Studs and Duds, Packers at G-men, 2025.

[Fritz]

Musgrave is a man who looks lost out there. He doesn't seem to have a role, and what opportunities he does get, he doesn't take much advantage of. And he sure can't block - I've seen him, on film cut ups, constantly run past the defender he's supposed to block, so he ends up reaching back, not getting anything but an arm on the guy, and Jacobs gets stuffed.

I was a little surprised the team didn't trade him for a pick before the deadline, try to get something back for that wasted second rounder. And maybe he could work in a different offense. I mean, wouldn't someone give up a fifth rounder in 2027 for the guy? He seems like toast, unless somehow he becomes part of The Flower's revamp to revive the withering offense.

Morgan is another guy who seems lost. The first half, McCarren was all over it, saying Morgan missed a block, Morgan got pushed back, etc etc. Maybe he was better in the second half. But he's not a good NFL guard, that's for sure. And will he ever be? Doesn't seem like it.

[pbmax]

Musgrave is a man who looks lost out there. He doesn't seem to have a role, and what opportunities he does get, he doesn't take much advantage of. And he sure can't block - I've seen him, on film cut ups, constantly run past the defender he's supposed to block, so he ends up reaching back, not getting anything but an arm on the guy, and Jacobs gets stuffed.

I was a little surprised the team didn't trade him for a pick before the deadline, try to get something back for that wasted second rounder. And maybe he could work in a different offense. I mean, wouldn't someone give up a fifth rounder in 2027 for the guy? He seems like toast, unless somehow he becomes part of The Flower's revamp to revive the withering offense.

Morgan is another guy who seems lost. The first half, McCarren was all over it, saying Morgan missed a block, Morgan got pushed back, etc etc. Maybe he was better in the second half. But he's not a good NFL guard, that's for sure. And will he ever be? Doesn't seem like it.

Funny thing is that he was the original breakout TE in the first year. He could get deep fast and hurt a defense. That Musgrave stayed on his feet clip was from some his early successes.

But with Love under duress all the routes are short and need YAC and that is not his thing. He is a large WR. Watson is tougher to bring down. He needs to be in the seam making safeties worry.

[George Cumby]

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet:

Stud: #9. Two contested touchdowns and laid a beautiful pick which allowed a street free agent TE to get wide open for a third Tud. IIRC he also blocked down on one of the outside runs to allow a big gain.

I always loved his potential but I was unsure of his durability and heart. No more. With the loss of YAC and Cheese, the passing game needs to go through Watson.

[Joemailman]

Best/worst PFF scores

Top 5 offense

QB Jordan Love: 93.1
LG Aaron Banks: 83.4
WR Christian Watson: 82.1
RT Zach Tom: 72.4
WR Matthew Golden: 70.0

Love was elite. He dominated from clean pockets, was excellent throwing the ball downfield and only had meager box score numbers because of the recurring drops. Banks played his best game of the season, earning an 82.1 run block grade and allowing just two pressures over 33 pass-blocking snaps. Watson caught three contested passes, including both touchdowns, and likely would have earned an elite grade had he come down with the fourth contested catch on a deep throw from Love in the second half. Tom gave up just a single hurry in pass protection. Golden caught only one pass for 24 yards, but he also drew a key pass interference penalty on a touchdown drive. Savion Williams played only two snaps but earned a 94.5 grade. Malik Willis (77.5, seven snaps), Darian Kinnard (75.7, nine snaps) and Chris Brooks (75.2, five snaps) were excellent in supporting roles.

Top 5 defense

DE Micah Parsons: 89.6
CB Keisean Nixon: 84.5
S Xavier McKinney: 74.1
CB Javon Bullard: 72.5
CB Carrington Calentine: 71.2

Parsons produced a team-high six pressures: two sacks, two hits, two hurries. He also led the defense in run tackles (4) and run stops (3). Nixon led the team in run defense grade (75.7) and coverage grade (83.7) -- he broke up two passes and forced two incompletions. McKinney broke up a pass and was a perfect 5-for-5 as a tackler. Bullard gave up just one catch and had a pass breakup in coverage. Valentine dropped two interceptions, but he allowed just one catch for eight yards.

Bottom 5 offense

TE Luke Musgrave: 28.4
TE John FitzPatrick: 54.3
C Sean Rhyan: 55.6
LT Rasheed Walker: 56.3
WR Dontayvion Wicks: 56.7

Musgrave caught one pass for -1 yard, had a drop and a fumble, and he was fortunate not to have a second fumble. He barely played in the second half as a result. FitzPatrick failed to make a catch and was poor in the run game. Rhyan had a few poor snaps and gave up a quarterback hit (16.6 pass block grade) but was effective in the run game. Walker gave up two pressures, including a quarterback hit. Wicks dropped a pass and had only one catch for nine yards on 17 routes run.

Bottom 5 defense

DL Devonte Wyatt: 32.9
LB Isaiah McDuffie: 47.7
DE Kingsley Enagbare: 51.8
DL Colby Wooden: 52.3
LB Quay Walker: 56.8

Wyatt earned a team-worst 36.0 run defense grade, and he didn't have a pressure over 16 pass-rushing snaps. McDuffie was average against the run, excellent as a tackler but struggled in coverage, and he was flagged for pass interference near the goal line, eventually resulting in a touchdown. Enagbare played 40 snaps but missed a tackle and didn't have a pressure as a rusher. Wooden missed two tackles and wasn't good against the run. Walker had three stops, but he struggled against the run and allowed two catches in coverage.

Special teams

Cornerback Kamal Hadden earned an elite 91.6 special teams grade while operating as a blocker on kickoff return (four snaps) and punt return (two snaps). Long snapper Matt Orzech made two tackles covering punts, while Arron Mosby made two tackles covering kickoffs. Kingsley Enagbare was penalized on a punt return. Lucas Havrisik missed two extra points, while Daniel Whelan averaged 44.5 net yards per punt, had two punts of at least 60 yards and two punts inside the 20-yard line.

Quarterback play

Jordan Love 93.1

Here is where PFF grades can become valuable for showing context. Love completed 13 of 24 passes for 174 yards on Sunday, but the box score did not do the performance justice. Per PFF, Love finished with three big-time throws, zero turnover worthy plays and had an adjusted completion percentage of 85.0, thanks for four credited drops. Love also had a batted throw, two throws where he was hit while throwing and a throwaway, accounting for eight of his nine completions. Love was nearly perfect from clean pockets, completed 3-for-5 passes over 20 yards (one dropped) and was aggressive throwing downfield. He likely lost at least 100 yards on drops.

Stat to know

The Packers offense dropped four passes (a conversative number, to be fair) but also had four contested catches, including three from Christian Watson and one huge play from Savion Williams. Jordan Love consistently gave his pass-catchers a chance to make plays down the field, and eventually it paid off in a big way. Williams made a 33-yard catch in traffic on 3rd-and-10, and Watson made a spinning catch between two defenders on a 17-yard, go-ahead touchdown.

Another stat to know

The Packers cornerbacks -- Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Javon Bullard -- allowed only six catches on 12 targets for 59 yards (4.9 yards per target) while forcing five different incompletions. The trio failed on four terrific interception opportunities, and Nixon gave up three catches for first downs in the second half, but the cornerbacks played well overall in a plus matchup against an undermanned passing offense lacking threats at receiver. The real test comes next week against Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor.

[bobblehead]

Morgan is another guy who seems lost. The first half, McCarren was all over it, saying Morgan missed a block, Morgan got pushed back, etc etc. Maybe he was better in the second half. But he's not a good NFL guard, that's for sure. And will he ever be? Doesn't seem like it.

I expect that he can be. He has a lot of talent. Can probably use a hardcore off season of lower body strengthening. But bottom line.....you don't draft a guy in the first to make him a 3 year project so he is successful just in time to get paid. If the plan was to play him on RG I think it was a horrible pick. And in the worst of all worlds scenario they probably will ask him to revert back to LT next year. So all the relearning of his skills will have been a waste and actually a detriment to what he will be asked to do.

[bobblehead]

Funny thing is that he was the original breakout TE in the first year. He could get deep fast and hurt a defense. That Musgrave stayed on his feet clip was from some his early successes.

But with Love under duress all the routes are short and need YAC and that is not his thing. He is a large WR. Watson is tougher to bring down. He needs to be in the seam making safeties worry.

He was brought in to be our Kelce or Engram to Tucker being our Kittles. I've always been more a fan of traditional TEs who block well and catch intermediate passes in soft spots in the zones. That is why I liked the Kraft pick a lot more than the Musgrave pick.

[Joemailman]

I expect Morgan to be the starting LT next year. I think that was always the plan. I suspect when they drafted him they knew, one way or the other, that by 2026 Walker would be gone. If Walker was good, he'd be too expensive to keep. If he was bad, they'd want to replace him.

The real question is who will be the starting Center next year. Jenkins isn't worth his 2026 contract. Rhyan is a free agent. Monk didn't look the part this year.

[bobblehead]

I expect Morgan to be the starting LT next year. I think that was always the plan. I suspect when they drafted him they knew, one way or the other, that by 2026 Walker would be gone. If Walker was good, he'd be too expensive to keep. If he was bad, they'd want to replace him.

The real question is who will be the starting Center next year. Jenkins isn't worth his 2026 contract. Rhyan is a free agent. Monk didn't look the part this year.

Centers rarely go in the first, but a lot of really good ones can be had in the 2nd. I would think that is our target in next years draft with our top pick.

[Fritz]

I was thinking the same thing. If you draft a center who is talented enough and smart enough to step in and start, you've got Morgan at LT, Belton backing up on the right, John Williams coming back.

[SudsMcBucky]

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet:

Stud: #9. Two contested touchdowns and laid a beautiful pick which allowed a street free agent TE to get wide open for a third Tud. IIRC he also blocked down on one of the outside runs to allow a big gain.

I always loved his potential but I was unsure of his durability and heart. No more. With the loss of YAC and Cheese, the passing game needs to go through Watson.

He was specifically mentioned in post #4 and all of the "skill players" were lumped in a couple other times.

[Joemailman]

Parsons is a stud, but he's mostly a one man gang.

[Fritz]

Parsons is a stud, but he's mostly a one man gang.

Yes, Rashan Gary's play seems to have dropped off significantly, at least in terms of pass rush.

[pbmax]

He was brought in to be our Kelce or Engram to Tucker being our Kittles. I've always been more a fan of traditional TEs who block well and catch intermediate passes in soft spots in the zones. That is why I liked the Kraft pick a lot more than the Musgrave pick.

All true. But he folds up faster than the old school square card table I have.

[Joemailman]

Seam routes and deep outs are what Musgrave is good at. Throwing to him where he needs to break a tackle or make some body miss is offensive malpractice.

[pbmax]

https://packerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2025/11/17/3-stars-3-unexpected-heroes-for-packers-offense-during-win-over-giants/87321531007/

LG Aaron Banks: At long last, the Packers got a difference-making performance from their highly paid free agent acquisition. Banks, who got a rest day at practice on Friday, was excellent in the run game and held up just fine as a pass protector. Is the former 49er finally getting healthy? With Elgton Jenkins done for the year, it would provide a big boost up front if Banks can stay healthy and become a reliable presence in the interior of the offensive line. Banks' overall grade of 83.4 at PFF was the third highest of his career.