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Home , Cullen Jenkins, Daryn Colledge, Dawan Landry, Jarret Johnson, Jermichael Finley, Johnny Jolly

Rating the Packers vs. Ravens Defense steals the show

Posted: Dec. 8, 2009 11:01 p.m.

Green Bay — The ' 27-14 victory over the on Monday night at was all the more meaningful given the fact the Ravens were such a desperate football team.

They needed the game as much if not more than the Packers to stay current in the playoff chase. But when push came to shove, and it often did, the Ravens just didn't have any answers when the Packers' top-ranked defense flexed its muscle.

Here is a rating of the Packers against the Ravens, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses:

RECEIVERS (2) seemed immune to . The last time he lost a came on a reverse in Week 9 of 2004; his last lost fumble on a reception was in Week 5 in '04. So to see him lose one on a rather routine hit by nickel back Chris Carr and then almost lose another on another reception was shocking. Driver also had one of the five dropped passes; had two and and Donald Lee each had one. Sure, it was 21 degrees, but the wind was negligible so weather shouldn't have been factor. It was too bad FS (hip) had to sit out because his matchup against Finley would have been a pleasure to watch. As it was, Finley dominated SS Dawan Landry and backup Tom Zbikowski. The game turned toward Green Bay on the second-quarter drive when Finley caught three passes for 45 yards. Of Finley's 46 snaps, just 16 were on the line or in the backfield (34.8%). Whereas Finley is being used mainly as a split receiver, Lee is much more of the base TE (72.5 of his 51 snaps were on the line or in the backfield). Regardless, the run blocking by the TEs needs improvement. SLB Jarret Johnson kept rag-dolling them.

OFFENSIVE LINE (3) True, it was a one-sack afternoon. But chalk up most of that to ' pocket presence and legs and not top-notch protection. Coordinator Greg Mattison rushed six on the first pass but eventually came in with a 20.8% blitz ratio. The line proved rather effective against zone dogs. Johnson, probably the Ravens' best rusher, worked against most of the day and settled for just one hurry. Tauscher maintained the upper hand against Johnson but was slow getting out to the LB level. kept giving ground against bull-rushing but allowed just one hurry. Colledge just didn't get any movement at the point, showing a glaring lack of sustain. struggled trying to cope with the strength of NT Kelly Gregg and finished with 2½ "pressures," 2½ "bad runs" and one holding penalty. Tauscher had a hold and , who yielded five "pressures," was penalized twice. wasn't up to his recent standards, either.

QUARTERBACKS (4) With Reed a surprise scratch, Mike McCarthy turned Rodgers loose right from the start against a very weak secondary. Thirty-five of the 76 snaps came from shotgun formation, including six without a running back. Rodgers is in complete command of the offense and seldom was fooled by Mattison's extensive package. Several times, he broke free from the first wave of rushers and threw darts on the move. His accuracy has been remarkable outside the pocket. If Rodgers was frustrated by the drops, you wouldn't have known it by his body language. He made a bad read on the first and a bad throw on the second. On a cold night, he passed for 263 yards and ran for 30. Defensive coordinators are grasping for the best way to play Rodgers.

RUNNING BACKS (3) With and both able to play from scrimmage for the first time since Week 2, McCarthy scratched . It might be the smart call based on special-teams considerations. However, not having a blood-and-guts lead blocker affects the ground game, especially in December. Hall (14 snaps) did leak out after a chip block and made a nice catch for 13 yards, which Johnson couldn't do. Kuhn had eight snaps. Ahman Green played three snaps in each half, looked good on five carries and delivered a heavy blow in blitz pickup. Grant was OK in 40 snaps and Brandon Jackson played 24 in his third-down role.

DEFENSIVE LINE (4) Coordinator Cam Cameron's best bet was to player power football behind and an unbalanced line. It didn't work because his linemen couldn't dislodge (46 snaps), (32), (52) and B.J. Raji (season-high 36). Rice had two carries for 38 yards and only 16 yards in the other 12. Down after down, the four behemoths just hunker down, hold gaps and keep blockers off the LBs. LG Ben Grubbs has been struggling of late and both Jenkins and Raji made him look terrible in the run game. Jenkins settled for only one "pressure." He needs a big rush game. Pickett came through with two knockdowns, a rare feat for him. Raji, with one late "pressure," needs to do less slugging and work more rush moves.

LINEBACKERS (4½) There was much to like here. A.J. Hawk ran deep down the seam with TE in Cover 2, turned back for the ball at the right moment and showed superb hands making the interception. It probably was one of his two best plays in three-plus seasons. Not only that but Hawk kept knocking ball carriers backward, smelled out the screen game, stuffed FB Le'Ron McClain on a lead and played the power stuff well. The only negative for Hawk and Brad Jones were their two missed tackles. For the first time, Jones looked like a legitimate threat as a rusher with three "pressures." caught a break when Heap dropped what should have been a 27-yard TD. Otherwise, he had two flushes against C among his six blitzes and fit well against the run game. Clay Matthews had a whole series of fruitless rushes against Jared Gaither when he either was engulfed or shoved past . But when Gaither ducked his head in the second quarter, as the big man has been prone to do, Matthews whipped around him and sacked Flacco in 3.4 seconds. Matthews had four "pressures" in all plus 1½ tackles for loss. Matthews' excellent speed and hustle would be a valuable commodity for any defense. played a handful of snaps from scrimmage for the first time since Nov. 1.

SECONDARY (2½) Once it became apparent that Derrick Mason wasn't going to escape 's match- up coverage, Cameron decided to go after with WRs Mark Clayton and . Tramon Williams drew three pass-interference penalties for 106 yards and might have had a fourth for 26. Now it's probably going to keep happening unless he adjusts and stops grabbing a receiver's hands and arms downfield. Good players make those adjustments, and the Packers regard Williams as a very good player. stayed back on a flea-flicker, then showed tremendous burst, vision and hands racing in front of three players for an interception. Earlier, he got too nosy trying to undercut Heap and gave up a 23-yard completion. Mason did get away from Woodson and was in position to make plays but Flacco usually couldn't get him the ball. Woodson's for loss against Willis McGahee was just another incredible play to tack on his resume for NFL defensive player of the year honors.

KICKERS (1½) From the right hash mark, has a real problem pushing kicks to the right. He did it again from 38 yards, although the hold by was sloppy. Crosby did hit from 28 and 32, and his four kickoffs averaged 63 yards and 3.92 seconds of hang time. Jeremy Kapinos had outstanding hang time (4.45) this time of year on his three punts. His averages were 43 (gross) and 34.3 (net).

SPECIAL TEAMS (1½) Tramon Williams saved another kickoff return from going the distance with his exceptional long speed. He tracked down Lardarius Webb after 68 yards when the coverage up the middle was just terrible and Crosby couldn't bring him down. C Evan Dietrich-Smith fumbled on a pooch kickoff without being hit but finally made a contribution and recovered the ball. brought back the opening KO 38 yards when it was blocked beautifully. His punt returns were pedestrian.

OVERALL (4)

From the Dec. 9, 2009, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel