Black Friday-Style Bargains Were Real Deal for Packers vs. Lions

The Green Bay Packers received several big-time performances in their victory over the Detroit Lions. Here are five of their underpaid standouts.

DETROIT – The Green Bay Packers’ high-profile players came through with big-time performances in Thursday’s victory over the Detroit Lions. Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and Rashan Gary had three sacks.

By salary cap, six of the Packers’ most-expensive players – Aaron Rodgers, David Bakhtiari, Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, Aaron Jones and De’Vondre Campbell – weren’t on the field for one reason or another. So, in Black Friday fashion, the Packers’ bargain players rose to the occasion in a 29-22 victory.

QB Jordan Love

At $4.41 million, Love’s salary-cap charge ranks 33rd among quarterbacks. He was a steal compared to his fumble-prone counterpart, Jared Goff, whose $30.98 million cap charge is third-highest at the position.

Love was superb, completing 22-of-32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Under pressure, according to Pro Football Focus, he was 7-of-14 for 131 yards and one touchdown.

Needing to start fast, Love was 9-of-10 for 130 yards and two scores in the first quarter. So, rather than trailing 27-3 at halftime, as was the case in Week 4, they were leading 23-6 at halftime.

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“It’s awesome. That’s what you want to do coming into a game,” Love said of playing from ahead. “You want to get that advantage where you’re putting up points, making the other offense play from behind as opposed to us playing from behind. Anytime you can do that – the defense balled out, they were able to keep getting us the ball back, so we continued to try to put up points.

“That’s what we want. We want to start fast, put those points up early, help the defense out and go from there.”

LT Rasheed Walker

Even with a restructured contract, Bakhtiari’s cap charge of $21.34 million makes him the third-most expensive left tackle in the NFL. (Next year, that number will almost double to $40.58 million.)

A seventh-round pick last year, Walker’s cap charge is a mere $890,219. That’s 57th among left tackles, according to OverTheCap.com. Walker started his 10th consecutive game. Splitting time with Yosh Nijman, Walker was on the field for 17 passing plays and allowed just one pressure, according to PFF. Over the last four games, Walker has been guilty of one sack and one penalty.

RT Zach Tom

A fourth-round pick last year, Tom has been one of the steals of the 2022 draft. In his latest premier matchup, Tom helped limit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson to two tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit.

PFF credited Hutchinson for two quarterback hits and three additional pressures but charged Tom for only the three pressures.

With a cap charge of about $996,000, Tom ranks 56th among right tackles. In 11 starts while facing the likes of Hutchinson (twice), Cam Jordan, Maxx Crosby, Danielle Hunter and T.J. Watt, Tom has allowed only one sack.

S Jonathan Owens

Jonathan Owens' touchdown gave the Packers a 20-6 lead :: Photo by Lon Horwedel/USA Today Sports Images

Safety was projected to be Green Bay’s big defensive weakness. The truth is the entire group has played well.

With Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford out, Owens made his fifth consecutive start. Signed in free agency to a one-year contract worth $1.01 million, he was one of the best players on the field. Almost as important as his fumble-recovery touchdown was his superb open-field tackling against some of the Lions’ fastest players. Owens finished with 12 tackles.

His strong day came on the heels of a bad missed tackle last week that Chargers tight end Stone Smartt turned into a 51-yard touchdown.

“That just wasn't a great rep. That's all,” he said. “It doesn't define me as a person or who I am as a football player. It's one rep, man. The NFL, it humbles you week to week, so you have to keep proving yourself. So, regardless of what you do the week before, you’ve got to come out and prove it again next week. Got to have a short memory.”

DT Karl Brooks

The Packers lost Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry in free agency and replaced them with Colby Wooden in the fourth round and Brooks in the sixth round. Brooks routinely has been the more productive player.

Brooks had two tackles, one quarterback hit and one recovered fumble vs. the Lions. PFF credited Brooks with five pressures. Among the 27 rookie defensive tackles who’ve played this season, Brooks is third with 18 pressures and fifth in pass-rush win rate.

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