The Green Bay Packers missed a golden opportunity to start the season 2-0, losing to the Atlanta Falcons 25-24 on Sunday afternoon. The opportunities to pick up a second straight road victory were there, Green Bay just didn’t capitalize.
There were a few miscues throughout the game that ended up coming back to bite the Packers, such as dropped interceptions. Despite the overall disappointment of losing, there were still a few players who stood out in the game.
It wasn’t a lost cause for everyone as Green Bay received some quality performances from their young guys on both sides of the ball. Who stood out the most? Here are the five highest-graded players for the Packers from their Week 2 game against the Falcons.
5. OLB Lukas Van Ness
The Packers’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft continues to make the most of his opportunities on the field. This week he played only 18 snaps but was solid when his number was called.
He received an overall grade of 71.6, playing eight snaps in run defense, eight as a pass rusher and two in pass coverage. Van Ness was solid across the board, getting credited with one run-stop, which was a tackle for loss.
4. OLB Justin Hollins
Justin Hollins played a similar role for the Packers in Week 2 as he did in Week 1. He was on the field for 26 plays but performed at a much higher level than he did in the season opener. This time around, he was one of the higher-graded players on the field.
The veteran linebacker earned an overall grade of 72.2, a marked improvement from the 58.7 he recorded in Week 1. He received the highest run-defense grade on the team with a 78.2 on 14 snaps against the run. Hollins was the lone positive on an afternoon Green Bay was gashed for 211 rushing yards.
3. LB Quay Walker
Arguably the best player for the Packers through the first two weeks of the season has been linebacker Quay Walker. After being the highest-graded player in Week 1, he lands on No. 3 in Week 2.
Walker played all 82 snaps despite being limited throughout the practice week because he was in the league’s concussion protocol. He was the highest-rated defender this week, receiving a grade of 72.3.
19 total tackles were recorded, 11 solos with eight assists as Walker was all over the field. He also had four pressures, four stops and a pass breakup that nearly went for his second interception of the season. On top of that, he didn’t miss a single tackle.
2. WR Dontayvion Wicks
The Packers have been relying on wide receivers further down the depth chart with Christian Watson missing the first two games and Romeo Doubs being limited, both by hamstring injuries. One of the players who has been tasked with stepping up is rookie fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks and he answered the call in Week 2.
Wicks ran 16 routes and made the most of them, catching two passes for 40 yards with a touchdown. He also forced two missed tackles en route to a 74.8 overall grade.
1. WR Jayden Reed
The highest-graded Packers player in Week 2 against the Falcons was rookie wide receiver, Jayden Reed. The starting slot receiver saw his role expand this week, as he lined up as the most outside receiver more often than he did in Week 1.
It resulted in another strong showing as he caught four passes for 26 yards and two touchdowns. He did all of that on just 18 routes run as Jordan Love attempted only 25 passes in the game. Reed is locked into a top-three role as he is dominating slot snaps at wide receiver.
