Green Bay Packers: 10 Quick Observations from Dominant Win over Titans

Here are 10 quick observations from the Green Bay Packers’ dominant win over the Titans.

Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? Against a playoff contender and one of the best offenses in the game, the Green Bay Packers put together a dominant four-quarter performance on both sides of the ball that ends in a 40-14 win. Many have been questioning whether or not the Packers were capable of such a performance against a quality opponent, and the simple answer to that question is yes.

I’ve now had the opportunity to go back and rewatch the television copy of the game, and as always, I have put together my observations from the game. This week, there were 10 of them, so let’s take a look at what they were.

So that’s why Gutey and LaFleur wanted AJ Dillon so bad

Behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams on the depth chart, we’ve seen very little of AJ Dillon this season. But with Williams sidelined with an injury and in a snowy, cold Lambeau Field, Dillon ended up becoming the featured back and showcased that skill-set that we had seen at Boston College.

Dillon finished the night with 21 carries for 124 yards at 5.9 yards per rush and two touchdowns. We saw him run people over and bust through arm tackles like it was nothing. But we also saw what makes Dillon such a unique running back. In addition to his hard-nosed running style, we also saw that burst in the open field and his quick feet at the line of scrimmage. Ultimately it was only one game, but this is the player that Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur had to have.

Derrick Henry was contained

Leading up to the game, I discussed how the Green Bay Packers likely wouldn’t stop Derrick Henry, but they had to contain him, limit the big plays, and stop him from taking the game over. Well, they did just that.

When it was all said and done, Henry had 98 rushing yards on 23 carries for an average of 4.2 yards and no touchdowns, with his longest run of the game going for only 10 yards. Huge credit to Mike Pettine and everyone on the Green Bay Packers’ defense. It took the entire unit to pull off this performance.

Brown and Davis were non-factors

On this Titans’ offense, Derrick Henry draws a lot of attention—and deservedly so. However, at receiver, Tennessee has one of the best duos in the NFL this season. Prior to Week 16, AJ Brown and Corey Davis had combined for 15 touchdowns and over 1,800 receiving yards. But like Henry, the two were kept in check.

Brown had four receptions on eight targets for 43 yards while Davis was held to no catches. Jaire Alexander continued to play at an All-Pro level while Kevin King bounced-back after two poor performances against Detroit and Carolina.

Green Bay Packers defense is peaking at the right time

One of my observations from last week was that the Packers’ defense had their best all-around performance of the season. Well, they topped that against Tennessee.

As already mentioned, Henry, Brown, and Davis were all contained while Ryan Tannehill completed less than 50 percent of his passes and the Titan offense averaged only 4.7 yards per play. Green Bay created pressure, generated turnovers, and held one of the league’s best offenses to just 14 points and 260 total yards.

With the playoffs around the corner, this unit appears to be peaking at the right time.

Special teams mistakes

It’s been well document on my part — as well as by many others — all of the mistakes that the Green Bay Packers’ special teams unit has made over the second half of the season. For the most part, that didn’t include the field goal unit, but even they had their issues last night.

Mason Crosby would miss his first extra-point attempt, and then later on, Tennessee was able to block a field goal and returned it to their own red zone. Fortunately, the Packers were bailed out by what looked like a questionable offsides call.

After the missed extra point, the Packers went for two the next time they scored but were stopped. And after the blocked field goal that was called back, they decided to go for it on 4th down, which ended in a Rodgers sack. Those special teams’ errors changed LaFleur’s play-calling decisions, and in both instances, they were unable to produce.

Aggressive Mike Pettine

After seeing the Green Bay Packers struggling to generate pressure this season, Mike Pettine has kicked things up a notch over the last month or so. After being ranked near the bottom of the NFL in blitz rate early on, the Packers are slowly climbing up the rankings as Pettine dials up more pressure.

We saw that on several occasions against Tennessee with pressures created by blitzes from Christian Kirksey, Darnell Savage, and Kevin King. We’ve also seen fewer dime formations called, which has certainly been a contributor to the Packers’ improved run defense over the second half of the season. Not to mention that having Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin both back helps as well.

If we are going to rip on Pettine when this unit struggles, then he needs credit when they’re playing well.

A nice night for Brian Gutekunst

The jury is still out on Brian Gutekunst’s draft classes, but last night was a big night for him and several of the young players he’s selected. Alexander continues to play at an extremely high-level, and the defense received major contributions from Darnell Savage and Rashan Gary as well.

On offense, Elgton Jenkins has been fantastic, and AJ Dillon had a monster performance.  As I said, the jury is still out, but Sunday night had to feel pretty good for Gutey.

Darnell Savage has figured it out

As expected during his rookie season, Darnell Savage took his lumps, but the flashes were there. However, while this season began slowly for him, over Green Bay’s last handful of games, it appears that the light switch has gone on, as they say, and he is becoming a dominant playmaker before our eyes.

Against Tennessee, Savage was all over the field and looked a step faster than any Titans’ player. Savage finished the game with five tackles, 3 pass breakups, a pressure that resulted in a throwaway from Tannehill, and an interception, but he very easily could have had two.

By all accounts, Savage has figured it out and is providing the Green Bay Packers’ defense with a Nick Collins-esque presence on the field.

More movement on the OL

After a rough performance against Carolina, Lucas Patrick was relegated to the bench. All season Matt LaFleur has preached about putting his best five offensive linemen on the field, and this Sunday, he didn’t believe that included Patrick.

The game began with Rick Wagner as the starting right tackle while Billy Turner took over at right guard. And with the return of Corey Linsley, Elgton Jenkins moved back to left guard.

However, an injury to Wagner brought Patrick back into the game, and we saw more shuffling along the offensive line as he took over at right guard with Turner moving back to right tackle. But as they’ve done in just about every game this season, regardless of who is out there, the offensive line kept Rodgers clean.

Aaron Rodgers does it again

The MVP race between Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes has been as close as I can remember. But after last night’s performance, Rodgers should be the leader in the clubhouse.

Rodgers finished the game 21/25 with four touchdowns, an average of 9.2 yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 128.1. His overall production, combined with the efficiency that he’s displayed, has been remarkable this season.