GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Handing out grades following the Green Bay Packers' 30-20 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17 of the 2014 season:
Passing Offense: A
As the final seconds ran off the clock, this game showed the level of leadership value that Aaron Rodgers brings. But in the first 17 minutes of action, Rodgers had yet to even complete a pass. Rodgers misfired on his first three throws before connecting on a 12-yard pass with Jordy Nelson early in the second quarter.
The Packers' first offensive touchdown happened with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, and it came on a play that set the rest of the game in motion. Rodgers avoided pressure, stepped up in the pocket and tossed a pass to Randall Cobb in the end zone. But upon releasing the ball, Rodgers crumbled to the ground despite not having anyone touch him. Already dealing with a left calf injury, Rodgers would later reveal he injured that same calf but in a different spot. Rodgers needed assistance from two trainers as he limped to the sideline and was soon carted to the locker room. It sure seemed like Rodgers would not return, and he had several of his offensive teammates believing that to be the case.
Matt Flynn started the second half behind center while Rodgers was still out of sight. Flynn hit Eddie Lacy for a six-yard gain but was then sacked on third down. That's when Rodgers emerged from the tunnel.
Rodgers completed 11 of his 13 passes in the second half despite playing with limited mobility. Mike McCarthy altered the game plan accordingly, while Rodgers and the offense made it work.
Considering everything that was working against Rodgers, including one of the NFL's best defenses, for him to finish with a 139.6 passer rating is remarkable.
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both played very well. Nelson became Green Bay's all-time single-season leader in receiving yards after putting up 86 yards in this game. Cobb continued his open-field work and ability to gain yards after catch, finishing with four catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Davante Adams didn't have a single target sent his way, meaning that the rookie wide receiver now has four catches for 29 yards combined in the past four games. However, fellow rookie Richard Rodgers got involved in the passing game with five receptions for 40 yards.
As has become fairly standard this season, the protection for Rodgers was very good. The only Detroit sack came on one of Flynn's two dropbacks, with the Lions officially registering only one QB hit on Rodgers.
Rushing Offense: A-minus
Detroit entered Week 17 as the NFL's best run defense. The distance between the Lions and the next-best run defense in every major category was significant. There was really no logical argument that could be made that any team other than Detroit was the league's most dominant and successful defense at stopping the run this season.
Apparently the Packers didn't get that memo.
Green Bay began its first series with six running plays -- four to Lacy, two to James Starks. And it worked. Lacy had a 22-yard gain, Starks had a 21-yard rush. When the Packers got near the goal line of that drive, Green Bay already had 61 rushing yards. Three more rushing yards and it would've already been more than what the Lions had averaged giving up in an entire game.
With those positives, though, came the setback once the offense reached the 1-yard line. In great position with first-and-goal, the Packers couldn't get into the end zone with either John Kuhn or Lacy. Mix in two incomplete passes and Green Bay turned the ball over on downs.
Not long after that, Lacy fumbled just as the Packers were about to get into the red zone. It was Lacy's second fumble of the season, both coming against Detroit.
Overall, Green Bay did what only one other team was able to do on the Lions all season: rush for 100 yards. Lacy did that all by himself on 26 carries. In all, the Packers' 152 rushing yards made an elite run defense look vulnerable. That didn't seem possible given what Detroit had put on tape through the first 15 games this season.
To cap off Rodgers' improbable game, he called a quarterback sneak for himself and got into the end zone in the second half. That's not an easy thing to do on one good leg.
Rushing Defense: C-plus
The Lions had good success on the ground. Entering play as the league's 27th-ranked rushing offense, Detroit consistently got positive gains.
Joique Bell had 60 yards on 13 carries (4.6-yards-per-carry average), and the Lions as a team finished with 111 yards and a 4.8 average.
Counting Matthew Stafford's four scrambles as called passing plays, Detroit had a 45-to-19 pass-to-run ratio. The Lions have been a passing team all season, but it seemed like questionable play-calling when the running game was working like it was.
Morgan Burnett continued his strong play against the run when he made a solo stop on Bell to force a third-and-1.
The Packers recovered an unforced fumble that was charged to Stafford, who was never able to complete the handoff to Bell.
Passing Defense: B-plus
Stafford was inaccurate on several throws and gave Green Bay some breaks in the process.
Matthews got things started with a sack on the first drive of the game, but it was a play in which Stafford saw him coming and didn't throw the ball away. Mike Daniels later gave the Packers their only other sack, as the defense finished with four QB hits. Datone Jones forced Stafford into a late-game intentional grounding in the end zone that resulted in a safety. Casey Hayward nearly had what would've been the only interception of the game on a ball that he could've taken back for a pick-six had he been able to hold on.
Calvin Johnson had two touchdowns, but he was limited to four catches for 39 yards on 11 targets. Considering how dominant Johnson has the ability to be, that's a stat line that Green Bay can live with. Golden Tate was held to three receptions for 45 yards.
Burnett was in single coverage down the left sideline with rookie tight end Eric Ebron. Burnett won that battle and forced the incompletion. Tramon Williams had particularly good coverage on Johnson one play and batted down a pass across the middle of the field.
Stafford had three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and had just 217 passing yards. That's an overall victory for the Packers' defense.
Special Teams: C
There's a situation of the very good and a case of the very bad.
Green Bay won the game, so let's begin with the positive for the special teams. Micah Hyde fielded a punt in the first quarter with room to work, and he took it 55 yards for a touchdown. It was the first points of the game and really helped make up for the Packers' inability to finish their goal-line opportunity three minutes earlier.
That doesn't erase the bad, though. Mason Crosby had a 52-yard field-goal attempt blocked. That marks the seventh kick this season (three field-goal attempts, two extra points, two punts) that Green Bay has had blocked.
In an otherwise very happy mood after the game, McCarthy was clearly displeased with this unit.
"Well, the field-goal protection has been an issue," McCarthy said. "There's some personnel things that we need to do a better job, and we'll continue to work it. There's no excuse for it. It's an emphasis. It's obviously an emphasis of our opponent, the way they're coming after us. We have to do a much better job there. That's not cutting it."
In a surprising pre-game move, the Packers made DuJuan Harris a healthy inactive. Harris had been the every-week kick returner all season. Instead, Green Bay went with Cobb and Hyde back deep.
It was a strange looking play, but after the Lions' safety, their kickoff was intentionally hit short. Nelson and Cobb both tried calling for a fair catch, but neither was close enough to the ball. Jarrett Boykin ended up being the one to try to catch it, but he muffed the handle and Detroit recovered.
"The onside kick, you can debate that all you want," McCarthy said. "I know Jordy Nelson, he's the only one I saw try to fair catch it. Whether he had an opportunity to catch the ball . . . it looked pretty chaotic. I'm sure that was a tough play to referee."
Overall: A-minus
Rodgers added an important chapter to his legacy. Lacy and the offensive line accomplished what only one other group was able to in the running game against Detroit all year. Stafford was unable to get in a rhythm. Hyde broke the game open when the Packers really needed it.
Those are all aspects of the game that contributed to Green Bay beating the Lions and winning its fourth consecutive division title. It also extended the Packers' in-Wisconsin winning streak over Detroit to 23 straight regular-season games (24 overall including playoffs).
A loss would have sent Green Bay on an extremely difficult postseason journey that would begin in Dallas and then, with a win there, over to Seattle. A Super Bowl appearance wouldn't have been impossible with that route, but this victory will sure make it easier for the Packers. Now they get a bye (which is obviously going to be very helpful for Rodgers to recover) and at least one home playoff game.
Of course, this game will be remembered for Rodgers' heroics -- even though he doesn't want anyone thinking of his performance by using that term -- and the dramatics that surrounded his return to the field.
Follow Paul Imig on Twitter
