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The Green Bay Packers are 6-2, first in the NFC North and are heading for another playoff spot under second-year coach Matt LaFleur as the second half of the 2020 season begins .
Here are four booming players and four players needing to improve halfway:
Breaking: WR Davante Adams
(AP Photo / Eric Christian Smith)
Do you feel like Davante Adams is having an All-Pro caliber season? Your eyes don’t fool you. In fact, there is a strong statistical case for Adams as football’s top receiver this season. He averages 112.5 yards per game and leads the NFL with eight receiving touchdowns. Even more impressive: Adams only started and finished five games. In three of five, he produced at least 10 catches and 150 receiving yards. And in the last three games, he has 30 catches and six scores.
Needs to improve: S Darnell Savage
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The sophomore jump came late for Savage, who has too many negative plays and not enough impact plays in the first eight games of 2020. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Savage has almost twice as many tackles. misses (nine) like saves (five), or a tackle constituting an offensive failure, and he still has no points to take (he dropped an interception against the 49ers). To be fair, Savage has played a role in the Packers’ defense by drastically reducing the number of big plays allowed this season. Mike Pettine must find ways to unleash his weapon speed in the second half.
Surge: C Corey Linsley
(AP Photo / Tyler Kaufman)
The big man in the middle of the Packers’ offensive line has a year-long career. According to PFF, Linsley has allowed only one push this season while posting a better career blocking rating. Overall, it is the top rated center on the site by a significant margin. Within a year of contract, Linsley could be well on his way to Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. His presence and performance have been crucial for an offensive line that has faced injury all season.
Needs Improvement: OLB Preston Smith
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Slowly, some of Smith’s playing ability begins to show. He had a huge fourth save from Deshaun Watson in Houston, and his pressure on Nick Mullens created a game-changing interception in San Francisco. The Packers just need more consistency and a lot more disruption. Smith only has 10 presses in total this season – including just a half-sack and four quarterback hits – despite playing nearly 400 shots. He had 12.0 sacks and 23 quarterback hits a year ago. For the Packers’ passing rush to reach 2019 levels, Smith needs to bounce back in the last eight games. The team’s big three – Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Kenny Clark – are producing well below the standard of disruption they set last season.
Breaking: CB Jaire Alexander
Photo AP / Eric Christian Smith
Alexander took home the Packers’ defensive MVP award in the first period in a landslide victory. Now in his third year, Alexander has become a real stopping corner, able to take away an entire side of the field and force the quarterback at all, but ignore a leading target. In eight games and 260 cover shots, Alexander allowed just 16 takes by PFF. Half of his total tackles were counted as saves (24 tackles, 12 saves). Alexander is the highest rated cornerback entering Week 10 at PFF.
Needs improvement: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
(AP Photo / Eric Christian Smith)
He’s caught two touchdown passes in San Francisco, so maybe his arrow is pointing in the right direction again as the second half of 2020 arrives. The Packers could use more ascending and less fading from the MVS experience. GM Brian Gutekunst couldn’t make a deal for Will Fuller by the deadline, so Valdes-Scantling will be the deep threat from Matt LaFleur’s attack. He flashed as a playmaker, catching three assists over 40 yards, but he also lost five assists and had three games with one or fewer catches. Despite a tantalizing mix of size and speed, MVS can still be frustrating and inconsistent.
Breaking: QB Aaron Rodgers
(AP Photo / Jed Jacobsohn)
The 36-year-old quarterback is at ease, fully immersed in Matt LaFleur’s offense and benefits greatly from the symbiotic relationship between player and player. Rodgers has 24 touchdowns in eight games and leads the NFL in the pass rankings (117.5) as Week 10 enters. He’s leading the league’s third-best offense, and his numbers are starting to look a bit like two memorable years previously (2011, 2014). Rodgers had multiple touchdown passes and an over 100.0 passer rating in seven of the Packers’ first eight games.
For improvement: DL Dean Lowry
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) runs for a win against the Green Bay Packers away from linebacker Preston Smith (91) and Dean Lowry (94) in the third quarter in their football game Sunday 15 September 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Only five Packers players were on the field for more defensive shots in the first eight games than Lowry. The problem? Lowry hasn’t always affected the quarterback and has been way too high and low as a run defenseman. The Packers didn’t get any help on the defensive line by the trade deadline, putting even more pressure on Lowry to contribute up front. It is often the fulcrum of the race defense. When he plays well, the Packers can survive on the pitch. When he doesn’t, Mike Pettine’s group is often crushed. He is a crucial player for the second half of the season.
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