It wasn’t the Packers’ day, but they still found a way to win
A quick recap of the Green Bay Packers' 31-30 victory Sunday against the Ravens:
Big picture
No NFL team plays at the top of its game every week and that certainly was the case for the Packers, who were taken down to the wire by an undermanned Ravens team missing its MVP-caliber quarterback. But a defense that had been burned all day delivered a huge pass breakup on a two-point conversion that could have given Baltimore an upset victory. The Packers (11-3) clinched the NFC North and a playoff berth and remain in the drivers' seat for the top seed and home-field advantage.
Turning point
Tied 14-14 at halftime, the Packers started asserting command. They scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, sandwiched around a Ravens field goal, to go ahead 28-17. Fearing the Packers' offense was on a roll, Ravens coach John Harbaugh went for it on fourth-and-5 from Baltimore's 29. It failed, and the Packers got a gift field goal for a seemingly safe 31-17 lead. It wound up being the game-winner after the Ravens roared back to pull within 3130. Rather than ask his injury-depleted defense to try to stop Aaron Rodgers in overtime, Harbaugh went for two and came up short when cornerback Eric Stokes broke up a potential game-winning pass.
Game ball
Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, tying him with Brett Favre for the Packers' franchise career lead at 442. On this day, Rodgers went 23-for-31 for 268 yards and a rating of 132.2.
5 things to watch revisited
A look at how Tom Silverstein's five keys to the game turned out:
1. Packers probably won't have to chase Lamar Jackson around Sunday
A week after letting Chicago's Justin Fields run for 43 yards and throw for 174 and a touchdown, the Packers' defense appeared to be catching a break. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't play because of an ankle sprain and the Packers instead faced backup Tyler Huntley, who had started one game and filled in after Jackson got hurt against Cleveland last week. Huntley proved he was no slouch, completing 28 of 40 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He showed he could be a double threat, carrying a team-high 13 times for 73 yards and two TDs, including the one that set up the Ravens' lastminute two-point conversion attempt. Huntley likely established himself as a hot commodity for teams seeking talented QBs.
2. Ravens could exploit Packers' weakness with 'Hollywood' Brown
It started when Minnesota put receiver Justin Jefferson in the backfield and caused the Packers problems. The Los Angeles Rams saw that and put Cooper Kupp in the backfield the following week. Last week, Chicago put receiver Damiere Byrd in the backfield and set him up for a 54-yard touchdown. Opponents have found that by putting a receiver in the backfield, they can create a favorable matchup or cause confusion. In the case of the speedy Byrd, he got matched up with safety Henry Black and ran right by him. Safety Darnell Savage and inside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell didn't recognize the potential bad matchup and abandoned the middle, allowing Byrd to go the distance. The Packers could expect the Ravens to do the same thing with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, the 5-9, 180-pound dynamo who has 70 catches for 866 yards and six touchdowns. Brown was targeted a team-high 14 times and made 10 catches but for only 43 yards as the Packers' defense kept on eye on him while neglecting tight end Mark Andrews (10 catches for 136 yards and two TDs).
3. Packers can overcome likely loss of nose tackle Kenny Clark
The Packers likely won't have nose tackle Kenny Clark, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but his absence could be mitigated by injuries and poor play on the Ravens' offensive line. The Ravens' starting left tackle Alejandro Villanueva has been vulnerable to pass rushers all year, left guard Ben Powers has a foot injury and won't play and the two guys who have been playing right tackle, Patrick Mekari and Tyre Phillips, are guards. As it turned out, Clark was sorely missed as the Ravens piled up 143 rushing yards and were able to put together some time-consuming drives.
4. Packers will try to find a weakness in Ravens' No. 1-ranked run defense
Either the Packers were going to pass the ball 50 times or they were going to have to find a way to get Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon going against the Ravens' top-ranked run defense. The Ravens came in allowing an average of 85.5 yards per game, but they were without defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who along with nose tackle Brandon Williams provided the run defense with 636 pounds of bulk in the middle. If the Packers couldn't run the ball behind their collection of mostly backups on the offensive line, it figured to be a tough day offensively. Fortunately for them, Aaron Jones churned out 58 yards on 13 carries and eased the pressure on Rodgers.
5. Can Juwann Winfree be a big-play threat against Ravens' secondary?
The Ravens were without their shutdown corner, Marlon Humphrey (injured reserve), No. 2 corner Marcus Peters (injured reserve) and their starting strong safety, Chuck Clark (COVID list). They figured to double-team Davante Adams at every turn, not a bad proposition with Randall Cobb (core muscle) on injured reserve, Equanimeous St. Brown (concussion) doubtful and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (back) questionable. They were going to want to take away Aaron Rodgers' best option and put the game on the others' shoulders. One under-the-radar option was Juwann Winfree, who was signed from the practice squad this week. Winfree played 54 snaps against Arizona when Adams, MVS and Allen Lazard were out and came close to breaking a long one. Winfree was targeted only once but MVS delivered (five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown).