Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney landed in Green Bay during the off-season. But like the brilliance of this team, these acquisitions have gone somewhat unnoticed.
Posted at 5:34 p.m.
The running back and safety were the two spark plugs for the Packers in their 24-22 victory Sunday afternoon against the Houston Texans.
The team excels with a record now showing five wins and two losses. This young team is also one of the most spectacular in the NFL. But the interest of amateurs and observers does not seem to want to reach the land of cheese heads.
Still, quarterback Jordan Love emerges as one of the league’s most notable young talents. The history of this organization shows that they should never be underestimated. Then, the defensive unit is full of fiery players ready to do damage every week.
Maybe the Packers already had their moment of glory, with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Perhaps other teams, which are finally emerging, like the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings, attract the curious. One thing is certain, after a scare at the start of the season linked to a leg injury to Love, the Packers must at all costs be considered contenders.
PHOTO MIKE ROEMER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Josh Jacobs (8)
A dominant defense
The Packers’ mission was not easy at home. Even with the absence of Nico Collins, the Texans’ top receiver, and the loss of some starters on defense, CJ Stroud is already in that category of quarterbacks that are difficult to bet against. The Texans had won their last three games, including one against the Bills, and the 23-year-old quarterback had thrown six touchdown passes during that stretch.
But at Lambeau Field, the Packers are masters at home. Victim of an interception in the first moments of the match, Love was quickly supported by his defense. McKinney tops the list.
The former New York Giants, who signed a four-year deal with his new team, made his team’s second sack in the first quarter, in a crucial situation for the Texans. Known more for his ability to catch balls in the backfield than for knocking down opposing quarterbacks, McKinney not only made six tackles, but he was mostly disruptive throughout the game. As if he had managed to get under the skin of the opposing players. Leading the NFL with five interceptions, few players across the league have as revealing and intimidating a presence on defense as the safety. A serious candidate for the title of defensive MVP of the campaign, the acquisition of McKinney made little noise when it was made official, but it resonates a little more each week.
Supported by teammate Jaire Alexander, the duo stifled the Texans’ aerial play. Stroud finished the game with only 10 completions and 86 yards. Still, Houston is the tenth team throwing the most consistently.
Eric Wilson, like a fly around a piece of meat, spent his day buzzing around Stroud. He ended up making two sacks, both in the third quarter, a period when the Texans looked most fragile.
The Texans stayed in the game mainly thanks to the work of Joe Mixon. The running back was playing his fourth game of the campaign and he stood out by scoring his team’s two touchdowns in the second quarter.
Twice, the Texans attack took advantage of turnovers caused by other units to visit the pay zone. First, a Packers player touched the ball on a punt and the Texans covered it at the 11 line. Two plays later, Mixon crossed the goal line. Eight minutes later, Calen Bullock intercepted a pass from Love. Mixon found a gap at the end of the sequence to score the middle finger. But without these two actions, Houston would hardly have had access to the dangerous zone.
Mixon finished the game with 25 carries and 115 yards.
PHOTO MATT LUDTKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
CJ Stroud (7) finished the game with only 10 completions and 86 yards.
Jacobs, finally
The Packers took their lead in the second quarter. Tucker Kraft dove to catch Love’s throw in the end zone. Then, Dontayvion Wicks, agile as a tightrope walker, also scored six points before the end of the first half.
Love threw at least three touchdown passes for the third time in five games, but the star of the game nevertheless went to Jacobs. Over time, it’s difficult to understand why the 26-year-old never appears on the lists of the best running backs in the NFL.
Over the past five seasons, only Derrick Henry has more rushing yards than the former Las Vegas Raiders. Before Sunday’s match, he appeared fifth in this regard for the current season.
Versatile, tough and explosive, Jacobs is proving to be a premier acquisition for the Packers. He certainly gives head coach Matt LaFleur more options.
In the third quarter, he scored the touchdown giving the Packers a 21-19 lead on an eight-yard pass. It was his first career touchdown through the air, having made 220 receptions. An NFL record.
The game tightened late in the fourth quarter, when at the end of a 6:27 sequence, Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 35-yard field goal to give the Texans the lead again for the fourth time in the game .
Then, in his first game of the season, Brendon McManus closed the books with a 45-yard field goal as the clock showed the end of regulation time.
