Happy Halloween from Packers Wire!
The Green Bay Packers are using the trick-or-treat holiday to prepare for the NFC North leading Detroit Lions, a frighteningly good football team who will come to Lambeau Field on Sunday with their fangs out and bad intentions.
Can Matt LaFleur’s team vanquish the cat-faced boogeyman and go into the bye week with a wickedly awesome five-game win streak?
Speaking of spooky, here are some players that have been SCARY good for the Packers this season:
S Xavier McKinney
The former Giant must be ghost-like because quarterbacks haven’t seen him coming all season. McKinney has an NFL-high six interceptions, including one in six of his first eight games, plus a fumble recovery and a third down sack. He ranks third among safeties in overall PFF grade and second in coverage grade entering Week 9. He’s allowed only seven catches in coverage but also defended seven other passes. Can McKinney keep spooking quarterbacks into game-changing mistakes?
TE Tucker Kraft
Kraft has developed into a true monster in Year 2. Not only has he been a terrifying blocker on the move for the run game, but he’s like Frankenstein with the ball in his hands — no one can tackle him. Kraft is second among tight ends in touchdown catches (5) and yards after the catch (250) and first in average yards after the catch (10.4). Last week, Kraft caught a 67-yard pass on an extended play, hauled in his team-leading fifth touchdown pass and delivered the key block in pass pro on Malik Willis’ 51-yard completion to Jayden Reed on the final drive. No disguise needed here; Kraft dresses up like the perfect tight end for Matt LaFleur’s offense every single day.
RB Josh Jacobs
Yards after contact are to Jacobs as blood is to a vampire. The Packers runnig back lives off bouncing off tackles and gaining the tough yards. In fact, his 510 yards after contact ranks second among all running backs, trailing only Derrick Henry (521) entering Week 9. Jacobs is also fourth in missed tackles forced and runs of 10 or more yards and fifth in total yards. He has monster-like traits with the ball in his hands. The Jaguars certainly found him slippery and slimy last week — Jacobs forced eight missed tackles and gained almost 100 yards after contact. Imagine how tough it’ll be to tackle Jacobs post-Halloween, when temps drop and the weather gets dicey in Green Bay.
WR Jayden Reed
Reed is giving some nightmares with drops (team-high seven), but he’s also scaring the pants off defenses most weeks this season. Reed ranks 13th in the NFL in receiving yards and 20th in total yards despite a recent cold streak. He’s on pace for over 1,000 receiving yards and 1,200 total yards. He also leads all receivers in rushing yards (110). While quiet for most of the game last week, Reed got the final treat when he caught a 51-yard pass from Malik Willis to set up the game-winning field goal in Jacksonville. Maybe the big play will help him snap out of a recent zombie-like phase.
RT Zach Tom
Tom is like a scarecrow; he just quietly gets the job done every single week. Scarecrows keep birds out of the fields, Tom keeps edge rushers out of the pocket. The Packers’ third-year offensive tackle has allowed only nine pressures in eight games and currently ranks eighth in overall PFF grade among offensive tackles. It’s no trick, kids. Tom’s ability to mirror edge rushers is spooky good. And his improvements as a run blocker have turned him into one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles.
QB Malik Willis
Like a wizard, Willis has turned terrible situations into gold for the Packers this season. Acquired for something close to a bag of candy in a trade with the Titans in late August, Willis has produced a pair of wins as a starting quarterback and a game-winning drive — helping the Packers beat three different AFC South teams. Even a witch couldn’t conjure up a better slice of revenge for the former Titan. Willis is averaging 9.7 yards per attempt and has a passer rating of 130.3. What kind of magic are Matt LaFleur and Tom Clements using in Green Bay’s quarterback room?
S Evan Williams
The rookie safety arrived in Green Bay as a fourth-round pick and has perfectly assumed the role of Robin to Xavier McKinney’s Batman. Williams has an interception (ending game vs. Colts), a forced fumble (leading to a touchdown), a fourth-down pass breakup (ending game vs. Rams), a two-point conversion stop (in a two-point win vs. Cardinals). He’s been an enforcer against the run and a sneaky-good player in coverage. Like a pirate hunting gold, national scout Sam Saele seems to have discovered another terrific player from the West Coast for the Packers.
LB Eric Wilson
The NFL was ready to give up on Wilson, but the Packers dug him up from the graveyard and revived his career. He’s no zombie or mummy. Wilson has long been a terror on special teams, and now he’s consistently creating big plays as an off-ball linebacker for Jeff Hafley. Through eight games, Wilson has two sacks, 12 stops, an interception and a pass breakup. He trails only Xavier McKinney in overall PFF grade on the Packers defense. The trick for Hafley will be continually finding ways to get him on the field.
LB Edgerrin Cooper
He won “Best Costume” for dressing up like the NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 8. Cooper hasn’t been perfect, but his superhero-like speed has turned him into a game-wrecking machine. In Jacksonville, Cooper delivered a strip-sack setting up a touchdown and a key third-down pass breakup. He can run like the wind, and he’s got the playmaking instincts to terrorize offenses. Once it all comes together for Cooper, he could become one of the NFL’s monster linebackers for years to come.
