The Green Bay Packers won their 11th game of the 2020 season, with a red hot start and some big action late to escape a comeback bid from the Carolina Panthers on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
The Packers led 21-3 in the second quarter, but ultimately held on for a 24-16 win.
Here are three things to love about the Packers’ win:
Run game
Backsliding Green Bay Packers Aaron Jones (33) runs for 47 yards in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, December 19, 2020 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Packers ran 195 yards, including 169 on 22 designed runs and 145 on 20 by Aaron Jones. Of the 22 designed runs, 13 won at least five yards, including six from eight yards or more by Jones and an 18-yard by rookie AJ Dillon. Coach Matt LaFleur admitted he should have run the ball more, especially in the second half when the Packers became too dependent on RPOs and the short passing play, which were mostly unproductive. Jones tore off a 46-yard run, setting up a touchdown, and Dillon’s run helped create another goal-scoring drive. Sputtering the passing game, the Packers needed debris on the ground, and Jones and the offensive line provided. Teams just don’t often lose when they rush nearly 200 yards. The 195 rushing yards represent the Packers’ second most in a match since they took on LaFleur.
Dominance in the red zone
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Traveling to the red zone is an opportunity to score seven points. Teams keep track of how often they score touchdowns when they enter the 20-yard line because settling for field goals or turning the ball essentially sacrifices points. The Packers were perfect in the red zone against the Panthers, scoring three touchdowns on three trips. The offense has now scored touchdowns on 40 of the 51 red zone trips this season, the best percentage (78.4) in the NFL by a significant margin. Meanwhile, the Panthers struggled in the red zone on Saturday night, scoring just one touchdown on five trips. Carolina enjoyed three field goals and had a breakthrough turnover on the goal line. If five trips in the red zone yielded an opportunity for 35 points, the Panthers ultimately had to sacrifice 19 points. The Packers have not sacrificed anything. The ability of Matt LaFleur’s team to be so good at situational football is to win games, even when the Packers aren’t generally at their best.
Play safety
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The Packers looked like they would have one of the NFL’s best safety duos in 2020. Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage took some time, but the potential is realized later. Amos was fantastic against the Panthers, breaking three passes and delivering a bag, while Savage continued to look like a difference maker, especially when playing near the line of scrimmage. Together, the Packers’ protections broke four passes and had two tackles for losses and four other tackles between 1-3 yards from the line of scrimmage. The defense improvement can be neatly tracked along the path of rise of Amos and Savage. They both play at a high level as the playoffs get closer.