The Packers elevated two CBs, Robert Rochell and Kamal Hadden, due to injuries that prevented Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine from playing. Kitan Olapado, Brenton Cox, Travis Glover, and Colby Wooden were healthy scratches while Jordan Morgan, Alexander, and Valentine were inactive due to injury. Malik Willis was active but did not play. Wyatt and Watson left the game and did not return.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Jenkins | 76 | 100 | |
| Tom | 76 | 100 | 5/17% |
| Walker | 76 | 100 | 5/17% |
| Rhyan | 76 | 100 | 5/17% |
| Myers | 76 | 100 | |
| Dillard | 5/17% | ||
| Telfort | 5/17% | ||
| Monk | 5/17% |
The offensive line held up reasonably well in this contest. The Packers rushed 19 times for 86 yards, a 4.5-yard average with a long of only 13. The Packers rushed for 43 yards in the first half. This game was perfectly adequate if unspectacular. The Packers converted 4 of 5 red zone opportunities. It is a little unusual for those touchdown plays to come on pass plays of 17, 15, 13 and 6 yards. The Packers did not have a rushing touchdown. Not being able to punch it in on the ground is a long-term issue for the Packers, and reflects their emphasis on pass blocking when the draft linemen.
The line allowed 10 quarterback hits but just one sack. Part of that is attempting a whopping 54 passes, but it translated into a lot of pressure. A big part of the Vikings pass rush is to show as many as 8 defenders who might rush the passer and force the line to get their assignments straight. It was not unusual for Love to have lots of time, but too often there was pressure. Tom whiffed on a speed rush and Emanuel Wilson took the inside rusher on another play only to be unable to recover to the outside when the Vikings ran a stunt. Jenkins had a false start.
This offense has revolved around the quarterback, Reed, Kraft, and Jacobs. The other skill-position players are no more than contributors. Reed is the big-play guy and also the volume receiver a team can rely on, at least when one combines targets with carries. Kraft does not get a lot of targets but he gets some every game and he is asked to make a lot of blocks, including blocks on the big defensive linemen, something he could not do last year. It would be nice if some other skill position guys stepped up.
QUARTERBACK:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Love | 76 | 100 | |
| Willis | DNP |
Love played every snap. He was often inaccurate while his receivers did him no favors. DB Flores certainly keeps the opposing quarterback thinking with his scheme. Love’s play was eerily reminiscent of the first half of the 2023 season. Too many balls were thrown with poor placement with the problem often being too low and lacking zip. He also threw another hospital ball. In the first half Love completed 12 of 24 passes for 118 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. Love completed 20 of 30 passes in the second half for 271 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. Love finished with an 83 passer rating.
TIGHT ENDS:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Kraft | 65 | 86 | 8/28% |
| Musgrave | 25 | 33 | 6/21% |
| Sims | 2 | 3 | 6/21% |
Tucker Kraft caught 6 of his 9 targets for 53 yards, including a short completion that he turned into 21-yard touchdown by making someone miss. Kraft has shown a propensity to either make guys miss or just break the tackle to obtain lots of yards after the catch. Kraft had a holding call, though it at least is the block that turned a modest gain into a long run by Wilson. He also missed a block.
Luke Musgrave caught all 3 of his targets for 13 yards with a long of 5. The Packers are certainly giving him a lot of snaps for little return. Musgrave showed last year that he can be a mismatch as a receiver. So far he has caught 5 of 7 passes for 22 yards and is on pace to finish with 94 receiving yards for the season. Part of that is Love being out and a resulting reluctance to throw over the middle. The media suggest that he is a willing blocker if not particularly effective. That is fine, but he did not get any better at blocking, and it strongly appears that LaFleur’s tight end has to be able to block defensive ends.
RUNNING BACKS:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Jacobs | 46 | 61 | |
| Wilson | 30 | 39 |
Jacobs gained 51 yards on just 9 carries while Wilson gained 27 yards on 8 carries. Jacobs caught 4 of 6 passes for 24 yards while Wilson did not catch his only target. I thought both ran hard and got what was blocked and a mite more. After writing last week that I was comfortable with Wilson’s pass protection he misplayed a stunt that got Love crunched. Before they fell way behind it seemed as though the Packers were rotating Jacobs and Wilson by series. That bears watching.
WIDE RECEIVERS:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Doubs | 65 | 86 | |
| Reed | 59 | 78 | 4/14% |
| Wicks | 58 | 76 | |
| Melton | 11 | 14 | 14/48% |
| Heath | 10 | 13 | 10/34% |
| Watson | 9 | 12 |
All of the skill position players have to stop using so much pass repellent. That said, I find Love’s inaccuracy so far this season eerily reminiscent of the first half of the 2023 season. There is no need to put the blame on the receivers as a group or on the quarterbacks: there is more than enough blame to go around. The receivers are outright dropping too many of the accurate pass while not making enough difficult catches, while the quarterbacks are throwing too many difficult-to-catch passes.
Jayden Reed caught 7 of his 8 passes for 139 yards, a 19.9-yard average, with a touchdown, and rushed once for 2 yards. He is both one of the big-play guys and and he is getting to more of a volume target guy. The Packers won the only game Reed missed last season (it was against the hapless 2-15 Panthers and it was close): I have trouble imagining a win were Reed unavailable. I think there is more than enough talent on the team to win without Reed, but it is like imagining the universe without one of the four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak nuclear forces).
Doubs caught 4 of his 8 targets for 39 yards. He is steady and does some of the dirty work while being where he is supposed to be. Doubs led the Packers in targets last year; while it is close now with Doubs, Reed and Wicks neck and neck in targets, I expect Reed to get the more targets over the rest of the season, and very likely Wicks as well. Doubs is a nice number three wide receiver. I suppose I will just have to get used to holding my breath every time they throw a quick out to Doubs to see if he is going to double-clutch it or if he secures it while he is still in bounds.
Wicks caught 5 of 13 passes for 78 yards and 2 TDs. He dropped another (low) pass that looked like it might have been a touchdown. The talent is there. It just seems like his hands are like magnets that repel footballs. He has caught 8 or his 22 targets (36.36% – brutal) so far this season. Pro Football Reference listed Wicks with 2 drops coming into the Vikings game (I find PFR very lenient or I am a harsh grader). I suspect they will list him with 4 drops when they update the stats, but it could be more. Heath caught 2 passes for 12 and Melton caught 1 for 28 and again was good on special teams, recovering a muffed punt.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Clark | 55 | 81 | 1/3% |
| Slaton | 33 | 49 | 11/38% |
| Brooks | 27 | 40 | 5/17% |
| Wyatt | 25 | 37 | 2/7% |
Clark finished with 4 tackles (3 solo). He seemed a bit more active. I thought one of his tackles was for loss, but I guess it was for no gain. Wyatt had 3 tackles (2 solo) one of which was a tackle for loss. Brooks had 2 tackles (1 solo). Slaton had 2 assisted tackle and 1 quarterback hit, one of only 3 QB hits the Packers had. The Vikings’ RBs gained 98 yards on 25 carries, a 3.92-yard average. The Packers are relying on getting some interior pass rush, and given the new emphasis on disruption, something more than just a good general push. Brooks did not make a jump and Wooden can even get activated.
EDGE:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Gary | 45 | 66 | 1/3% |
| Smith | 44 | 65 | 1/3% |
| Van Ness | 24 | 35 | 12/41% |
| Enagbare | 23 | 34 | 12/41% |
| Mosby | 12/41% |
Gary had 4 solo tackles while Van Ness added 3 solo tackles. Preston Smith had 2 assisted tackles and Enagbare had no statistics. I do not recall the Edge players getting very many pressures. If the opponent has two good offensive tackles, it seems like they are going to score 30 plus.
LINEBACKERS:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Walker | 68 | 100 | 7/24% |
| McDuffie | 52 | 76 | 10/34% |
| Er Wilson | 26 | 38 | 24/83% |
| Cooper | 21 | 31 | 5/17% |
| Hopper | 14/48% |
The Packers played 2.45 ILBs per play. That is a lot of base looks. Ballentine played perimeter CB in nickel but Nixon moved out and played the perimeter CB spot opposite Stokes when they were in base.
Quay Walker had 8 tackles (6 solo) and a sack off a blitz. He blitzed a couple of other times but got picked up. McDuffie had 6 tackles (2 solo) and had a pass defensed. Cooper had 4 solo tackles, one of which was a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. Cooper’s change of direction really pops off the film. Eric Wilson had 2 tackles (1 solo). Wilson got toasted on a backside crosser to the tight end to give the Vikings their second touchdown. Tight ends and RBs caught 9 or 10 passes for 79 yards against the Packers, which is too efficient for my taste. Hopper had an assisted tackle on special teams.
SECONDARY:
| Player | Snaps | % | ST |
| Nixon | 66 | 97 | 13/45% |
| Stokes | 66 | 97 | 2/7% |
| Ballentine | 37 | 54 | 7/24% |
| Rochell | 11/38% | ||
| Hadden | 3/10% | ||
| McKinney | 68 | 100 | 12/41% |
| Bullard | 57 | 84 | 12/41% |
| Williams | 10 | 15 | 15/52% |
| Anderson | 17/59% |
That is a pretty tight rotation. Only six players received any defensive snaps. Nixon and Stokes each had 7 tackles, with Nixon also getting a sack/forced fumble on a unblocked blitz. McKinney had 4 tackles (2 solo) and an interception that somehow survived instant replay. Bullard had 4 tackles (2 solo) with one being a tackle for loss. Ballentine had 2 solo tackles and Zayne Anderson had a special teams tackle. The Vikings had time to run quite a few double moves. Darnold completed 71.4% of his passes and had a very healthy 9.74 yards per attempt. Darnold’s passer rating was 123.4.
The Packers have shown that they are reasonably competent, enough so as to be able to put the clamps on a team with an average to below average offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Narveson made all 4 of his extra point attempts and missed all of his field goal attempts (37 and 49 yards, respectively). Whelan had some monstrous punts.
TE: 1.21
RB: 1.00
WR: 2.79
DL: 2.06
Edge: 2.00
ILB: 2.46 (pretty high)
DB: 4.47 (pretty low)
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