The Green Bay Packers earned the best overall rating of the 2024 season at Pro Football Focus during Monday’s 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.
Matt LaFleur’s team was fueled by a dominant running game led by Josh Jacobs and a breathtaking passing game led by Rashan Gary. The Packers led 21-0 at halftime, and the Saints – who were down several key players – never threatened to attempt a comeback.
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players in the Packers’ Week 16 victory over the Saints:
Top 5 crimes
1.RB Josh Jacobs: 90.4
2.RB Emanuel Wilson: 80.9
3.RT Zach Tom: 76.6
4. WR Jayden Reed: 73.1
5.RB Chris Brooks: 73.0
Jacobs forced four missed tackles, two runs for 10 yards, scored five first downs or touchdowns and caught all four of his targets out of bounds. Wilson had one run for 10 yards and two broken receptions. Tom did not allow pressure on 28 pass-blocking snaps and was a highly rated run blocker on the team. Reed caught three passes, including one caught in the contest, and averaged over 3.0 yards per route. Brooks forced four missed tackles on only six carries, caught one pass and had a great pass blocking grade.
Top 5 defenses
1. DE Rashan Gary: 90.6
2. DE Brenton Cox: 88.7
3. S Zayne Anderson: 85.2
4. LB Edgerrin Cooper: 81.2
5. CB Eric Stokes: 80.6
Gary only played 23 snaps, but he completed six pass rushes on 18 snaps. Cox had five tackles (including a sack and a QB hit) in just 17 passing snaps and added a run stop. Anderson intercepted a pass, almost intercepted a second pass and didn’t give up on completing the coverage. Cooper threw for a team-high four touchdowns and had just 14 yards in his coverage. Stokes returned just one catch on three targets for four yards of coverage.
Bottom 5 offense
1. TE John FitzPatrick: 53.6
2. WR Bo Melton: 56.7
3. WR Christian Watson: 57.9
4. TE Ben Sims: 58.0
5. C Josh Myers: 62.3
FitzPatrick played 19 run-blocking snaps, but earned only an average blocking grade. Melton had one run for 14 yards, but was mediocre as a blocker. Watson had two catches for 23 yards, but only connected once in the passing game. Sims was average as a blocker. Myers gave up two tackles and only performed as a run blocker.
Defense down 5
1. DL TJ Slaton: 35.5
2. DL Colby Wooden: 40.0
3. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 49.9
4. DL Karl Brooks: 50.1
5. LB Eric Wilson: 51.6
Slaton, Wooden and Brooks all received indigent defensive ratings. Enagbare had two pressures in 16 pass rushes but had only an average rating overall. Wilson missed two receptions and completed two passes for 29 yards.
Special teams
Edgerrin Cooper made two more team tackles and earned an Elite rating. Chris Brooks, Bo Melton, Arron Mosby and Brandon McManus had tackles and Melton missed. Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare had a penalty. McManus made two 45-yard field goals, including a season-high 55-yarder.
Playing quarterback
Jordan Love: 68.7
Love was excellent from spotless pockets, completing 13 of 18 passes for 170 yards (72.7 completion percentage, 9.4 yards per attempt) when not under pressure. Under pressure, he threw his only touchdown pass. Love completed just 1 of 4 passes thrown more than 20 yards through the air. He had one 37-yard “big throw” to Jayden Reed and zero “takeover-worthy plays.” Two of his passes were batted away and three were thrown away. Love was not sacked despite pressure after 10 abandonments.
Statistics worth knowing
Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler was pressured in 20 of his 38 losses, meaning his pressure percentage was 52.6. The Packers were credited with 30 total tackles, including at least three tackles from five different players – six from Rashan Gary, five from Brenton Cox, four from Lukas Van Ness, three from Devonte Wyatt and three from Karl Brooks. The pass rush has come to life over the last two games.
