Unsurprising, all three of the Green Bay Packers’ top graded players during Week 1’s 17-9 win over the Seattle Seahawks came on defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, outside linebacker Nick Perry, inside linebacker Blake Martinez and defensive lineman Mike Daniels were Green Bay’s best players on Sunday against Seattle.
Perry and Daniels were obvious candidates. Both dominated up front, creating disruption, squeezing running lanes and pressuring the quarterback from start to finish. The two produced all three of Green Bay’s sacks and several of the tackles for losses against the Seahawks, who failed to score a touchdown.
According to PFF, Perry created six total pressures, including one sack and two quarterback hits. He consistently beat Seahawks left tackle Rees Odhiambo, who finished with Seattle’s worst grade of the afternoon.
Daniels was right behind Perry in the overall grades. He did a little bit of everything for the Packers defense: two sacks, three quarterback hurries, six solo tackles a strip sack of Russell Wilson, which helped turn the game around early in the second half. His pass-rushing productivity on Sunday could finish as the best among 3-4 defensive ends in Week 1.
The Packers pressured Wilson over and over and over. In fact, he was under pressure on almost 40 percent of his dropbacks on Sunday. He was held to 158 passing yards, with much of his production coming after he avoided immediate pressure.
Martinez, a second-year linebacker, was the surprise in the top three. He finished as Green Bay’s second-best overall play against the Seahawks, largely for his production against the run. His work at the second level was a big reason for the Packers shutting down much of what Seattle wanted to do on the ground.
Green Bay’s top graded offensive player was Jordy Nelson, who caught seven of his eight targets for 79 yards and a touchdown. According to PFF, five of his seven catches either resulted in a first down or a score. Aaron Rodgers had a passer rating of 147.4 when targeting Nelson on Sunday.
Speaking of Rodgers, he bounced back after throwing an interception on the first series of 2017 to finish with a grade of 78.1, in part due to his struggles against pressure. He only completed 1-of-8 passes when facing pressure from the Seahawks defense on Sunday.
Seattle is used to bullying opponents with its star-studded defense. The Packers returned the favor on Sunday at Lambeau Field, with Perry, Daniels and Martinez leading the way for a dominant defensive effort.
