first-down carry that he fumbled (second of the day) and Washington managed to jump on this one.

Kylin Hill came into the game late in the fourth quarter, but just like his teammates, he couldn’t do anything with the ball.  Hill was targeted on the drive but couldn’t haul it in.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Davante Adams:  7 targets, 6 receptions, 76 yards, TD

Allen Lazard: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 60 yards, TD

Robert Tonyan: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 63 yards, TD

Randall Cobb: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards

Equanimeous St. Brown: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 62 yards, Fumble | 1 carry, 13 yards

Marcedes Lewis: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 31 yards

 

Davante Adams saw the first catch of the game, followed by a short catch by Randall Cobb. Equanimous St. Brown got a target downfield that he caught out of bounds.  Marcedes Lewis continues to get targets, although they are few and far between.   Adams later caught a touchdown pass from a scrambling Aaron Rodgers.

The third drive started with a pass to Robert Tonyan, who has struggled this year after a breakout 2020 season.  Adams and Cobb made some good contested catches on this drive as well.  St. Brown took a jet sweep for 13 yards and a first down.

The fourth drive is mostly explained above in the Quarterback section, but Lazard’s five-catch, 60 yard, and touchdown performance deserves to have the video down here.

It was a great drive by Lazard, and he didn’t see another catch the entire game.

Tonyan caught a deep touchdown pass on the first drive of the second half, which was a nice way to celebrate “National Tight Ends’ Day”.  It was a great route and a great throw by Rodgers.

Adams made a highlight-reel catch along the sidelines to end the third quarter.

It was a heck of a fingertip catch by the veteran receiver.  Tonyan saw another big catch on this drive for a first down, but no other receivers did anything on this drive and the Packers punted.

 

— Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Broncos @ Browns
Panthers @ Giants
Jets @ Patriots
Bengals @ Ravens
Chiefs @ Titans
Football Team @ Packers
Falcons @ Dolphins
Lions @ Rams
Eagles @ Raiders
Texans @ Cardinals
Bears @ Buccaneers
Colts @ 49ers

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