Green Bay Packers v. Giants: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

The Green Bay Packers improved to 9-3 on Sunday, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from their performance in New York.

At halftime the score was just 17-10, in favor of the Green Bay Packers which was certainly much closer at that point than many of us had hoped it would be. Especially considering how bad the New York Giants had been playing as of late. However, Green Bay was able to pull away in the second half and cruised to an easy 31-13 victory.

Now at 9-3 the Packers move closer to clinching a playoff spot and have put the pressure on the Minnesota Vikings to keep pace in the NFC North race. Next week the Packers will have another winnable matchup at home against the Washington Redskins and truthfully it is one they should dominate as well.

But before we start looking ahead, as I do every Monday, I give the good, the bad, and the ugly from Green Bay’s performance. So let’s begin!

The Good

Allen Lazard

To put it simply this was a wide receiver unit that had been struggling to produce over the last five games. However, Sunday against the Giants presented them with a breakout opportunity given that the New York secondary just isn’t very good and they were without safety Jabrill Peppers.

Well, the receiver who was able to make the most of his opportunities was Allen Lazard. Although Lazard was targeted just three times, he caught all three passes for the first 100 yard game of his career, including a 37-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. Moving forward when it comes to targets and snap counts, it’s time that the coaching staff start treating Lazard as wide receiver two, because that is exactly what he’s been since his big game against Detroit.

The Bad

The Run Game

Credit needs to be given to the New York Giants here as well, as their interior defensive line may be the best unit on this team which made it very difficult for Aaron Jones and the running game to get anything going. Jones was held to just 18 yards on 11 carries and although Jamaal Williams was able to average 4.1 yards per rush, a few of his longer runs came at the end of the game when Green Bay was running the clock. Not to mention that the longest run for either back was just nine yards.

Fortunately for the Packers, even though the running game was struggling, Aaron Rodgers and the passing game was having success and they were able to rely on moving the ball that way. But as we’ve seen in their two most recent losses, when the running game isn’t working, this offense can really struggle.

The Ugly

The Big Play

It’s no secret that giving up the big play has been an issue for this Green Bay Packers’ defense all season. In fact, they lead the NFL having allowed 14 plays of 40 or more yards this season and they have given up the seventh most plays of 20 yards or more with 46. Well yesterday, it was a problem again.

Through the air, Daniel Jones would complete passes of 43 yards, 32 yards, and 27 yards. Keep in mind this was a Giants team without Golden Tate and their top two tight ends were out of the game as well. I understand that at this point in the season, this is who this Packers team is, but they have to find away to minimize these big plays because come playoff time, the good teams will certainly take advantage.