Green Bay Packers: Week 12 MVP and Awards

The Green Bay Packers won a convincing 41-25 game against the Bears at Lambeau Field, so it’s time to celebrate with some awards.

Offensive MVP – Aaron Rodgers

It’s tough to play a much more efficient game that Rodgers did Sunday night for the Green Bay Packers. He completed 21 of his 29 pass attempts, a 72.4 completion percentage, for 211 yards and four touchdowns—all that was good for an incredible 96.8 QBR and a passer rating of 132.2.

Even with the numbers that Pat Mahomes put up this week, Rodgers stayed squarely in the MVP conversation with this performance. The only reason he didn’t have more yards was that he was constantly working with a short field, and his run game was so successful that there wasn’t as much ground to cover in the air. After 12 weeks of NFL action, Rodgers is the league leader in touchdowns, touchdown percentage, and passer rating.

Defensive MVP – Darnell Savage

Rodgers’ 96.8 QBR suggests that he played an almost perfect game as that stat tops out at 100. Pro Football Focus rated him an 84.1. Darnell Savage got an astounding 96.3 rating from them, meaning he almost did play a perfect game. He was everywhere the Packers needed him to be in coverage, and while he made just one tackle, he did everything right that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. He also had two of the biggest plays of the game with his pair of interceptions.

Savage had a solid rookie season but had taken a step back early this year. Seeing him start to pick up his game the last few weeks and now put an exclamation mark on that improvement with two turnover plays is extremely encouraging. Speaking of improvement, it seemed that Preston Smith got the message by being left out of the starting lineup in favor of Rashan Gary. He had two quarterback hits, a sack, and returned a fumble for a touchdown, earning him an honorable mention this week.

Most Acrobatic Play – Allen Lazard

This week in the category of awards that change every week, we start with Allen Lazard and his magnificent front flip. With the Green Bay Packers facing a third and seven at the Bears’ 47-yard line, Lazard caught a pass underneath from Rodgers. Buster Skrine and Jaylon Johnson looked ready to make the stop short of the sticks when Lazard split them and flipped over the first down line.

There were major deductions for not landing on his feet, but I’ve heard he’s taken a few inquiries from the American Men’s’ Gymnastics National Team. Lazard is always a great target on third down due to his hands and size, and adding another element by using his athleticism to be acrobatic makes him an even more viable receiver in those situations. It was unexpected that the 6’5″ Lazard would do that sort of thing, but it turns out he did something similar just last season, though not as much of his own doing.

Big Brain Move – Mike Pettine

Now, we’ve all had our issues with Pettine here in Green Bay and the accusations that he can’t stop the run and isn’t using his personnel correctly. However, what he did from the late third quarter into the fourth was a stroke of absolute GENIUS.

Sinking back into obscenely soft zones to let Mitch Trubisky complete pass after pass and look like a competent quarterback, all the while knowing the Packers had a lead that was insurmountable, was the best thing he could’ve done. Due to this strategy, Trubisky actually had more yards than Rodgers did Sunday night. It’s clear that Pettine knows Trubisky’s limitations and wants the Bears to give him a big contract extension. He did his part to try to make that happen Sunday night, and while people might complain that the defense looked bad, it was all clearly part of an overarching masterplan.

Celebration of the Week – Packers Defense

For the second week in a row, the Green Bay Packers defense had a great choreographed celebration. This time, it was well earned after a strip-sack led to a defensive touchdown. What they did this week most resembled a dance move called hitting the woah, which was popular in 2018. They may be a little behind on their pop culture, but throwing the ball up and everyone doing it when it hit the ground was a great touch.

Honorable mention this week to Equanimeous St. Brown, who, after making a 24-yard catch for a first down, ran out of bounds and found himself on the Chicago Bears’ bench. He calmly took a seat and made a first down gesture. It was subtle, but certainly a fun moment and one worthy of some remarks.

Celebration of the Year Leaderboard

1. Aaron Rodgers – Hingle Mccringleberry
2. Soul Train Line
3. Za’Darius Smith – Rest in Heaven Breonna Taylor
4. Aaron Rodgers – Michael Jordan Shrug
5. Jamaal Williams – Being a complete goofball
6. Packers Defense – Hitting the Woah
7. Packers Defense – Love Don’t Cost a Thing
8. Chandon Sullivan – Lambeau Leap
9. Ifeadi Odenigbo – Premature Airplane

What did you think of the Green Bay Packers’ big win this week? Do you think any celebrations on the leaderboard should be higher or lower? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.