Green Bay Packers: Stock watch after Week 14 win vs. Redskins
Level Stock: Run Defense
From the start of the season, the Packers run defense has been a problem for this team. And that didn’t change on Sunday against Washington. Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice combined for 25 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against this team and really allowed the Redskins offense to control a lot of the game in the manner they wanted to.
More importantly, you have to wonder how different things could’ve been if Guice had not been forced out of action early on due to injury as he had five carries for 42 yards early on. In a game where the Packers couldn’t step on the throat of Washington, their run defense may have been fortunate to have not been trying to stop the second-year back all day. With how they played against him, that could’ve made the outcome much more in question.
Stock Up: Ervin
Though the Packers’ inability to leave no doubt on the scoreboard remains troubling, one of the big weapons that has emerged for the Green Bay special teams is punt returner Tyler Ervin. The reserve running back has yet to get an offensive touch this season with the Packers but he showed in Week 14 that he can be valuable to the offense with how he sets them up.
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In his first game returning punts, Ervin was back on six of them from Washington. Two were fair-catches but his four return efforts went for 51 yards. Even better is the fact that he was consistent as his long return went for only 18 yards. If the San Jose State product is able to hold this job down by playing at this level, that’s a field-position weapon for the Packers down the stretch.