Packers get a gift on Christmas: What went right & what went wrong?

It wasn’t the prettiest of victories, but all that matters is the Green Bay Packers came out of a hard-fought game, once again, victorious.

With the win, the Packers have now won four straight games, improving to 12-3, remain undefeated at Lambeau Field, and are still in the driver’s seat for the number one seed in the NFC.

Let’s check out what went right in the Green Bay Packers’ big win Saturday against the Cleveland Browns.

Aaron Rodgers is the MVP and now holds the franchise record for most touchdown throws in franchise history.

If you just look into the box score, it might tell you a different story, but Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was excellent Saturday and, more importantly, extremely efficient.

Rodgers completed 24 out of his 34 pass attempts for 202 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Brett Favre’s franchise record for most touchdown passes in Packer history.

It wasn’t an eye-popping statistical performance we have been accustomed to over the years, but Rodgers was very decisive, getting the ball out of his hand in 2.26 seconds on average, according to PFF ($). You could also make the argument he should have had another touchdown pass, which Allen Lazard dropped in the third quarter.

With a make-shift offensive line, Rodgers is doing everything he can to help them out, and most importantly, isn’t turning the ball over.

Rasul Douglas continues to make clutch plays in critical moments. 

Another week, more Rasul Douglas big plays.

That’s been the norm for Douglas, who now has five interceptions over the last ten weeks, adding two more on Saturday. Douglas’ first pick was a perfect read from the former practice squad cornerback, baiting Cleveland’s quarterback into making the ill-advised decision.

His second interception was yet again another game-clinching play to seal the victory for the Packers with under a minute to play, making it one step closer to getting the number one seed in the NFC.

It was a play that drew some controversy. As some said, it should’ve been defensive holding, but it looked like the officials were letting the players play through contact, as Browns receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones initiated the contact at the top of his route.

Either way, it was another clutch play by Douglas, who continues to be marvelous in Green and Gold.

It was a big win against an unfamiliar foe, but not everything went according to plan. Let’s take a look at what went wrong Saturday against Cleveland.

The once-surging Packers defense is trending in the wrong direction.

Dating back to week 11, the Packers defense has given up an average of 28.8 points per game. That’s coming off back-to-back weeks of shutting the Seattle Seahawks out and keeping former MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes to only 13 points two weeks prior.

It’s concerning, and on Saturday, it became even more evident, as the Browns had their way against this run defense, gaining 219 yards on the ground, averaging 8.7 yards per rush.

Browns running back Nick Chubb led the way, averaging 7.4 yards per carry, finishing the day with 17 carries for 126 yards and a score.

The Browns, as a team, had over 400 total yards and moved the ball with ease, converting 7 out of  12 third-down attempts, one-fourth down attempt, and gaining 28 first downs.

Aside from the turnovers, the Packers struggled to get off the field in critical situations, and unfortunately, it has been trending that way for weeks.

The Packers’ offense stalled entirely in the second half.

Some will say this game shouldn’t have been close, and indeed you could make that argument, but the reality it was, and the Browns were very close to ending it.

Even in the fourth quarter, when the Packers had ample chances to put the game away, but they failed, going three and out on one possession, then only converting one first down on the next. Green Bay would only score three total second-half points.

After the game, Packers wide receiver Davante Adams expressed some frustration following his team’s offensive struggles in the second half.

"“We definetly played some good ball early on, but I think we took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit. We did enouigh early on to cover our butt but that is not our standard. We want to strive to bury teams in those situations and go get points.”"

The Packers will have an extra day of rest and get set to take on division-rival the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

With the number one seed in the balance, the Packers will look to remain undefeated at Lambeau as the Minnesota Vikings come to town.

The Vikings are coming off a home loss to the Los Angeles Rams and are desperate for a win to stay in contention for the playoffs.