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By PACKERSWIRE
By Brandon Carwile
8 standouts from Packers’ Week 7 win over Texans
On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers signed veteran Brandon McManus to help solve their kicking woes. On Sunday, McManus booted the game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat the Houston Texans 24-22.
While many expected this game to feature two high-powered offenses, it was more of a defensive showcase. The Texans forced three turnovers in the first half and took a 19-14 lead into halftime.
Meanwhile, Green Bay’s defense did an excellent job against Houston’s top-5 passing offense led by a talented young quarterback in CJ Stroud. Stroud failed to get anything going Sunday afternoon, resulting in his worst game of the season and possibly his NFL career. He was 10-for-21 on the day and threw for only 86 yards without a touchdown.
The Texans were forced to rely on running back Joe Mixon, who rushed for 115 yards on 25 attempts and scored twice. Still, the Packers’ defense deserves a lot of credit. Houston scored only three points in the second half and were 4-for-13 on third down. Overall, there were a lot of encouraging takeaways from Jeff Hafley’s defense, which proved it doesn’t have to rely on turnovers to win games.
Green Bay has some things to clean up offensively and on special teams, but should be pleased with a quality win in Week 7 against a playoff team. Here are the standouts who helped make it happen:
S Xavier McKinney
Despite not forcing any turnovers on Sunday, the Packers still lead the NFL with 17 takeaways. McKinney has played a big part in that thanks to his incredible run of five interceptions through the first five games. This week, he showed he is more than just a ball hawk. During the first quarter, McKinney broke into the sack column after he was sent on a safety blitz on third down. An unblocked McKinney delivered a blindside sack to Stroud for a loss of eight to force a punt. Green Bay keeps finding new ways to utilize its playmaking safety.
DE Rashan Gary
Even though he didn’t have to work very hard for it, Gary recorded his first sack since Week 1. On the same drive McKinney would eventually claim his sack, Texans right tackle Tytus Howard slipped in pass protection, which allowed Gary to get a free rush against Stroud. His lone sack on the day may have been a gift, but Gary also had multiple pressures that led to incompletions. Overall, it was a solid day for Green Bay’s top edge rusher, who hasn’t quite lived up to the hype surrounding him in Year 6.
S Evan Williams
The rookie safety continues to make plays. Williams has now enjoyed a productive last few weeks since becoming a mainstay in the secondary. In the first half, he had great coverage on a shifty receiver Tank Dell to force an incomplete pass on third down. Then, Williams made an impressive open-field tackle to stop Mixon on a two-point conversion attempt that prevented Houston from taking a touchdown lead in the second quarter. For the second time in three weeks, he led the team with nine tackles. The Packers have been keeping Williams on the field of late and it is paying off.
WR Romeo Doubs
There weren’t a whole lot of positives to come out of Green Bay’s passing attack this week outside of Doubs. The third-year receiver served as Jordan Love’s security blanket for most of the day, catching a handful of passes in big moments. Six of his eight catches went for first downs, as Doubs led all receivers with 95 receiving yards. He had two key catches on the final drive, including one on second and long to help set up the game-winning field goal. The team has to be pleased with how Doubs has responded since his one-game suspension. He had two touchdowns last week, followed by his best game of the year against a tough opponent.
LB Eric Wilson
When Quay Walker left the game with a concussion during the second quarter, Wilson stepped up in his absence. He had a nice tackle for loss on a pass to Mixon, and then he got things started in the second half when he blitzed up the middle and wrapped up Stroud for a sack on third down. And yet, Wilson still wasn’t done making his presence felt. He would later get the defense off the field two more times by breaking up a third-down pass intended for tight end Dalton Schultz and then making the most of another blitz for a second third-down sack on Stroud. Wilson finished with an impressive stat line of six tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and a pass breakup. Perhaps the core special teamer should have a larger role on defense.
RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs was happy to see one of his streaks come to an end against Houston. After not scoring a single touchdown on his first 211 career receptions, his 212th proved to be the lucky number. Jacobs capped off the team’s first offensive drive of the second half with an 8-yard touchdown catch from Love to give the Packers a 21-19 lead. Jacobs was much more efficient on the ground than he was through the air, with five receptions for 16 yards. In my pre-game prediction, I said this game could come down to the rushing of Josh Jacobs against a vulnerable Texans defense. Well, Jacobs was a major contributor to an uninspiring offensive outing, totaling 76 yards on just 12 attempts.
K Brandon McManus
This time last week, McManus wasn’t sure if he would ever kick in the NFL again following a 2023 incident as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars that led to a sexual assault lawsuit. However, desperate for a kicker, Green Bay conducted a background check and was comfortable with signing McManus to replace a struggling Brayden Narveson. He returned the favor by making all three of his extra points in his Packers debut and then the 45-yard game-winner. Houston even tried to ice McManus, but his previous nine years of NFL experience paid off. He celebrated by being embraced by fans during a well-deserved Lambeau Leap.
P Daniel Whelan
As good as the kick was from McManus, it wasn’t possible without Whelan. The snap was super low, but Whelan handled it nicely to get the ball down quickly for his kicker. Whelan also had an excellent day punting the ball, totaling 284 yards on five punts, with a long of 66. His 56.8-yard gross average was the team’s best single-game punting average since 1945. Of course, no team wants their punter to have a good day, but Whalen did a nice job flipping the field when called upon and was an integral part of the walk-off field goal.
