The Green Bay Packers survived a late rally by the Baltimore Ravens and clinched the NFC North title on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The defense stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 42 seconds left to seal a 31-30 victory, improving the Packers to 11-3 with three weeks to go.
Here’s an instant analysis of the Packers win, highlighting what went right, what went wrong and what it all means.
What went right
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Aaron Rodgers and the passing game were terrific again. The Packers quarterback tossed three touchdown passes and was a missed throw here and there from four or five scores. Eight different players caught passes, and Rodgers’ passer rating was 132.2.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had his best game of the season, catching five passes for 98 yards and a score. He had catches of 31 and 25 yards, and he put the Packers up 28-17 in the second half with his first touchdown in the last three games.
The Packers defense didn’t play well throughout, but the group did deliver a fourth-down stop in the red zone to open the game, a fourth-down stop setting up a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the final stop on the two-point conversion.
Cornerback Eric Stokes covered speedster Marquise Brown for most of the game. The Ravens’ 2019 first-round pick caught 10 passes but gained only 43 yards.
The Packers started slow but responded each time the Ravens scored in the first half with touchdowns of their own.
The offense looked in control for much of the game. During one stretch spanning the second, third and fourth quarters, the Packers scored on five of six possessions, including four touchdowns.
What went wrong
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The defense struggled to keep Tyler Huntley contained in the pocket. The Ravens backup quarterback scrambled for 73 yards and two scores. He finished with 288 total yards and four total touchdowns in what was an admirable start in place of Lamar Jackson.
Tight end Mark Andrews tortured Joe Barry’s secondary, catching 10 passes for 136 yards and two scores. Darnell Savage especially struggled to cover him.
The special teams were a disaster waiting to happen. Again. Among the blunders: fair catch interference penalty, holding penalty negating kickoff return, near giveaway on a botched kickoff return, delay of game penalty, low snap and poor punt, leading to Ravens’ final touchdown. At least A.J. Dillon recovered the onside kick.
The Ravens rushed 13 times for 70 yards on designed run plays to running backs. The Packers really missed Kenny Clark in the middle of the defensive line.
What it means
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The Packers should never and will never have to apologize for beating a tough, resilient and well-coached football team like the Ravens on the road, even if John Harbaugh’s team was without several key players and the victory should have been sealed well before the final two-point conversion attempt. The win improved the Packers’ record to 11-3 and clinched the NFC North title, the first of many goals for this team. However, the defense is starting to show some cracks, and the special teams remain a legitimate disaster. This was a game the Packers almost threw away. Now, they have a short week to prepare for a visit from the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon. Can Aaron Rodgers stay hot, the defense rebound and the special teams start approaching competency? These are all important questions as the postseason approaches. This is a good football team, and it’s notable that LaFleur’s club keeps winning despite some hiccups along the way.
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