Rating the Packers: Week 16 at Jets By Bob McGinn Posted: Dec 25, 2018 Mike McCarthy would have had the same basic message regarding the Green Bay Packers’ modus operandi for the final two games. Joe Philbin just offered it in more eloquent fashion. “The future’s the future,” Philbin, the team’s interim coach since the firing of McCarthy on Dec. 2, told reporters Monday. “2019 is going to be here, whether we want it to or not. It’ll be training camp in ’19 before we all know it, and certainly there will be a transition within the team. “Yeah, the draft’s the draft. We’ll draft in whatever spot we earn. “In the purest sense, if you think what’s happened around here since 1992 or whatever since it really started to take off in Green Bay, the jersey names on the back have changed but the way the Green Bay Packers play football and win football games hasn’t changed a whole lot. “That spirit, that transition – call it whatever you want – that culture of winning, I think it’s important. The more you can do, in some respects, winning begets winning.” Although the Packers had been eliminated from playoff contention the previous week, Philbin played the game against the New York Jets Sunday at MetLife Stadium almost exactly the way he would have otherwise. There were no discernible changes regarding playing time. It was business as usual, and in overtime the Packers prevailed, 44-38. Here is a rating of the Packers (6-8-1) against the Jets (4-11), with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses. As a team, the Packers received three footballs. The three stars of the game were: 1. Jamaal Williams. 2. Aaron Rodgers. 3. Equanimeous St. Brown. RECEIVERS (4) Davante Adams must have slept well Sunday night. The offense was on the field for 91 gradable plays and Adams lined up on 87 of them. Eight days earlier, the Texans’ great DeAndre Hopkins played against the same secondary on the same field and caught 10 of 11 targeted throws for 170 yards and two touchdowns. In 18 targets, Adams caught 11 for 71 yards, including the game-winner of 16 yards in OT. His 6.5 average was his lowest since Game 16 of 2016 when he had more than three receptions. Jets coach Todd Bowles kept LC Trumaine Johnson on his side, RC Morris Claiborne on his side and nickel back Buster Skrine in the slot. Wherever Adams went, the Jet that was there covered him. Adams was held without a single yard after the catch on six receptions by reliable tackling defensive backs. Equanimeous St. Brown (39) started ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling (72) before departing with a concussion with 9 ½ minutes remaining in regulation. It was one of St. Brown’s finest outings. Of his five catches for a team-high and his season-high total of 94 yards, St. Brown showed the ability to adjust and win in different ways. He accelerated across the field on a crossing pattern. He leaked out on a feigned block and went for 34 yards. He was elusive in the open field. His blocking, however, was as impressive as his receiving. He sealed the sideline enabling Lance Kendricks (16, six with his hand down) to turn a short bootleg into a gain of 20. MVS picked up 75 yards in five receptions and another 66 on three pass-interference penalties (two on Skrine, one on Johnson). He did have the only drop. With 57 snaps, Jake Kumerow played 25 more than he had since joining the rotation in Game 12. When two Jets jumped Jimmy Graham in the flat and ignored Kumerow, he continued on for a 49-yard TD in which he weaved past FS Darryl Roberts at the 11. He also ran a nifty speed out for 13. “I think he’s kind of a fluid, smooth, crisp route runner,” Joe Philbin said. “I think he’s kind of quarterback-friendly because he’s usually at the spot he’s supposed to be in the progression.” Graham (64, 15 with his hand down) still hasn’t scored since Game 8 but at least picked up a pair of penalties on end-zone passes. Robert Tonyan saw a season-high 15 snaps (three with his hand down), including two in overtime and another on fourth and 1 in which he ran a sharp stick route for 11 against ILB Neville Hewitt. Kendricks remains a useful professional. Marcedes Lewis also played (11, 10 with his hand down). OFFENSIVE LINE (2 ½ ) The most successful pass blocker was Bryan Bulaga even though he was penalized three times for holding. Two came on running plays, and another on a late rush after his man had been stymied for five-plus seconds. Other than that, he didn’t allow a pressure. RG Lucas Patrick and Bulaga were fortunate indeed when DT Leonard Williams was ejected for punching Bulaga in the face late in the first half. Williams, possibly the Jets’ best player, already had a sack against Corey Linsley, a knockdown against Patrick and a “bad” run against Patrick. With 59 more snaps (including 45 dropbacks) still to come in the second half, there’s no telling what damage he might have inflicted. In Patrick’s third consecutive start some of his athletic shortcomings reared their ugly head. He yielded six pressures to five different defenders, including two to OLB Tarell Basham. When rushers try to take him down the middle, Patrick is tough as an old boot and locks up. Too often, rushers have been able to win on his edges. Lane Taylor went out with a left knee injury on the seventh snap and was replaced by Justin McCray, who played extensively for the seventh game this season. He’s strong and goes all-out. His numbers – 3 ½ pressures, two “bad” runs – primarily reflect his limited athletic ability. Linsley bounced back from a very off day in Chicago with a one pressure, one “bad” run performance. David Bakhtiari handled the Jets’ pedestrian group of outside rushers. QUARTERBACKS (4 ½) Aaron Rodgers had a blast. He was changing plays effectively, running for touchdowns, taking hits, moving the ball around and, in the end, winning in the Big Apple. With the Packers eliminated, it was almost as though Rodgers was back running the scout team from 2005-’07. He has fond memories of those Wednesdays and Thursdays in which he could just go play. We know Rodgers loves a personal challenge, and for those nincompoops who didn’t expect him to play he wanted to put on a show. Also-ran for an opponent or not, it’s heady stuff for a quarterback to lead a touchdown drive at the start of OT. He audibled to the decisive TD pass after assessing the Jets as being vulnerable in quarters, an unusual coverage for them. Rodgers had a rough start, missing two fairly routine completions to Davante Adams. He drew his seventh penalty of the season, including fourth for intentional grounding. Once again, he overthrew Adams in the end zone. At the same time, he kept the chains moving to a dizzying degree; the 35 first downs were the second most in team history. It was impressive to see him complete half a dozen passes while getting knocked down. In all, he was down 13 times (four sacks), a season high. Mike McCarthy didn’t believe in the quarterback sneak but Rodgers made it work with a Drew Brees-like leap over the plane on fourth and goal. He also partially atoned for that costly overtime fumble against the Vikings by pulling the ball on a zone read against OLB Brandon Copeland for a two-point conversion. His longest run (23 yards) came on a scramble left when DE Bronson Kaufusi rushed a tad too much inside. Despite all the contact, he has gone 10 games without a lost fumble after having lost three in Games 4-5. RUNNING BACKS (4 ½) One week after gaining 97 yards from scrimmage at Soldier Field Jamaal Williams was even better with 156. All it took was 15 rushes and six receptions, too. Has any running back ever played 86 snaps in one game? Not only did Williams have (backup Kapri Bibbs had been in town only since Monday) to, he thrived doing it. With Aaron Jones (knee) on injured reserve, Williams was exceptional beginning with his first carry in which he bowled over FS Darryl Roberts for the final six yards of a 19-yard gain. He can lower the shoulder with the best of them. When NT Steve McLendon got in his way on a short run, Williams got physical with him, too, and fell forward. Williams also made a pair of cutbacks that showed increasing vision and comfort with the zone scheme. He caught the ball well, which has been something of an issue. In all, he broke only two tackles. Todd Bowles ended up blitzing on 32.3% of passes, including 39.5% in the second half. It was incumbent upon Williams to sort it out and pick it up, which he did admirably for the most part. Williams’ whiff gave Neville Hewitt an easy sack, and he was responsible for 1 ½ more pressures, too. FB Danny Vitale (eight) hung on to a check-down for 2 yards on third and 1 despite a punishing hit from behind from ILB Avery Williamson. DEFENSIVE LINE (3) They plugged the run but didn’t threaten the passer.