The highly anticipated Christmas Day game between the Packers and Browns delivered extra presents for Packers fans on Sunday.
The Browns executed well on Kevin Stefanski's game plan, edging the Packers in total yards, time of possession and first downs. But, the Packers were bailed out by six penalties called against Cleveland, a number of questionable no-calls against Green Bay and, most notably, a particularly awful day from Browns QB Baker Mayfield that handed the Packers a 4-to-0 advantage in the turnover battle.
The win over Cleveland granted the Packers a sweep of the AFC North division and puts them in the driver's seat for the NFC's 1-seed. More importantly, it's possible for the Packers to clinch the conference's only postseason bye before their Week 18 game, which could be invaluable for resting key players and getting another look at Jordan Love ahead of what's bound to be a pivotal offseason for the franchise.
On Offense
Playing without Marquez Valdes-Scantling - whose presence helped spark a turnaround in the passing game over the past month - the offense still came out of the gates fast. Aaron Rodgers leaned on trusty split end Allen Lazard early on, including an 11-yard score and incredible one-handed catch downfield. The Packers also got Aaron Jones more involved than he's been in at least a month, with 17 total touches.
The momentum evaporated in the second half, however, as the offense had trouble converting on third down (3-for-10) and ultimately mustered just three points. To be fair, the Packers were already battling without their top four O-linemen, saw Rodgers aggravate his toe injury midway through the game and briefly lost backup tackle Yosh Nijman during one second-half series.
While concerned that the offense was unable to put the game out of reach in the second half, I'm even more encouraged by what the unit has been able to accomplish without so many misses pieces up front. Facing one of the better defensive fronts in the game, Rodgers wasn't sacked once. This is a testament to, not only excellent blocking scheme, but also spectacular play calling by LaFleur.
On Defense
Even with Kenny Clark back in the lineup, things continued to trend downward for the Packers defense for yet another week on Sunday. For starters, they had next to no answer for Nick Chubb and the Browns' running game, which finished with over 200 yards on the ground. The effectiveness of Cleveland's rushing attack allowed Stefanski to assemble a nice mix of run and pass, keeping the Packers' defense on their heels and converting on seven of 12 third-down attempts.
While the Green Bay defense seemed completely vulnerable for four quarters, it was highly opportunistic when Cleveland committed mistakes. Newfound hero Rasul Douglas bagged another two interceptions, the second of which put a nail in the coffin for Cleveland. Green Bay's four total interceptions were momentum-killers for the Browns offense that was otherwise in complete control of the game.
The overall performance of the defense without key players this season should spare Joe Barry criticism down the stretch. But, it's becoming more and more puzzling to witness consistently soft coverage that allows opposing offenses to go underneath, move the chains and control the tempo of the game. Also confounding is the regular substitution for edge rushers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, who seem to be replaced by Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai on nearly half of defensive snaps. There is lots to clean up on the defensive side of the ball before the postseason.
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