Damarious Randall

Packers' Davante Adams falls just short of milestone in breakout year

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:06 p.m. ET

Fansided, Freddie Boston/FanSided via Lombardi Ave

With another division title in the books, the Green Bay Packers put together an impressive season statistically.

The Packers’ 2016 season could have produced the league MVP, the comeback player of the year and possibly the biggest third-year jump of anyone around the league. Oh, and they also turned a wide receiver into a running back seamlessly.

With the regular season wrapped up, let’s take a look at Green Bay’s numbers across the board.

Passing

Aaron Rodgers: 401/610, 4,428 yards, 40 touchdowns, seven interceptions

MVP? Looking at the numbers alone, Rodgers’ 2016 season was more impressive than his 2014 campaign, one that finished with the MVP award. He finished this year with better completion percentage, more passing yards and more passing touchdowns.

Rodgers also set a career-high in rushing yards, and finished the final seven games of the season with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Receiving

Jordy Nelson: 97 receptions, 1,257 yards, 14 touchdowns
Davante Adams: 75 receptions, 997 yards, 12 touchdowns
Randall Cobb: 60 receptions, 610 yards, four touchdowns
Jared Cook: 30 receptions, 377 yards, one touchdown
Ty Montgomery: 44 receptions, 348 yards

Nelson’s return from a torn ACL proved to be key in Green Bay’s offensive resurgence. A strong candidate for comeback player of the year, Nelson surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth time in his career, and posted his second-highest touchdown tally.

Adams’ breakout year fell just short of 1,000 yards, but he looked a completely different player than the one who struggled in a big way a year ago. Last year he posted just 483 yards with a single touchdown.

Cobb didn’t deliver as many expected, but he was plagued with injuries all year long. The same can be said of Cook, who began to make a difference once healthy down the stretch.

Rushing

Ty Montgomery: 77 attempts, 457 yards, three touchdowns
Aaron Rodgers: 67 attempts, 369 yards, four touchdowns
Eddie Lacy: 71 attempts, 360 yards
Aaron Ripkowski: 34 attempts, 150 yards, two touchdowns

Given the turbulence the Packers faced at the running back position, it’s impressive they even got as far as they did.

Injuries to Eddie Lacy and James Starks forced Ty Montgomery to swap wide receiver for running back, a transition he made look far easier than it is. With 457 rushing yards and three scores, Montgomery led the way and will almost certainly remain a running back next year.

Sacks

Nick Perry: 11
Julius Peppers: 7.5
Clay Matthews: 5
Mike Daniels: 4
Morgan Burnett: 3

Finally healthy, Perry delivered the goods on a contract year. His 11 sacks were far and away a career-high, likely earning him a long-term deal in Green Bay (or elsewhere).

Peppers posted a solid total in what will likely be his final year with the Packers, and possibly the NFL. Matthews’ various injuries held him back, but his up-and-down play became a concern.

Interceptions

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: 5
Micah Hyde/Damarious Randall: 3
Morgan Burnett: 2

Clinton-Dix’s rise at the safety position continued this season, and he was rewarded with five interceptions. Hyde and Randall lacked consistency, but both notched three picks.

Kicking

Mason Crosby: 26/30 FGs (86.7 percent), 44/47 XPs (93.6 percent)

It was overall a solid season for Crosby, although there were some uncharacteristic misses on his part. He missed two kicks from the 30-39 range for the first time since 2012. He also missed a career-high three extra points, although that statistic is slightly misleading given the 2015 rule changes.