The Green Bay Packers are coming off a thrilling, but disappointing 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday. After a slow start and trailing 16-3 in the second quarter, Aaron Rodgers put on a show in the second half. He went 10-11 for 197 yards, and three touchdowns with a 158.33 NFL passer rating. The second half was “the most we’ve been in sync this season” said head coach Matt Lafleur. However, Green Bay came up short with a last second field goal by Greg Joseph and the Vikings. They still lead in the NFC North division and are in the mix for the NFC’s number one seed. Although they are coming off a loss, some players scored a high PFF (Pro Football Focus) grade for week 11.
Davante Adams- 89.1
Adams has been quiet the last couple games, only posting 13 receptions for 120 receiving yards. This week, he contributed 7 receptions for 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Rodgers-Adams connection came out swinging at the start of the 2nd half as Rodgers targeted him early and often. Not only that, on the first play of the game, Rodgers hit Adams for a 37 yard gain on a crossing route during their opening drive. This performance helped Adams surpass Sterling Sharpe to be 3rd in all-time receiving touchdowns in franchise history. Adams has been dominant this season, averaging a 91.4 PFF grade and a 69.2 reception percentage. He has 979 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the first eleven games.
Equanimeous St. Brown- 83.7
St. Brown stepped up big, with Allen Lazard ruled out with an shoulder injury. He caught two of two targets for 43 yards, and added one rush for eleven yards. He had an important 26 yard gain in the 4th quarter that led to a Packers go ahead touchdown drive. St. Brown has been moderately quiet, but he’s been on the practice squad all season. He’s remained an important factor and stepped up for this offense when needed, posting five receptions for 55 receiving yards. His 83.7 PFF grade is a new career high since being drafted in 2018.
Aaron Rodgers- 81.5
There was speculation as to how much Rodgers’ toe injury was going to affect his performance this week. With that electrifying second half, he ended with 23/33 for 385 yards, four touchdowns and a 148.4 NFL passer rating. He also tacked on 21 rushing yards on two attempts. Rodgers made some questionable throws in the first half, in which the offense looked stagnant. This was partially due to some sloppy penalties on the offensive line. In addition, Rodgers was constantly under pressure from the Vikings defense. His best play of the game was the 75 yard touchdown pass to MVS to tie the game late at 31-31. After not practicing for nearly a month, Rodgers now has two mediocre performances in a row. After the Vikings game, he mentioned his toe injury is “worse than turf toe”. The team will monitor him this week leading to an important matchup with the L.A Rams.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling- 78.3
As mentioned before, Valdes-Scantling had perhaps the most important play of the game, as he had a 75 yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. He led the team with ten targets, and 123 yards receiving with one touchdown. MVS also averaged 30.8 yards per catch which is his second highest since week 9 of the 2020 season. He also recorded just his second game with over 100 yards receiving since that same week. Rodgers focused on getting MVS the ball early and often from the start, and connected with him on the team’s final drive in the fourth. His 78.3 PFF grade was the highest since week 14 of 2020 against Detroit (84.3).
Preston Smith- 88.2
Smith stepped up huge, with Rashan Gary sidelined with a shoulder injury and Za’Darius Smith still unable to return this season with a back injury. Although the defense didn’t get pressure on Cousins this week, Smith earned his highest grade since week 1 against New Orleans. He ended with six total pressures, three quarterback hits and hurries, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble.
Kingsley Keke- 84.7
Keke, who was questionable heading into the matchup with a concussion, made a huge impact on defense. He continuously collapsed the pocket, forcing Kirk Cousins to scramble outside. Keke didn’t fill up the stat sheet, only having three quarterback hurries, two tackles, and 1 assisted tackle. However, his impact opened up the opportunity for a player like Preston Smith to make a play on defense.
Honorable Mentions:
Darnell Savage- 59.8
Savage earned a PFF grade of 59.8. Had he made one of those two interceptions his grade would be significantly higher. He had made one interception that was overturned with a roughing the passer penalty. The other interception was overturned after the replay once it was confirmed he didn’t have full possession. Overall, he maintained great zone coverage.
Josiah Deguara- 76.9
Deguara made his first career touchdown reception this week, after suffering an ACL injury his rookie season last year. He ended the day with 2 receptions for 37 receiving yards and one touchdown. With Robert Tonyan out for the rest of the season, Deguara could be seeing more opportunities going forward with the Packers upcoming schedule.
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