Packers: Winners and losers from victory over Lions in Week 14

Loser: Soft coverages

For whatever reason, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine continues to call soft coverages that bleed yardage in the middle of the field and the screen game. We saw the Lions exploit both of these holes in this contest and thrive in these two facets. The Packers have had success when they run tight, bump and run man coverage so it’s inexplicable why they continue to run so much soft zone coverage.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams

Each of these two had their own spot last week, but we’ll combine them this time around. This is the elite quarterback-wide receiver pairing in the NFL. They showed it on the first drive when Rodgers hit Adams on a back-shoulder pass which resulted in Adams housing it 56 yards for a touchdown. While Adams finished the game with seven receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown (he became the first player in NFL history to have six plus receptions and a touchdown in eight straight games) Rodgers also strengthened his campaign for an MVP. This duo is unstoppable.

Loser: Special teams (not including Mason Crosby)

The special teams’ units are a walking nightmare every week and it’s very possible they could cost the Packers a game in the near future. After allowing two punt returns for touchdowns, the Packers allowed a huge kickoff return late in the game that basically gave the Lions three free points. They also came oh so close to blundering an onside kick that was eventually ruled out of bounds. Their only saving grace was Mason Crosby who drilled a huge 57-yard field goal and is now 15/15 on the season.