Postgame analysis: Packers 24, Jaguars 15

The Packers may have been short on style, but they had enough to fashion a victory over the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

By James Carlton

Oct 28, 2012 at 6:22 pm ET • 3 min read

The Packers didn’t score any style points, but they got enough actual points to beat the lowly Jaguars 24-15 at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

It was a ragged, discordant performance from a Green Bay offense that seemed so in tune the previous two weeks. Jacksonville (1-6) rose to the occasion and hung with the Packers (5-3) the whole game. The Jaguars even had a chance to win when the offense started their final fourth-quarter drive down six points with less than six minutes remaining.

In the end, the Packers prevailed, thanks to an inspired effort by their injury-depleted defense -- even if it was the Jaguars’ league-worst offense -- and critical special teams play. Afterward, QB Aaron Rodgers, who had his fewest passing yards since 2010, summed it up: “It’s good to be on this side of an ugly win.”

When the game turned: The Packers led 7-3 and were struggling to get into a rhythm on offense midway through the second quarter. The defense forced the Jaguars to punt from their 37, and the Packers special teams landed the knockout punch.

Second-year CB Davon House, in his second game of the season, burst through from the left side and blocked Bryan Anger’s punt. Several players failed trying to pick up the bouncing ball until undrafted rookie OLB Dezman Moses fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown. The Packers went up 14-3 and the points would prove important as the Jaguars scored nine in the quarter to trail 14-12 at halftime.

Highlight moments: There weren’t many. For the Packers, besides the blocked punt, the signature moment was a vintage, 4-yard TD pass from Rodgers to veteran WR Donald Driver. Driver, who’d been a forgotten man in the offense with just four catches this season coming into the game, ran a short out-route from the slot and Rodgers fired it to him. The sure-handed 37-year-old dived to the ground to secure the pass in the end zone for his 62^nd career touchdown catch, tied for fifth-most in Packers history. The crowd went wild, cheering the fan-favorite receiver’s score. … For Jacksonville, the highlight was their surprisingly consistent and effective offense, which gained 341 total yards, including completions of 35 and 36 yards.

Top-shelf performances:

Packers S Morgan Burnett -- team-high 9 tackles, including a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts -- 8 catches for a career-high 116 yards

What they said about the Packers’ second-quarter blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown:

Packers coach Mike McCarthy: “You have to credit (special teams coordinator) Shawn Slocum and (special teams assistant) Chad Morton with their game planning. I thought Davon House was excellent. As far as the design and execution of it, and the finish, it was excellent. Obviously, it was a huge play in the game."
Packers QB Rodgers: “As big as that is for us, sometimes that keeps (the offense) on the sidelines for a while, which kind of takes us out of our rhythm.”
Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey: “I’ll take responsibility for that. Our tempo was slow, and that gave them a chance to creep up and jam it in. We should have brought that guy in. It is nobody’s fault but mine.”

Numbers you should know: Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, giving him 153 for his career and moving him past Bart Starr for No. 2 in franchise history. … The Packers’ blocked punt was their first since 2003. … Second-year Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert passed for 303 yards, a career high and his first 300-yard game as a pro. Jacksonville OT Guy Whimper scored his first career touchdown when he came in as an eligible receiver in the second quarter and caught a 1-yard pass from Gabbert.

Going forward: The Packers are limping toward their bye, and it can’t come soon enough. Two players left the game with injuries Sunday -- DEs Mike Neal and Jerel Worthy -- and the bodies are piling up. But the team is on a three-game winning streak and gets the unraveling Arizona Cardinals at home next week before their Week 10 bye. … The Jaguars got what amounts to a moral victory in Green Bay and will be home for two weeks with winnable games. Next up are the Detroit Lions, and after that the Jags host No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a Thursday night game.

Follow Packers reporter James Carlton on Twitter: @CBSPackers and @jimmycarlton88.

Fore more Jaguars updates and analysis, follow Daniel Lewis @CBSJags.