Elite performances from Xavier McKinney and Tucker Kraft helped the Green Bay Packers defeat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Sofi Stadium. McKinney and Kraft turned the game around in the second half, with Kraft converting a pair of McKinney takeaways into passing touchdowns.
The Packers were able to overcome a shaky performance in the passing game to improve to 3-2 after five weeks.
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players in the Packers’ Week 5 win over the Rams:
Top 5 crimes
1.RB Josh Jacobs: 78.3
2. TE Tucker Kraft: 75.3
3.RB Emanuel Wilson: 71.8
4. WR Jayden Reed: 71.6
5. Lt. Rasheed Walker: 68.1
Jacobs gained 68 yards on first down, forced two missed tackles, had two runs of over 10 yards and a catch for 21 yards. Kraft connected on four of six targets for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 3.83 yards per route, gained 69 yards after the catch and forced three fumbles. Wilson forced two missed receptions and had a 25-yard gain on first touch. Reed caught four passes for 78 yards, had two catches and ran for 11 yards, but went down on third down. Walker returned just one pressure in 30 pass-blocking snaps and was the highest-graded run-blocking player on the entire offensive line.
Top 5 defenses
1. DL TJ Slaton: 89.3
2. S. Xavier McKinney: 88.3
3. LB Edgerrin Cooper: 85.5
4. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 84.4
5. S Evan Williams: 81.9
Slaton had two pressures, including a QB hit, and was effective in a tackle that included 27 total snaps. McKinney recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass, broke up two other passes, made four tackles without a miss and didn’t allow his coverage to be completed. Cooper had two pressures, including a sack, and gave up just one catch in coverage while playing a total of 30 snaps. Kingsley Enagbare forced a fumble, hit the quarterback and had the highest rushing score. Williams missed two tackles, but also fumbled two passes.
Bottom 5 offense
1. C Josh Myers: 38.5
2. QB Jordan Love: 51.1
3. WR Malik Heath: 51.1
4.RT Zach Tom: 52.1
5. RG Sean Rhyan: 53.3
Myers gave up two tackles in the passing game and earned a very indigent grade in blocking. Love made a terrible interception and generally struggled under pressure. Heath was penalized twice – one for holding the ball, the other for a false start – and gained only 14 receiving yards on 21 carries. Tom had a false start and allowed four pressures, including a sack. Rhyan gave up two bags. Neither Tom nor Rhyan fared well in the running game.
Defense down 5
1. DL Karl Brooks: 38.6
2. CB Eric Stokes: 41.7
3. DB Javon Bullard: 45.2
4. CB Carrington Valentine: 51.2
5. DL Colby Wooden: 52.0
Brooks had four pressures, including two significant sacks, but his run defense grade lowered his overall grade. Stokes gave up seven completions and a touchdown pass on 10 targets and also missed a tackle. Bullard missed a tackle and gave up five catches to eight targets while playing mostly in the slot. Valentine missed two tackles and was penalized once. Wood had two pressures but missed the tackle and struggled to run.
Special teams
Corey Ballentine had a tackle, a forced fair catch and the highest special teams grade of the week. Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson and Arron Mosby also had tackles that included kicks or punts. Robert Rochell was penalized for holding but also received a holding penalty. Evan Williams and Eric Wilson missed tackles. Brayden Narveson scored all three extra points and made a 46-yard field goal. Daniel Whelan averaged 37.2 net yards per punt, but managed to force three fair catches. His average hang time was just 4.40 seconds, the lowest of the season.
Playing quarterback
Jordan Love: 51.1
Love had one successful throw (a 53-yard bomb to Jayden Reed) and one pass-worthy play (a pick-six out of the end zone). He completed 3 of 6 passes under pressure, but under pressure he made a massive mistake – an interception. Three out-of-game completions resulted in 122 yards and a touchdown. Love completed only 2 of 6 passes thrown through the air for more than 10 yards, but he gained 119 yards and a touchdown. While understandable given the error, it’s clear that Love’s pick-six and his fumble – on a pass thrown backwards under pressure – significantly lowered his final grade.
Statistics worth knowing
Dontayvion Wicks only hit 2 of 6 targets. Jordan Love missed him twice when he was open. It had a drop after opening. And he failed after making a problematic catch in the field on third down. It’s looking more and more like one of the keys to unlocking consistency in the Packers passing game is the Love-to-Wicks connection, which is finally starting to work.
