Green Bay Packers: Week 4 MVP, Best Position Group and other awards

Even though the Green Bay Packers lost their game against the Philadelphia Eagles this week, there were still some performances worthy of awards.

I will be giving out these awards for the Green Bay Packers weekly from this game on for the rest of the season. Some awards will be positive, some will be negative, some will be serious, and others will just be more casual. Some, like offensive and defensive MVP, will be constant, and some awards will only appear once. So, with those guidelines set, let’s hand out some week four awards.

Defensive MVP – Kevin King

Coming off of his worst performance of the season against the Denver Broncos, King came back and looked very good in coverage this week. His size played very well against the big physical receiver, Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery only made three catches for 38 yards on nine targets, and King was his primary defender.

Officially, King registered two tackles and two pass break ups, the only two the Packers had. In a Green Bay Packer defense that had as many holes as a sieve, Kevin King was a bright spot that did his job and did it well of defending his man on an island.

Blake Martinez deserves a mention, as he was very busy in the run game with 15 total tackles, 10 of them solo. Far too many runs got past the line and to the second level, but Martinez did a pretty good job of filling gaps and cleaning up for a defensive line that is sorely missing Mike Daniels.

Offensive MVP – Aaron Rodgers

With Jamaal Williams out for most of the game and left with only one running back in Aaron Jones, the Green Bay Packers opted to go with the passing game to move the ball. Aaron Rodgers responded with one of his best games in recent memory.

He threw the ball 53 times, completing 34 of those passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He navigated the pocket extremely well and found receivers downfield when the play broke down which is vintage Aaron Rodgers. He also scrambled a few times, showing that his leg is fully healthy and leading the team in rushing with 46 yards.

Finally, he spread the ball around well, completing passes to nine different targets, getting a lot of people involved. The most impressive thing that Rodgers did was lead the drive down the field at the end of the game with Davante Adams out. While they didn’t score, moving the ball without the top receiver even on the field is tough and Rodgers did it.

And speaking of Davante Adams…

Busy Bee Award – Davante Adams

Davante Adams only had four touches last week against the Broncos. That is not ideal for a team’s most talented offensive weapon. Some things needed to change this week and they did.

Adams had a total of 15 targets on Thursday night, and caught 10 passes. He made catches everywhere on the field, running past corners for big gains, breaking off intermediate routes and short routes as well. The Packers even got creative and flipped him the ball on a jet sweep early in the game.

Adams did well with his touches and had 180 receiving yards. He might have been too busy, because he did get injured late in the game, which left the Green Bay Packers without a go-to receiver in a critical situation. Was it from overuse? Who knows, but he had a great game and I would look for him to continue to get plenty of targets if he is healthy in the coming weeks.

Most Unexpected Play – Mercedes Lewis

Let’s just cut to the chase, Mercedes Lewis hurdled a defender on Thursday night in an NFL football game. That’s ridiculous. This is a guy who has made a career out of being boring. He is a good run blocker, he’ll make some short to intermediate catches, and he’s a good veteran guy.

If someone told me a Green Bay Packer tight end would hurdle someone I would put all my money and probably some more on Robert Tonyan. I would have lost that bet. Logically, a 25-year-old Tonyan is still full of athleticism, just entering his prime. Mercedes Lewis is 35 and 30 pounds heavier. Lewis, in his 14th season in the NFL, did something that very few guys will ever do in their lives, and it was truly magical.

Best Position Group – Wide Receivers

So the wide receiver group of the Green Bay Packers was obviously carried by the career night from Davante Adams. However, their number two and three receivers, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison did good things as well.

They each had three catches with 52 yards for Allison and 47 for Valdes-Scantling. All three top receivers provided big play threats as each had a reception that went for over 25 yards. The receiving group combined for 16 of Rodgers’ 34 completions and 279 of his 422 yards. For an offense that struggled in the run game this week, the receivers stepped up for this team to score 27 points.

Worst Position Group – Defensive Line

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again, this defensive line misses Mike Daniels, A LOT. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles have a great offensive line, but you cannot get pushed around like this front did and expect to win a football game. It’s a passing league, but running the ball well and creating manageable third downs made all the difference last night.

The Packers offense was constantly trying to pass on long third downs with rushers able to get right after the quarterback with no threat of run, but the Eagles had nice 3rd-and-4 situations all night.

In total, Eagles running backs rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, both by Jordan Howard. This Packers front put up little resistance as the starting three guys combined for nine total tackles, only four of them solo. Also, Tyler Lancaster didn’t register any tackles, solo or assisted, in ESPN’s box score. That is unacceptable, and the run defense has been the Green Bay Packers’ Achilles heel for the past three weeks now. Maybe it is true that they run too many nickel packages, but it starts in the trenches and it needs to be better.

Best Celebration Moment – Allen Lazard

Allen Lazard didn’t really have much to celebrate on Thursday night. He didn’t register a catch and he wasn’t thrown to much. He did have this fantastic point to a penalty flag thrown for pass interference, though.

After Avonte Maddux started celebrating his perceived pass break up, Allen Lazard let him know that’s not quite what the result of the play was. It was subtle, but a very appreciated gesture, directing Maddux’s eyes right to the flag, ending in pure disappointment for the Eagle defensive back.

Who did you think deserved an award this week? Let us know in the comments below or @DairylandXpress.