Studs and duds from Packers’ 24-10 win over Washington in Week 7

The Green Bay Packers didn’t play a particularly impressive brand of football on offense or defense but still managed to beat the visiting Washington Football Team by 14 points on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

A big gap in quarterback play and a disruptive performance from the Packers’ pass-rushers was more than enough for Matt LaFleur’s team to win a sixth-straight game.

Here are all the studs and duds from the Packers’ win in Week 7:

Studs

Green Bay Packers guard Rashan Gary (52).

OLB Rashan Gary: This was arguably the most disruptive game of his three-year NFL career. Coaches talk a lot about “feeling” a player’s presence on the field. Well, Taylor Heinicke was feeling Gary from the edge all afternoon. He produced two sacks, both on terrific individual rushes, and the first takedown resulted in a strip-sack and a huge takeaway. Pro Football Focus credited him with 10 total pressures. Gary doesn’t always win with pure pass-rushing talent but his incredible blend of power and relentlessness often makes up for it. When he wants to, he can drive just about any offensive tackle into the pocket. This kind of performance was coming; Gary has been consistently creating pressure all season.

QB Aaron Rodgers: When Washington’s front four was disruptive early, the Packers quarterback took a few sacks and was mostly stifled. But from clean pockets, he was deadly. In fact, Sunday might have been the most accurate Rodgers has been all season, especially throwing down the field. He hit three passes over 20 yards, including a touchdown pass to Robert Tonyan. His 17-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams to open the scoring was an incredible individual play. Not many quarterbacks – especially at age 37 – can find the open receiver back to the middle of the field and make that throw sprinting right. He made another great throw on the back-shoulder touchdown pass to Allen Lazard before the half.

LB De’Vondre Campbell: So many of his tackles – and he had a game-high 13 on Sunday – provide real impact. He beats blocks to get to runners, and he’s a sure tackler in space in the passing game. Although the Packers didn’t make either recovery, Campbell did force two fumbles, including one that probably saved a touchdown on fourth down and another that really should have been recovered by Darnell Savage inside the 10-yard line. Twice in the fourth quarter, Campbell lassoed down a receiver in the middle of the field after a short gain. It was another elite performance from the Packers’ emerging playmaker.

TE Robert Tonyan: This was the Tonyan of 2020. He created 12 easy yards on a boot-action play, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass on a well-schemed route combination against single coverage and converted a big third down with a 25-yard catch down the seam against Cover-2. He wasn’t great in the run game, but no one really was on Sunday. His value is as a receiver in this offense.

CB Rasul Douglas: His pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-8 to open the second quarter was bogus. The rest of his performance as a starting perimeter cornerback was excellent. He put a wicked hit J.D. McKissic after a short gain, forced a fumble on DeAndre Carter’s big play and broke up a pass intended for Dax Milne. The only completion he allowed was a 4-yard gain from Carter. His physicality at corner has stood out through two games.

P Corey Bojorquez: The Packers punter had all the clubs in his bag working. He hit a high 49-yard punt to the sideline, forcing a fair catch. Later, he launched a 53-yard moonshot from his end zone under heavy pressure. It forced another fair catch and helped flip field position from a tough spot. His final act was hitting a perfect lob shot that hit inside the 1-yard line and was downed at the 3. His net average was 46.3 yards.

CB Chandon Sullivan: He was terrific in coverage for the second straight week. Washington’s offense lacked a big-time slot receiver but Sullivan consistently got his job done in the passing game. His interception in the end zone was excellent coverage and a well-earned prize. The longest completion he allowed Sunday was seven yards.

S Adrian Amos: He was in tight coverage on a fourth-down incompletion into the end zone, and he delivered a big (and legal) hit to break up another pass later in the second half. Outside of Campbell, he is the best tackler on the defense.

Duds

Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

RB A.J. Dillon: Four touches, two fumbles. He gained only eight total yards. His first fumble was inside Green Bay’s own 10-yard line and nearly gave Washington a chance to get back into the game. His second led to a Washington field goal in the fourth quarter. The weather can’t be blamed; Dillon just needs to do a better job protecting the ball when going to the ground.

RT Billy Turner: He gave up a sack and three total pressures. Chase Young gave him problems at times, especially in the first half. He ripped off Young’s helmet on one third down and was rightfully flagged for illegal hands to the face. Montez Sweat beat him clean on 2nd-and-1 for an easy takedown of Aaron Rodgers. It was possibly the worst single rep from Turner this season.

LG Jon Runyan: He was at least partially responsible for two of the three sacks, and he missed the block on Washington’s blocked field goal in the first half. Stunts were an issue for the interior of the offensive line, but Runyan and the others eventually settled in and protected better.

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