#28 AJ Dillon
The Green Bay Packers showed the rest of the NFL what they could be in store for if the NFC playoffs come through Lambeau Field in their entirety.
A day that was filled with snow and cold, the Packers dominated the Tennessee Titans 40-14, improving to 12-3 on the season. The Packers are one win away on Sunday afternoon in Chicago to clinch a first round bye and top billing in the NFC playoffs.
The Packers played their most complete game of the season, racking up 448 yards of offense and seeing their defense hold Titans running back Derek Henry under 100-yards (98 yards) with no touchdowns. Henry entered the game with a league best 1,679 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was just 11 of 24 for 121 yards and a touchdown and threw a pair of interceptions.
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t bothered by the snow and cold at all. In fact, he embraced it, on the way to a four touchdown day. Rodgers completed 21 of 25 for 231 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Three of his four scoring strikes went to Davante Adams, who finished with 11 receptions for 142 yards.
With Jamal Williams sidelined with an injury, the Packers were likely going to turn to rookie A.J. Dillon to complement Aaron Jones in the Packers backfield. But Dillon, after a pair of 1-yard rushes to start his day, got things rolling and finished with 21 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon entered the game with just 24 rushing attempts on the season and almost duplicated that total in one game.
Aaron Jones also rushed for 94 yards on 10 carries to give the Packers a 234 yard rushing day as a team.
Defensively, the Packers have used a dime defensive package for much of the season. On Sunday, Mike Pettine ordered his defense to operate much of the game in a base defense, going with more beef to slow down Derek Henry. The plan worked and it gave the Packers defense their best performance of the season.
Green Bay has been trending in the right direction defensively at the right time of year. They got interceptions from Darnell Savage and Christian Kirksey.
Now the Packers need to win against their long-time rival Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field The Bears are coming off a 41-17 win over Jacksonville on Sunday, their third straight victory.
Mitch Trubisky threw for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. David Montgomery ran for 95 yards and a score and tight end Jimmy Graham had a pair of touchdown catches.
Sunday’s matchup has been flexed from a noon kickoff to a 3:25 start at Soldiers Field. If the Bears win, they’re in the playoffs. The Packers can lock down the top seed in the NFC with a victory.