Aaron Rodgers being on his “game” was just enough for the Packers to slide by Lions

 

Aaron Rodgers threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns while completing 79 percent of his passes as the Packers downed the Lions 31-24 in Detroit. Rodgers also ran for another score in a performance that continues a mostly efficient season near par with his 2011 season, in which Rodgers set the NFL single-season record with a 122.5 QB rating. That year Rodgers threw for 45 touchdowns, and if Matt Flynn’s performance in season finale (480 yards, 6 TDs against the Lions) was any indication, Rodgers would have thrown for 5,000 yards and 50 TDs had he played; in retrospect, he probably should have played, given the rust exhibited in the embarrassing loss to the Giants in the playoffs. Rodgers now has 39 TD passes through 13 games, and should at least pass his current team record.  

But again, the game was still a “game” at the end, no thanks to 12 penalties, including five on the defense that gave the Lions a first down; on the Lions second touchdown which tied the game before halftime, an offensive holding call made it first-and-20 at the Packers 21, but a defensive holding call made it first-and-ten at the 16. On the Lions third touchdown drive, another penalty on third down allowed the drive to continue. And once more there was the usual special teams breakdown, with a 71-yard kickoff return which surprisingly enough was ended with a Mason Crosby shoulder push out-of-bounds, after Crosby had just kicked a 57-yard field goal. The Lions themselves had a touchdown erased following the return on a penalty, and after settling for a field goal, failed on the onside kicked, and the Packers went on to run out the clock.

But there were more pluses than negatives despite the relative closeness of the score. Marquez Valdes-Scantling held on to all six of his targets, including one for a touchdown. Despite missing two games, Davante Adams has caught a league-best 14 TD passes. I don’t know why the Packers picked up Tavon Austin for, or what exactly they expect him to offer; despite his 5-8 height, he was a top-ten first round draft pick, and it seems that he has hung around this long for a team waiting for him to prove it. Wes Welker and Steve Smith were both just 5-9 and had Pro Bowl seasons, but Austin has never come even close. 2016 was his “best” year as a receiver; he caught 58 passes from 107 targets for a total of 509 yards—about 4.8 yards per pass thrown his way. Austin’s best work has been as a runner out of the backfield, but the Packers already have two quality running backs in Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.

After the Vikings loss, the Packers have clinched the NFC North title, and with the Saints loss, they are tied for the conference lead, with the Packers owning the tiebreaker, owing to their beating the Saints earlier in the season. Next week it is “at home” against the 4-9 Panthers, who gave up 32 points in a loss to the Broncos, a team that was second-worst in the NFL in scoring points, only ahead of the winless Jets.