Green Bay Packers: Top 4 performers of week three

The Green Bay Packers pulled out a 27-16 win at Lambeau Field against the Denver Broncos. So who were the top guys that made it happen?

In every NFL game, win or loss, there are guys that stick out as difference makers. For the Green Bay Packers this week, it was a few guys, in particular, who made big plays to help the team win and get them to 3-0 on the season.

The defense was, again, able to force multiple turnovers to put the offense in great field position to score. The Green Bay offense wasn’t great but was able to punch it in when they got close to the end zone and did enough to win.

There were plenty of guys to choose from this week, but I narrowed it down to two on each side of the ball. So, let’s start with the defense that was able to set up the offense so well on multiple occasions.

Jaire Alexander

Jaire Alexander is quickly becoming one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the game right in front of our eyes. His primary matchup, Denver’s leading receiver Emmanuel Sanders, was held to two catches for 10 yards. Not only is he capable of locking up, or at least containing almost any teams number one receiver, he can make plays in the run game as well, and force fumbles too.

Jaire has an incredible nose for the football and made one of the biggest plays of the game when he ripped the ball away from Noah Fant on third down like a bully taking a ball from a nerd on the playground. That play was just mean from Alexander, and the rookie first-round pick, Fant, could do nothing to stop him. Jaire also had two passes defended, including one late in the fourth quarter on a big hit that jarred the ball loose.

Preston Smith

Both Smith brothers were phenomenal for the third straight week, but Preston stood out the most to me against Denver. Preston Smith was everywhere doing everything today.  First, he set the edge on runs and made a few plays in the backfield, evidenced by his two tackles for loss.

He also rushed the passer extremely well. His three sacks led the way for a vicious Green Bay pass rush that was all over Joe Flacco the entire game. The way he gets pressure off of the edge cannot be understated and is exactly what the Green Bay Packers have been missing since the days of Pro Bowl caliber Clay Matthews. Money got spent to finally get pressure this season and it has worked extremely well through three games.

Smith’s most important sack was his strip-sack of Joe Flacco, which was recovered by rookie Rashan Gary, who deserves a mention for his play this week. This set up the Packers offense on Denver’s five-yard line and they quickly converted it into a touchdown. Without that strip, the game could have gone lots of different directions.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

With Davante Adams clearly the focus of Denver’s pass defense, a strategy that we will probably see in every game for the rest of the season, Valdes-Scantling became Aaron Rodgers’ favorite receiver with 10 targets on the day to lead the Green Bay Packers.

He made six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 40-yard bomb on a vintage Rodgers hard count to draw the defense offsides. In his first three games of year two, Valdes-Scantling has shown plenty of big-play ability which is huge for Aaron Rodgers who can air it out with the best, no matter where he is in the pocket, which way he’s rolling, or even if his feet are on the ground. If Valdes-Scantling can continue to have performances similar to this, defenses will be forced to take the double and triple teams off of Adams and it will make this offense a whole lot tougher to handle.

Jamaal Williams

Jamaal Williams loves football. If that isn’t apparent to everyone watching him, then they need to get their eyes checked. While he may not be the most physically gifted back in the league, he runs with a passion and grit that is tough to beat. Multiple times this game, he simply refused to go down without pushing the defenders at least a few more yards to pick up the first down.

Williams and Aaron Jones split carries fairly evenly this week, 12 for Williams and 10 for Jones. While people may see it as an issue that Jones got less carries, it was my hunch coming into the season that whoever had the hot hand on a given day would get the brunt of the work. Williams simply had the juice today and would not be denied, running 12 times for 59 yards, an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

While it was Aaron Jones that scored both rushing touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers, Williams was the fire that lit the offense and got them going in the right direction. He never shied away from contact and always kept his feet driving. Williams’ determination nets him a spot as a top performer this week for a Packers’ offense that struggled in many other areas.

So who did you think made the biggest impact this week? Post your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter @DairlylandXpress.