The Green Bay Packers got elite performances from quarterback Jordan Love, receiver Christian Watson and safety Xavier McKinney to power an impressive win over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 9 win over the Patriots (note: grades are subject to change based on review, per PFF):
Top 5 offense
- QB Jordan Love: 93.1
- WR Christian Watson: 91.8
- G Laken Tomlinson: 86.0
- WR Matthew Golden: 82.1
- WR Savion Williams: 75.7
Love earned elite marks across the board after completing six passes of at least 20 yards and scrambling for a touchdown. He had an average depth of target of 13.9 yards and an adjusted completed percentage of 88.5. Watson caught seven of eight targets for 171 yards, averaged 24.4 yards per catch and 6.11 yards per route run and caught both of his
contested catch opportunities. Love had a 158.3 passer rating when targeting Watson. Tomlinson earned an elite 91.4 blocking grade while playing 12 snaps at left guard and 46 at right guard. Golden caught all 10 of his passes and averaged 5.13 yards per route run. Williams created two missed tackles after the catch and made a contested catch for a touchdown. His six touches gained 38 yards.
Top 5 defense
- S Xavier McKinney: 92.7
- CB Benjamin St-Juste: 80.8
- S Evan Williams: 78.0
- LB Isaiah McDuffie: 77.9
- CB Brandon Cisse: 74.3
McKinney picked off two passes and earned an elite 90.4 coverage grade. St-Juste played 12 snaps in garbage time. Williams had six tackles without a miss, created four pressures as a blitzer, gave up just one catch into his coverage, helped break up a pass late and caught an interception on a deflected pass. McDuffie had seven tackles without a miss, led the team with four stops, produced three pressures and a sack, and created a turnover with a forced fumble/fumble recovery combo. Cisse had a pass breakup resulting in Williams' interception, created a pressure on his only blitz and gave up just one catch for two yards on four targets into his coverage.
Bottom 5 offense
- C John Williams: 39.4
- LG Aaron Banks: 43.4
- TE Jonnu Smith: 44.4
- WR J. Michael Sturdivant: 47.4
- TE Mark Redman: 47.9
Williams gave up three pressures, committed a false start penalty and had the line's worst run-blocking grade. Banks gave up three pressures, including a sack and hit, and earned a poor 22.0 run-blocking grade. He missed several blocks. Smith struggled as a run blocker and wasn't targeted in the passing game over 16 snaps. Sturdivant had the team's worst blocking grade, and he wasn't targeted over 15 snaps. Redman had a below average 50.5 run blocking grade over 18 run-blocking snaps.
Bottom 5 defense
- DL Jordon Riley: 28.8
- DL Anthony Campbell: 45.2
- DB Javon Bullard: 46.4
- EDGE Barryn Sorrell: 48.1
- CB Carrington Valentine: 51.9
Riley finished with a poor 29.1 run defense grade over 10 snaps against the run. Campbell didn't have a pressure over 17 pass-rushing snaps. Bullard gave up three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown over 44 snaps. Sorrell had a pressure and a run stop, but he got dinged for a poor coverage grade. Valentine didn't allow a catch but was flagged for a holding penalty.
Special teams
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Kamal Hadden and Bo Melton each had a pair of special teams tackles covering kicks and punts. The Packers didn't have a special teams penalty. Trey Smack made all seven of his kicks, including a 51-yard field goal. Daniel Whelan had a 40-yard net average and had two touchbacks, but one could argue both should have been downed inside the 5. Melton had a 48-yard kickoff return. Coleman Owen's only punt return gained 13 yards.
Quarterback play
- Jordan Love: 93.1
Love completed six of his eight attempts throwing at least 20 yards downfield, producing 235 yards. He was also 7 of 9 passing off play-action for 152 yards and a score. He was under pressure on 11 dropbacks, and he completed 5 of 7 passes for 125 yards and a score when pressured. Love finished with six big-time throws, and he also scrambled for a touchdown. His grade was 87.8 or above when kept clean (90.3), under pressure 93.6), when not blitzed (93.3) and when blitzed (87.8). This was the definition of an elite quarterbacking performance.
Stats to know
The Packers sacked Drake Maye four times, had him under pressure on 21 dropbacks, allowed only one scramble and forced five throwaways. PFF charted Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez as allowing 11 catches on 12 targets for 192 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers were 4-for-5 on contested catch opportunities. Backup running back Kaleb Johnson created 64 yards after first contact, including two forced missed tackles, and the Packers had four runs of at least 10 yards.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers PFF grades: Best, worst players from Week 9 win over Patriots
