Interesting read by Bad Bob in breaking down Packers numbers:
Some Snips:
STOPPING BIG PLAYS
The Packers' defensive priority in 2014 was reducing big plays (20 yards or more) because they were coming off a season in which they allowed 82 in 17 games (4.82 average). That wasn't as bad as 2011 (85 in 17 games) but still was bad enough.
This season, the Packers allowed 66 in 18 games, an average of 3.67 that was their best since 2010 (3.30).
A total of 57 of the 66 big plays were passes and nine were runs (18 last year). The nine runs were the fewest they had yielded since 2009.
TAKE AND PROTECT
The Packers finished the regular season tied for eighth in takeaways with 27. Although the total of 27 was higher than the past two seasons, it still was fewer than the Packers had during coach Mike McCarthy's first six seasons.
Meanwhile, the Packers tied for first in fewest giveaways with 13, which broke the club record of 14 set in 2011. It marked dramatic improvement from 2013 when the Packers tied for 15th with 25.
In all, the Packers finished first in turnover differential at plus-14 after ranking 19th a year ago at minus-3. McCarthy also led the league in 2009 at plus-24 and was second in 2011 at plus-24.
McCarthy's teams are plus-88 in 144 regular-season games and plus-5 in 13 playoff games.
Julius Peppers led the team in turnover-producing plays (interceptions, fumbles forced, fumbles recovered) with 11 in 18 games. It was the most by a defensive lineman or linebacker since at least 1988 (the Packers didn't record forced fumbles in '87).
Green Bay's takeaways set up 123 points, a substantial increase from 64 last year. Under McCarthy, the Packers' highest total was 159 in 2010.
Counting playoffs, the Packers fumbled 23 times and lost eight. Their fumbles led to 27 points for opponents, the lowest total of McCarthy's tenure.
Aaron Rodgers had more than half the fumbles with 12, a career high. He also led the team in lost fumbles with three. Other players to fumble more than once were Randall Cobb (four, two lost) and Eddie Lacy (three, two lost).
THE HEAT IS ON
Even at midseason, when Clay Matthews played strictly outside linebacker, Julius Peppers was the Packers' No. 1 pass rusher.
Based on pressures, which is defined as the combination of sacks, knockdowns and hurries, Peppers had 19 through eight games compared to 14 for Matthews.
Ten games later, Peppers clinched the team title in pressures with 43 ½. Last year, when Matthews was limited to 50.8% playing time because of thumb and hamstring injuries, Mike Daniels was No. 1 with 31. Matthews led the way each year from 2009-'12. Matthews' lowest total in any of his first four seasons was 45 ½ as a rookie in 2009.
Trailing Peppers were Matthews (36 ½, Mike Neal (27 ½, Daniels (25), Letroy Guion (16), Datone Jones (16), Nick Perry (8 ½, Josh Boyd (7 ½, Morgan Burnett (7 ½, Sam Barrington (seven), Mike Pennel (5 ½, A.J. Hawk (five), Micah Hyde (five), Brad Jones (four), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (three), Jayrone Elliott (three), Casey Hayward (three), Tramon Williams (2 ½ and then assorted others.
The leaders in sacks were Matthews (12), Peppers (9 ½, Daniels (six), Neal (five), Perry (4 ½, Guion (four), Burnett (3 ½, Datone Jones (two), Barrington (one), Clinton-Dix (one), Hyde (one) and Hawk (one-half).
Among the players without a sack were Boyd, Pennel, Elliott and Brad Jones.
The Packers had 67 knockdowns (sacks not included), more than twice as many as in 2013 (31) and their highest total since 2007 (78). Matthews and Peppers shared the knockdown lead with 12 ½ followed by Neal (nine) and Daniels (8 ½.
The leaders in hurries were Peppers (21 ½, Neal (13 ½, Matthews (12), Datone Jones (11) and Daniels (10 ½.
As a unit, the D-line had 71 pressures, well above last year (58) and its highest total since 2010 (101 ½. The linebackers posted 126 pressures, well above last year (100 ½ and its high since 2011 (130). And the secondary had 21 pressures, its best since 2010 (21 ½.
Datone Jones led the D-line in pressures per snap (one every 23.4). Daniels, the leader in 2013 with one every 17.4, was second this time with one every 31.2. They were followed by Pennel (one every 31.8), Guion (one every 38.9), Boyd (one every 54.3) and Luther Robinson (one every 64).
MAKE THAT TACKLE
A few days after the 2011 season, coach Mike McCarthy pledged that the team's inferior tackling would improve substantially in 2012. It did, but the improvement didn't last long.
The Packers' defense had 140 missed tackles in the 17 games of 2011. There was substantial improvement evident in 2012 (100 misses in 18 games). Last year, the total climbed to 127 in 17 games; this year, it went up again, to 145 in 18.
When the Packers played 20 games in 2010 and won the Super Bowl, their missed-tackle total was 133.
On special teams, the Packers missed 30 this year, identical to last year. In 2012, they missed merely 19. All three of those totals were lower than any from 2003-'11.
One player on defense that showed major improvement as a tackler was Mike Neal. He had six misses, down from 13 a year ago.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix led the team in missed tackles with 16. He was followed by Morgan Burnett (14), Sam Shields (13), Julius Peppers (nine), Tramon Williams (nine), Micah Hyde (nine, up from 2 in '13), Letroy Guion (eight), Clay Matthews (seven), Casey Hayward (seven), Neal (six), Nick Perry (six), Sam Barrington (six), Davon House (six), Brad Jones (five), Datone Jones (four), A.J. Hawk (four), Jamari Lattimore (four), Josh Boyd (one), Jayrone Elliott (one), Jarrett Bush (one) and Sean Richardson (one). Mike Pennel didn't miss any.
THE RODGERS FILE
The average distance of Aaron Rodgers' 42 touchdown passes was 21.55 yards.
His TD averages in six previous seasons as the starter were 15.6 in 2008, 24.0 in '09, 23.0 in '10, 23.0 in '11, 17.2 in '12 and 18.8 in '13. Brett Favre's final five TD averages in Green Bay were 22.3 in 2003, 18.3 in '04, 17.6 in '05, 26.9 in '06 and 25.2 in '07.
The Packers struck for 16 completions of more than 35 yards, two fewer than a year ago. Their high-water mark under coach Mike McCarthy was 24 in 2009.
In all, the Packers had 77 gains of 20 yards or more in 18 games, one fewer than in 17 games last year.
Counting just the regular season, Rodgers finished second in passer rating (112.2) behind Tony Romo (113.2).
The average release time of Rodgers' seven interceptions was 2.36 seconds, the lowest for him and Favre since the statistic first was recorded in 2000. Six of the seven came from shotgun formation. Of the seven, 3 ½ were judged to be Rodgers' fault.
MEASURING THE O-LINE
The Packers' offensive line was charged with 16 ½ of the team's 33 sacks in 18 games, or 50%. Last year, the unit was charged with 29 of 49, or 59.2%. The 16 ½ sacks were the fewest yielded by a Green Bay O-line since the 2007 unit gave up 12 of the 20.
Among the O-linemen, David Bakhtiari was responsible for the most sacks with 5 ½. He was followed by Bryan Bulaga (four), Derek Sherrod (three), Corey Linsley (two), T.J. Lang (one) and JC Tretter (one). Josh Sitton didn't allow any.
At tight end, Richard Rodgers gave up 1 ½ and Andrew Quarless allowed one.
Aaron Rodgers was charged with the most sacks, 11.
Eddie Lacy was the only running back to yield a sack. He gave up one, down from five as a rookie.
There was no player fault assigned to two sacks.
In the regular season, the Packers ranked 14th in percentage of sacks allowed. Since ranking third in 2007, they ranked 18th in 2008, 29th in '09, 20th in '10, 22nd in '11, 28th in '12 and 21st in '13.
When the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996, they ranked 18th in sack percentage. From 1997-'06, they never ranked worse than 10th.
Bakhtiari, with 33, allowed the most pressures. That includes sacks, knockdowns and hurries. Bakhtiari's total is six fewer than Don Barclay allowed in 2013 to lead the team.
Next among players with more than one pressure allowed were Bulaga, 22 ½; Aaron Rodgers, 18; Lang, 17 ½; Sitton, 10; Linsley and Sherrod, eight; Lacy, 4 ½; Tretter and Quarless, 3 ½; Richard Rodgers, three; Lane Taylor, 2 ½; John Kuhn, two; and James Starks, 1 ½.
In all, the Packers allowed 153 pressures, down from 185 last year. There was no player fault assigned on 13 ½ pressures.
Meanwhile, the Packers gave up 122 bad runs in 494 attempts, a 24.7% rate that's almost identical to each of the last four seasons. A bad run is defined as a rush for 1 yard or less excluding kneel downs and successful goal-line and short-yardage plays.
Bakhtiari gave up 19 ½ bad runs to lead the O-line followed by Sitton (12 ½, Lang (11 ½, Linsley (11 ½, Bulaga (10), Taylor (six), Tretter (1 ½ and Sherrod (1 ½.
