The Green Bay Packers suffered a disheartening defeat in Week 4 to the Detroit Lions. Hosting their NFC North rivals at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football to kick off the week, they were handed a blowout loss.
Green Bay suffered a 34-20 loss as they came out of the blocks slow once again and were unable to recover. Despite intercepting Jared Goff on the first possession of the game, if you blinked, you missed the Packers go down 27-3.
The Lions gained 196 yards on offense in the first quarter alone, finding very little resistance from the Green Bay defense. They scored on four straight possessions after the interception and five out of six to close the first half to open up the big lead.
There were certainly a number of plates who disappointed, coming up short in the game. But, there were also players who excelled, putting together a strong performance. Here are three Packers players whose stocks are on the rise after Week 4 and three whose stocks are dropping.
Stock Up No. 1: WR Romeo Doubs
The Packers have yet to have presumed No. 1 option Christian Watson for a full allotment of snaps because of a hamstring injury. He made his season debut in Week 4 and was on the field for only 26 out of 57 plays.
This was the first week that Romeo Doubs played a full allotment of snaps and he played well once again. He caught nine of his 13 targets, including one contested, for 95 yards. He has quickly become a go-to target for Jordan Love in the passing game and is locked into a top-two role.
Stock Down No. 1: OG Royce Newman
The Packers’ offensive line has suffered a rash of injuries in the first month of the season. One of the players who has been sidelined is left guard Elgton Jenkins, who has been replaced by Royce Newman in the starting lineup.
When going to a backup player, you are expecting a bit of a drop-off in production. But, Newman has struggled mightily in his place. His two lowest-graded performances of the season have come in the two weeks that he has played in place of Jenkins.
Against the Lions, Newman was the lowest-graded pass and run blocker on the team. His 42.7 overall grade was the lowest on offense or defense on the team. Quay Walker’s special teams grade was the only grade lower from Thursday’s game.
Stock Up No. 2: EDGE Rashan Gary
It is fair to wonder whether or not Green Bay will ever deploy Rashan Gary in a full-time role again. Despite being limited once again, playing only 20 snaps out of a possible 75, he was an impactful player.
Gary was the highest-rated defender on the team with an 82.4, with an elite pass-rushing grade of 84.4. He was credited with four total pressures in the game, recording one quarterback hit and three hurries.
His pass-rush win percentage of 38.4 is an incredible number as he is getting the job done despite being a rotational player at this stage of the season.
Stock Down No. 2: S Darnell Savage Jr.
If the Packers are going to turn things around on defense, they need a better performance against the run. The team as a whole has struggled, but Darnell Savage Jr. has not been able to replicate his performance from Week 1 of the season.
He was excellent against the Chicago Bears, but struggled again against the Lions. His overall grade of 51.9 was the fifth-worst mark on the defense as he gave up a 23-yard reception and missed a tackle.
His run-defense grade was the highest on the team, which was encouraging, but a one-dimensional safety isn’t going to be too helpful to the team when you are playing 100 percent of the snaps.
Stock Up No. 3: TE Josiah Deguara
The Packers suffered a brutal loss when starting tight end Luke Musgrave went down with a concussion in the first half. That led to fellow rookie Tucker Kraft receiving some more playing time and an increase for Josiah Deguara as well.
Deguara isn’t going to make much of an impact as a pass catcher, as he is taking over the role Marcedes Lewis held for a few years. After struggling the first three weeks of the season, he put together a dominant performance in the run game.
He had the highest-run blocking grade of 88.6, which is the second-highest of his career in a single game. Green Bay is going to need more of that as their rushing attack has been abysmal thus far this season.
Stock Down No. 3: RB AJ Dillon
The Packers gave AJ Dillon every opportunity to seize a large role in this offense. They pushed him to get involved in the passing game the last few seasons and he had two games to himself this season as the lead back.
Disappointingly, he continues he come up short every time. His 58 rushing grade was the lowest on the team in Week 4 and his overall grade of 56.3 was among the lowest as well. He did well on his three pass blocking chances, but he isn’t going to be replacing Aaron Jones on passing downs any time soon.
