But a win is a win, especially with the Patriots closing in on homefield advantage in the playoffs. Whether it's ugly, a thing of beauty or somewhere in between, they all count the same.
Offense
They were out of sync almost all night, and they were helped out greatly by Dan Connolly's surreal kickoff return and Kyle Arrington's interception return for a touchdown. That, and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored from 33 yards out on a tremendous individual effort. Other than that, the Patriots couldn’t overcome many mistakes, such as drops, penalties and sacks.
Grade: C+
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Defense
The big chunk of this grade comes from keeping the Packers out of the end zone in the last seconds, and it's the fourth time this season the defense has won them a game in the fourth quarter or overtime. New England's run defense was an issue, but that could be due to injuries to defensive linemen Myron Pryor, Mike Wright and Ron Brace, as well as linebacker Brandon Spikes' suspension.
Grade: B
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Special Teams
Connolly's return was the talk of the locker room, and many Patriots pointed to that moment as the big spark they needed to get them going. However, the kickoff unit surrendered a 45-yard return to Sam Shields with about seven minutes to go that set up the Packers with great field position for their final two possessions.
Grade: B
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Coaching
After the game, head coach Bill Belichick was extremely critical of his work leading up to Sunday, saying he's got to do a better job of preparing his players. Obviously, that counts for something, and you can point to the onside kick on the opening kickoff as an example of that. The defense also had a tough time adjusting to the Packers' cautious approach, but as the game went on, they did a decent job taking away Green Bay's flurry of slants and crossing patterns.
Grade: B-
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Game Plan
The Patriots had to exploit Green Bay's weak offensive line, which was really hurting on the left side, and they did that, sacking quarterback Matt Flynn five times, forcing a game-ending fumble and intercepting one pass due to quick pressure. Flynn scrambled a lot — successfully at times — but the Patriots did a pretty decent job of forcing him out of the pocket throughout the game, most notably on the last play.
Grade: B
What grade would you give the Patriots' game plan against the Packers?Market Research
