Grading the Packers in tie vs. Vikings: Receivers stand out again

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Bob McGinn

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By BOB McGINN

As the team that came from behind, the Minnesota Vikings probably felt better about the 29-29 tie Sunday at Lambeau Field than the Green Bay Packers.

“I thought the team fought like crazy,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday. “We were down, 20-7.

“Yeah, it feels like a loss. I’m sure they probably feel the same way. I don’t know, you’d have to ask them. But there were so many things that happened there, and you get a chance to kick it and win it, and we don’t get it done.

“It obviously is way better than a loss, but we play to win. We didn’t get that part of it.”

Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson was released Monday less than 24 hours after he missed three field-goal attempts, including one from 35 yards at the end of overtime.
In his place the Vikings reportedly will sign Dan Bailey, a Pro Bowl kicker in 2015 for the Dallas Cowboys, if he passes his physical. The Cowboys’ regular from 2011-’17, he ranks second all-time in field-goal accuracy at 88.2%.
Last year, Bailey missed four games with a groin injury.
In a tie, most teams don’t feel too good about anything. Perhaps the most significant development for either team then was quarterback Kirk Cousins’ performance in his first game for the Vikings at Lambeau Field. He passed for 425 yards, finishing with a passer rating of 118.8.
“I think this gives us a lot of confidence that we are never out of the game with all the weapons we have and Kirk as our leader,” wide receiver Adam Thielen said Sunday.
Here is a rating of the Packers against the Vikings, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses.
The three stars of the game were: 1. Geronimo Allison; 2. Jimmy Graham; 3. Reggie Gilbert. As a team, the Packers received 3 ½ footballs.

RECEIVERS (4)
Geronimo Allison (played 61 of a possible 77 offensive snaps) is off to a terrific start in his third season. Of the six balls thrown his way Sunday, all six were caught for a gain of 64 yards. He’s so confident in his hands. There’s no body-catching with Allison. Everything is in his fingertips away from his chest. On third and 8, he caught a low fastball with his hands for 12. On his longest gain (22 yards), 14 came after Trae Waynes missed the tackle and was temporarily benched by Zimmer. Davante Adams (75) resumed his duel with Xavier Rhodes, who traveled with Adams regardless of side. Adams caught eight of 12 targets for 64 yards, but of the other four he had his hands on all of them. He dropped a 17-yard dig early and then couldn’t put away a contested crossing route by MLB Eric Kendricks that would have been a possible clinching 13-yard TD. He complained a lot to the officials, too, especially after his push-off penalty against Rhodes wiped out a 24-yard reception. To get those calls he needs to be playing at elite level. On Adams’ 9-yard TD, he took advantage of Rhodes lining up uncharacteristically deep and eluded him and LB Anthony Barr to the end zone. Randall Cobb (69 at WR, two at RB) didn’t have big numbers (4-30) but turned in a favorable performance. He burst off the line with energy and showed good stamina. On two short passes, he made multiple tacklers miss. Cobb did miss FS Harrison Smith on a no-gain carry for Jamaal Williams; otherwise, he went after people as a blocker. With fellow rookies J’Mon Moore and Equanimeous St. Brown inactive, Marquez Valdez-Scantling (six) made a hands catch against Wayne on his lone target. At tight end, the snap counts were 58 for Jimmy Graham, 27 for Lance Kendricks, 14 for Marcedes Lewis and none for Robert Tonyan, although he did play 18 on special teams. The Packers went to Graham three times deep on wheel routes. He had no separation on Smith and the pass was incomplete, he had maybe half a step on WLB Ben Gedeon but the pass was broken up and he caught one for 34 when nickel back Mackenzie Alexander just let him go. Graham’s second longest reception (27 yards) came on an extended rollout by Rodgers in which Alexander didn’t plaster him. Those two plays accounted for 61 of Graham’s 95 yards in six receptions. “We turned him loose twice,” said Zimmer. “I mean, we didn’t even cover him. That was pretty easy there. Guy’s looking at the quarterback when he should be looking at their player (Graham).” Graham’s brightest moment came on a 12-yard fade in the left corner of the end zone against Waynes that was wiped out by a penalty. He also has been in Green Bay long enough to know when a free play unfolds he should sprint vertical and deep. It took a marvelous deflection by Smith in the end zone to prevent a 30-yard TD. Graham flashed athleticism by hurdling CB Mike Hughes three yards downfield in the flat on a play that ruptured into 16.

OFFENSIVE LINE (3 ½)
NT Linval Joseph has been the fulcrum of the Vikings’ rugged run defense since 2014. After a rough outing against the Bears, Corey Linsley played better against Joseph than in the past. One reason the two running backs were able to average 4.3 (21-90) was Linsley’s ability to hold his water against Joseph. The unit was charged with just 2 ½ of the six “bad” runs. Linsley allowed 1 ½ against Joseph; Justin McCray had the other. McCray started slowly for a second week getting beat by 3-technique Sheldon Richardson for a half sack on the sixth play. It was his only pressure, and Linsley allowed just one-half pressure, too. McCray’s a little top-heavy but he’s a persistently effective shover in the run game. At left guard, Lane Taylor yielded four pressures, including three to Richardson. At this moment Richardson is one of the NFL’s best interior pass rushers. Taylor had two bad plays. Backup NT David Parry walked him back to Rodgers for a sack in 3.3 seconds. On the previous series, Taylor was penalized for holding Richardson on a T-E in a call that both Taylor and Mike McCarthy disputed. On the outside, David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga pass-blocked exceptionally well in the first half against the prized pair of Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter. After a sluggish second half, Bakhtiari allowed 2 ½ pressures and Bulaga two. In the past, Zimmer has pledged to emulate the Packers’ pass-blocking system in which players at times shoot their hands on the rusher’s shoulders rather than on the breast plate. “They grab our guys so much on the outside and don’t get called for it,” he said after the game. “We had to make some adjustments with our rush … move side to side and get them (the Packers’ tackles) to move their feet.”

QUARTERBACKS (3 ½)
Aaron Rodgers’ accuracy is at a mid-season level. He was spinning gorgeous throws all over the field. Only two or three of his 42 passes were thrown off target. He completed 30 against an outstanding defense that challenges receivers and contests catches. Zimmer rushed five or more on 23.5% of dropbacks, more than he had in the two games last year (16.3%, 21.7%). Playing with a knee brace on his left knee, Rodgers extended and scrambled on six to eight plays and didn’t appear overly limited. At least his face didn’t show residue of pain. Rodgers executed a game plan that used a host of formations, some unusual personnel groupings (three tight ends in three-point stances on one side) and extensive motion. Of 77 snaps, the only one emanating from under center was a spike. Rodgers felt so good about the way things were going that he spoke with Anthony Barr, who hit him legally 11 months ago in Minneapolis and broke his collarbone. Without knowing what was said but looking at facial expressions, it appeared Rodgers didn’t get what he wanted to hear from Barr. The linebacker, who scored 28 on the Wonderlic intelligence test, seemed to be shaking his head at what Rodgers was saying. Rodgers really ought to just leave well enough alone. It’s pointless in the heat of battle. Rodgers tried to keep the rush off balance with repeated cadence changes. He finished 1-1: Richardson and McCray jumped and were penalized. Communication was shaky. The Packers wasted four or five timeouts. Midway through overtime, Green Bay had second and 1 at the Minnesota 37. Already in field-goal range, the Packers were on the brink of victory. Instead of handing it off to Williams, Rodgers attempted to pull the handoff and run right without blocking. The gain probably would have been 3-4 yards, too, but Rodgers committed the cardinal sin of fumbling. On third and 4, Zimmer showed a blitz the first time in which Alexander slipped between Bahktiari and Taylor to Rodgers’ left. Rodgers never even saw it coming. Looking to the right, Rodgers was knocked out of field-goal range by Alexander’s 8-yard sack. The Packers had to punt, and never got the ball back. When everything was on the line, Rodgers botched two consecutive plays and there went the Packers’ chances.

RUNNING BACKS (3 ½)
Jamaal Williams (47) and Ty Montgomery (27) shared duties in the one-back offense. In 77 snaps, there were only three instances in which another player (Kendricks) provided a two-back look. The Packers went empty seven times. Williams generally gets what blocked by putting his shoulder down and running his feet. He hadn’t broken a single tackle in the first two games until the last of his 34 touches when MLB Eric Kendricks’ arm tackle didn’t get him down. Of the seven or eight chances the two backs had to pick up the blitz, the only miscue went to Montgomery on a flush by Kendricks. Montgomery had some impressive moments. He made SS Andrew Sendejo miss, extending a 6-yard gain to 16. He stiff-armed Kendricks for an additional four. A confident catcher, he handled a screen fluidly and then leaped over Alexander for a gain of nine.

DEFENSIVE LINE (2 ½)
C Pat Elflein (ankle) probably won’t return for another week or two. LG Nick Easton (neck) is on IR. RT Rashod Hill left after 41 snaps (56%) with a hamstring injury. The Vikings’ front was there for the taking but the Packers weren’t equal to the task. Yes, at times, Kenny Clark (played 55 of the possible 77 defensive snaps) blew up C Brett Jones, a CFL refugee. So, too, did Mike Daniels (45). Muhammad Wilkerson (49) did not. This was where the Packers had a chance to force Kirk Cousins into one of his interception binges. It didn’t come close to happening. The Vikings didn’t run much but their three running backs did provide much-needed balance with an average of 4.1 (15-62). Clark, who had four top-flight games against the Vikings under his belt, was controlled several times by the squatty Jones in the run game. He did trash LG Tom Compton for a sack and batted a pass. Daniels led the team in pressures with three, including two against Jones. He shot gaps. He penetrated. At times, however, he ended up getting washed out of a gap or even wham-blocked by a tight end. He was up and down against double-team blocking. Wilkerson can flash what you want. He stabbed the 320-pound Hill early with one arm at the point and moved him back. He drew a holding penalty on LT Riley Reiff largely because he’s just so big. As the game worn on, the heat took its toll. Wilkerson offered little chase from the back side. He got pancaked by rookie Brian O’Neill, the replacement for Hill and a tall, finesse player. And, if Wilkerson doesn’t drop that deflection by Jermaine Whitehead in the last two minutes, an interception probably wins the game. Unlike Wilkerson, Dean Lowry (18) always fights pressure. Montravius Adams (six) also played.

LINEBACKERS (2 ½)
Clay Matthews (56) was in tune with the Vikings’ scheme. He was reading fast, messing up passes to the backs and the bubble-screen game. He also set a stout edge at least three times on runs that really didn’t get started. His pass rush, however, was disappointing again. His only knockdown came on the roughing the passer penalty late in regulation that wiped out Jaire Alexander’s interception. His only hurry came around the corner against Hill that set up Clark’s sack. Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo didn’t deem it necessary to double Matthews (31.6%). When O’Neill, a second-round draft choice from Pittsburgh, made his NFL debut late in the third quarter, it seemed like the perfect chance for Matthews to break loose. Nothing doing. His five solo rushes against O’Neill went nowhere. On the other side, Nick Perry (40) was shut out other than a batted ball. The Packers can ill afford that. Reggie Gilbert played 12 of his 34 snaps with his hand down at DT in the No. 1 sub rush group. He played DE in college at Arizona. He can get on a guard’s edge. He finished with two pressures. Kyler Fackrell (13) got close against run and pass but there was no production. With Oren Burks (shoulder) again inactive, Blake Martinez (73) played every snap. In the base 3-4, Antonio Morrison played on 22 run downs and Korey Toomer played on seven pass downs. Martinez is struggling to make his presence felt physically. Morrison is fun to watch. He’s a daredevil who loves contact. He attacks any kind of lead blocker, sometimes to the detriment of finding the ball. He’s also stiff and demonstrates limited awareness and range in coverage. When he gets a ball carrier in his sights, he’ll ring him up. Playing as a Packer from scrimmage for the first time, Toomer notched a couple hits. In a thankless assignment, Toomer had RB Dalvin Cook one-on-one near the boundary when he got beat inside on a 24-yard skinny post.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (1 ½)
With Kirk Cousins doing the throwing to some top receivers, this secondary looked different than it did against Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky and Co. By the time Adam Thielen (12-131) and Stefon Diggs (9-128) got done scoring 20 points, every DB should be due for multiple corrections this week. One week after a strong effort against the Bears, Tramon Williams (73) had a poor game. Cousins went after Williams with Diggs, especially after he gave too much cushion and appeared to lack some confidence. Williams missed two tackles, and even with help inside he still couldn’t compete against Diggs’ slant-and-go for the two-pointer. On the other side, Kevin King (26) left another game early, this time with a groin injury. The only admirable thing butter-fingered WR Laquon Treadwell did all day was beat King across his face for a 14-yard TD on third and 3. The best coverage Diggs saw all night was when King smothered him expertly against the sideline on an incomplete take-off route. In most situations, King continues to lower his head and attempt shoulder tackles. That’s risky business on several counts. Jaire Alexander (56) was matched against Thielen in the slot and gave up four completions for 42. On Thielen’s 22-yard TD on a wheel route, the ball seemed to bounce off Alexander’s wrist. When Kentrell Brice flew toward the boundary and pulled off, his proximity might have distracted Alexander from digging the ball out. In other areas, Alexander was impressive. He disposed of Cook on his sack from the slot in 3.8 seconds, registered the team’s only tackle for loss (against Diggs) and continued his aggressive work on short tosses in front of him. Josh Jackson (34) has plays where he’s fooled by misdirection and deceptive route combinations. Experience and film study should help. In overtime, he lagged behind Thielen on a 25-yard over route. Davon House (24) got the call to replace King on the left outside and, in conjunction with Brice (73), allowed the 75-yard TD bomb to Diggs. Treadwell’s drop on a slant gave Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (73) a gift pick. Otherwise, he spent another afternoon taking questionable angles and offering little to the defense. Whitehead (25) played extensively as the dime back in the second half.

KICKERS (3 ½)
Mason Crosby hasn’t had many chances to strike a game-winning field goal in his 12-year career. He did here from 52, making it a split-second after Mike Zimmer iced him with a timeout and then missing the reload just to the left. Before that, he was in perfect rhythm with hits from 37, 40, 31, 48 and 36. His eight kickoffs averaged 72.4 yards (six touchbacks) and 4.04 seconds of hang time. His first kickoff was poor (68, 3.78) and returned 46 yards by Hughes. JK Scott boomed four of his five punts with 5.0-plus hang time. His worst punt helped spawn the Vikings’ comeback, and he had an aimless touchback in OT. His averages were 51.8 (gross), 45.2 (net) and 5.10 (hang time).

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
Credit coordinator Ron Zook’s clever block scheme and Geronimo Allison’s spectacular individual effort for what was the Packers’ first blocked punt for a TD since October 2012 against Jacksonville. By bringing down Jackson shortly before the snap, Zook confused rookie LB Devante Downs. When Downs didn’t get enough of Allison, the wide receiver showed great body control and courage blocking the ball off Matt Wile’s foot with his right hand. The sure-handed Jackson high-pointed it in the end zone with LB Eric Wilson all over him. Hughes’ 46-yard KO return eclipsed the longest (43) against Green Bay all last season. House was the most commonly used gunner on the punt team. Re-signing Demetri Goodson as a gunner would have to be an option. He’s a capable cornerback, too.




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