Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals
Final Score: Packers 27, Cardinals 23
Writer: Jason Wolf
Once again, the Packers scored 27 points. And once again, the Packers won while scoring exactly 27 points. The Packers are now 4-0 while scoring exactly 27 points and are 0-1-1 while scoring any other amount of points. The journey to 27 was a long and winding one in this game as Green Bay was down double digits in the second quarter before their kicker Luke Havrisik hit a Packers record 61-yard FG as time expired in the first half to bring the Cardinals lead to seven points. In what was a much tighter game than expected (a recurring theme for the Packers this season), Jacoby Brissett played like an above average NFL starting QB despite facing the Packers’ vicious pass rush which was in his face the entire game. Micah Parsons was living in the backfield all day, recording over 10 QB pressures, 4 tackles for loss, and a career-high 3.0 sacks. Jordan Love managed the game to perfection, and Josh Jacobs punched in two touchdowns to steal a hard-fought game away from the heartbreak Cardinals, who have lost their last five games by a combined(!) 13 points.
Two Up
- Tucker Kraft – Kraft led the team in targets with 10 on the day, coming down with five of them for 58 yards and a touchdown. Kraft looks like the most dangerous offensive weapon the Packers have with the ball in his hands, and when they were down and needing a score, Love was looking his way most often. With a touchdown in back to back games, he is also looking like the preferred red zone threat.
- Trey McBride – No one was down on McBride but he showed up and showed out today. He scored two TD’s and more than doubled any teammate in targets, securing 10 of his 13 targets for 74 yards to go along with the two scores. The next highest target share was 6 targets by Marvin Harrison Jr., the team’s apparent WR1.
Two Down
- Jordan Love – This is not to say that Love had a bad game; because by all means he played absolutely fine. He executed the game plan, he avoided making any real mistakes, and he delivered the ball exactly where it needed to be in the most crucial moments of the game. However, the offensive gameplan really seems to have stuck him in a game manager role despite all his talents and solid supporting cast around him. Bubble screens, cute little running plays, and a heavy dose of Josh Jacobs has seemingly doomed Jordan Love to put up pedestrian numbers in most games.
- Matthew Golden – Again, this is not an indictment on the player himself but it seems that the Packers are not making it a priority to unlock Golden’s full potential on a week-in, week-out basis. Either that or they are just saving him for when they actually need him later in the year or in offensive shootouts (then why didn’t he put up numbers against the Cowboys?). Either way, Golden isn’t being schemed up touches in space, and Love only looks his way for a deep shot 1-2 times a game max. He still might come on as the year goes on but for now that seems to be based on hope and draft capital more than anything else.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 19/29, 179 Yards, TD | 4 Carries, 22 Yards
Jordan Love was solid if not unspectacular for most of the game. Completing 15 of his first 20 passes, it often felt like Love was just managing the game and getting the ball to his guys in the right spots, rather than making plays happen himself. Watching this game soured me on the Packers’ offensive playcalling a little bit because it feels like they are not maximizing the talent that they have on offense. They have a great defense, and it’s always good to keep the opposing team’s defense on the field as long as you can; still, it feels like there is a lot of meat being left on the bone in Green Bay, especially when it comes to Love and his arm talents. Love does a great job recognizing defensive packages, and you can tell when watching him that he knows where he is going with the ball before the ball is snapped. Not in a bad way like how a rookie locks onto his primary read, but in a good way, showing that he is reading the defense and knows where to go with the ball to set his team up for success on any given play. You have to love his aggressiveness and trust in the offense when he lobbied to go for the crucial 4th & short late in the game with the Packers down 3. Had they kicked the field goal, there was a decent chance they would end up losing the game on a FG anyway, so going for the TD was the right move. Just as I note that Love was not really making plays, he did a great job of quickly leaving the pocket and scrambling out for a nice ~20 yard rush. Love’s mobility is a weapon that the Packers keep holstered in the case that they might need it – which almost feels like their offensive philosophy in a nutshell. Love did have one mis-throw on a potentially massive TD to Romeo Doubs but slightly over-threw him in the back of the endzone, one of the only miscues from Love on the day.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 13 Carries, 55 Yards, 2 TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Per usual, the offense runs through Josh Jacobs. He is the engine that keeps the offense chugging along. There are times in Packers’ games (especially this one) where the run game isn’t working but unlike other teams (cough cough, Baltimore), they actively stick with it to keep the defense honest and to beat up on the defense. Even when it hurts the offense for a series or two, the Packers will stick with Jacobs through times of inefficiency when the run game isn’t working, making him one of the most secure workhorse RB’s in the league. Jacobs doesn’t get talked about all too often as an RB with a lot of speed but he flashed his elite combination of power + speed on a direct snap which he took and preceded to beat every single defender (and blocker) to the edge for his seven yard TD run. It was only seven yards but it was an impressive burst of speed from Jacobs who isn’t considered a speed guy. Jacobs’ usage during the game makes him such a threat in the redzone that play-action becomes deadly for the Packers offense when nearing the goal-line. The defense has to respect the threat of Jacobs running so any time they run PA down in the red area, the defense commits to the run, leaving someone 1 on 1 or wide open. While he absolutely dominates the rushing game + touches, his usage in the passing came consistently leaves a lot to be desired. There was a time where he caught a lot of balls on the Raiders, so we know it’s possible but it just doesn’t seem to be part of the plan in Green Bay. The Cardinals were all over the run game today as their defensive focus was definitely to stop the run, and for the most part they succeeded, which gave the Packers some trouble on offense, especially in the first half where they looked sluggish and out of sync. As Jacobs goes, so the Packers offense goes.
Emmanuel Wilson: 6 Carries, 17 Yards | 1 Target, -2 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Romeo Doubs: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 72 Yards
Doubs doesn’t pop off the screen, and his numbers rarely pop off the stat sheet. However, he is an excellent route runner and consistent man beater which makes him the favorite to lead the team in targets on any given Sunday. The targets he gets are usually in the intermediate range, and he has pretty solid hands, making for a nice efficient day out there. He was leading the team in targets through three quarters with seven but when it was crunch time and plays needed to be made, Tucker Kraft was the go-to guy down the stretch. In the first quarter before the Packers had put up any points, there was one missed opportunity for a huge play for a long Doubs TD but Love missed him by throwing it slightly too far out of the back of the endzone. On the play, Doubs did an excellent job of gaining separation from his man on tight man coverage, beating him off the release with a quick first step and should have had a 40 yard score.
Tucker Kraft: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD
Tucker Kraft ended up leading the team in targets as well as hauling in both of Jordan Love’s TD passes. But he was pretty quiet for most of the game before turning it on in the last 20 minutes or so, When the game was on the line or the Packers needed to score to keep pace, Kraft was most often Love’s first look. When he has the ball in his hands, you can see how dynamic he is. On one of his best plays of the day, he took a simple WR (TE) screen and took it for almost 20 yards just off the back of his sheer speed and athleticism. He had a great day blocking as well as catching the ball. Not only did he make clutch play after clutch play in the second half but he was doing a great job blocking all day as well, something that goes a long way in keeping him on the field the majority of the time. LaFluer + the offense should really work some more 5-10 yard button / out routes for Kraft to use his athleticism to keep chains moving. Should be a regular part of the offense.
Matthew Golden: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 37 Yards
Golden is getting more involved on offense early in games. For the second week in a row, they seem to have made a point about getting him the ball early. He saw three targets on Love’s first 4 passes of the game. For some reason, the Packers come out firing to Golden, and it works pretty well but then as the game goes on they seemingly forget about him entirely. The fantasy football “expert” in me says that they are saving the good stuff involving Golden for when they really need it but the football fan in me is wondering why the hell they drafted this kid with such high capital instead of shoring up the secondary which they clearly are in more urgent need of than yet another WR that they use inconsistently. Though his usage is spotty, he was trusted with one of the biggest moments of the game for the offense. On 4th & 2 with the Packers trying to keep the drive and game alive, Golden was targeted. The pass was outside Golden’s body toward the sideline, showing good trust in the rookie WR to come down with the relatively difficult clutch catch. The Packers need to get him the ball out in the field, less on screens and such. LaFleur needs to take a page out of his buddy Kyle Shanahan’s book and scheme up touches in space for their shiny new toy.
Dontayvion Wicks: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
John FitzPatrick: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett: 25/36, 279 Yards, 2 TD | 6 Carries, 26 Yards
Just like last week, Brissett came out with his eyes downfield, looking to move the ball aggressively. The broadcast talked about how Brissett comes in early and stays after to take extra reps with any skill position players who want it, and it shows as he seems incredibly comfortable with both the playbook and his teammates. He was facing a ton of pressure during the first quarter and was dealing with it more than well enough, evading sacks and avoiding negative plays under pressure, either scrambling for a couple yards or throwing the ball away. This was a theme on the day, as he was constantly pressured and hit numerous times. He dealt with the pressure like the seasoned vet that he is though, and moved well within the pocket, stepping up when necessary and rolling out when needed, all the while keeping his eyes downfield through it all. In previous years in his career, I thought that he would sort of fold under pressure but he has actually improved as a QB as he has gotten older. Standing tall in the pocket, Brissett was throwing on time and with accuracy all first half. On their TD scoring drive to end the first half, Brissett was 6/6 and was even more impressive than the numbers say as he dropped dime after dime while under duress. 12/18, 137 yards, 1 TD and arguably only 1 miscue throughout the first half. Could NOT ask for more out of your backup QB playing with the team’s 4th-string RB and playing against a TOUGH defense + defensive front. During a stretch in the 3rd-4th quarter, Brissett completed 10 passes in a roe. Just carving up the GB secondary, despite all the pressure he has been facing all day.
Missed Opportunities
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Missed opportunity where Brissett had Trey McBride wide open in the endzone but instead of leading him into the open space for a walk-in TD, he misplaced the ball and McBride had to turn himself around, leading to an incomplete pass instead of the score.
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Another missed opportunity two plays later where Brissett actually delivered the ball with perfect placement to McBride but instead of sitting on his route in the empty space of the zone, McBride kept running and would have been lit up by a big hit if Brissett delivered the ball where he was going. Two slight miscommunications / mistakes between the two on the drive, making what should have been a TD scoring drive to another FG in the redzone.
Running Back
Zonovan “Bam” Knight: 14 Carries, 57 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 7 Yards
Early in the game, he dropped an easy pass wide open in the flat. He wasn’t going to get more than 1-2 yards out of it as the defender was closing in, but you gotta make that catch. Dropped it probably due to feeling the heat from the incoming defender. He is clearly more well-suited for the traditional between-the-tackles rushing attempts than his RB counterpart Michael Carter. He didn’t make any real splash plays but several times in the game he displayed his good vision between the tackles, showing nice one-cut and run uphill ability particularly on a nice 9-yard run that immediately followed the Packers’ first TD.
Michael Carter: 7 Carries, 11 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
Was clearly second fiddle to Knight in terms of touches and impact. He failed to pop on any of his touches though he did have a couple of nice gains off his two receptions where the play design matched up just right agains the Packers defense.
D’Ernest Johnson: 1 Carry, 0 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Trey McBride: 13 Targets, 10 Receptions, 74 Yards, 2 TD
On the Cardinals’ first drive, Brissett came out looking for McBride right away. He caught the first pass of the game and caught another one on 3rd down with the cardinals marching toward the red zone. The way he doesn’t shy away from contact, the way he fights for extra yards, and his athleticism with the ball in his hands. He doesn’t get talked about enough as a top TE in the NFL but he is right up there with the best in the business. An underrated aspect of what makes him so good is his competitive spirit which was on full display this game. After the Cardinals’ second FG drive where he had a mental lapse on one of his routes, leading to a FG instead of a TD (and a mistake by Brissett) you could see McBride pissed off at the offense coming away with a field goal and pissed off at himself for the slight errors on the past drive. He immediately redeemed himself after that misplay on an earlier drive as McBride worked himself open down in the redzone for the TD less than 10 seconds before halftime. Instead of getting down on himself and taking himself out of the game mentally, he locked in and came through on the TD-scoring drive to find the endzone. On Brisett’s 10th straight completion, he found a somehow wide open? McBride in the redzone (even after his first TD) and McBride spun away from the incoming help defender to find his way into the endzone for his second TD of the day. Though it was certainly a defensive mishap to leave him so open, he is one of the league’s premier redzone threats at the TE posiiton.
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 58 Yards
Ever the inconsistent presence on the offense, Marvin Harrison Jr. was invisible in the early goings of the game. In fact, his most notable play in the first half was an incomplete catch that was initially ruled a catch + fumble turnover on the field. He secured the ball, and it was punched out almost immediately, right on the border of him making a football move. He was lucky the play was reversed and it was ruled incomplete. Quicker than he gets credit for, he is so fast with his first step. He is not talked about as a WR with elite speed but his breaks in his routes are so clean and he gets into his route so fast. Despite the underwhelming box score production in this one, he was putting on display why he was such a highly touted prospect in the first place. Not just a name and not just an athletic freak, he is polished as hell. On 3rd & 14, the drive after Packers’ first TD, Brissett delivered a perfectly placed ball to MHJ down the sideline. MHJ displayed his excellent first step to break toward the sideline and flashed his underrated speed to gain a step on his man down the sideline and caught the ball clean as he could, making a huge play when the Cardinals really needed it after Packers gained all the momentum. He had an inefficient day considering he only came down with two receptions on his six targets but he is often receiving the “screw it. WR down there somewhere” variety of targets.
Michael Wilson: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Michael Wilson is not so subtly but quickly becoming the go-to option in the receiving group. When a crucial play needs to be made on 3rd down specfically, Brissett is looking his way, continuing a trend that started with Kyler Murray. WIlson isn’t a target eater but he stays on the field a lot, and he has a knack for making the play that is most needed at crucial times. He even came up with a super impressive reception on 3rd down (again) even though he was double teamed in the middle of the field.
Zay Jones: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 67 Yards
On 3rd & looooong (20+) the Cardinals got a free play when the GB defense jumped early, and Brissett launched a deep bomb to Zay Jones who came down with a beautiful leaping catch down the sideline. He did a fantastic job to secure the ball and fall on his butt in bounds. Jones doesn’t get many targets in the offense but he has the certified deep ball specialist role on lock, and he is actually a pretty great deep ball option as he comes through on those plays more than you would expect from the average hit rate on those kind of plays.
Greg Dortch: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 5 Yards