2022 Packers Stock Report: Week 3

A win is a win, no matter how pretty (or ugly) it is.

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself after Sunday’s defensive showdown at Raymond James Stadium.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a good team that will be a playoff contender down the road when healthy. So the fact that the Packers earned a win on the road against a quality team this early in the season is a promising sign.

So let’s get into the stock report for the Green Bay Packers after a 14-12 win over the Buccaneers in Week 3.

BUY

Pat O’Donnell- I’m going to say it: Pat O’Donnell has been a great addition so far for the Green Bay Packers. The former Bears punter has been consistent through three weeks. He put up a stellar performance on Sunday, which was needed due to the Packers’ offensive slump in the second half. He routinely made the Buccaneers have to travel a long distance for scores, pinning their offense inside the 20-yard line on five separate occasions. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

Allen Lazard- The former Iowa State standout isn’t the most flashy guy on the field, but Packers players, coaches and fans can’t get enough of him. The perfect teammate (as Aaron Rodgers called him on the Pat McAfee Show), Lazard has been excellent catching passes and delivering blows as a blocker. Also, for the haters out there, Allen Lazard has the same amount of receiving touchdowns (2) as Davante Adams on one less game played. Buy.

Keisean Nixon- When Jaire Alexander went out early in the game due to a groin injury, Keisean Nixon answered the call and didn’t miss a beat. Normally a special teams ace, Nixon filled in and played nicely on defense. He recorded seven total tackles, forced a fumble and downed a punt at the 2-yard line. With Jaire Alexander potentially missing some time in the near future with the injury, buy Nixon’s stock now.

David Bakhtiari- That’s it, I’m going to buy him. Although he rotated every series with Yosh Nijman, David Bakhtiari looked solid already in his first extended action since tearing his ACL over 20 months ago. Bakhtiari looked good in the run game and even better in the pass game, posting the top pass blocking grade of the Packers offensive line according to PFF. As long as recovery from this weekend went according to plan, I don’t see any reason not to buy him now. He will continue to get better with more playing time and more practice during the course of the season.

SELL

Second-half struggles- The Green Bay Packers have scored a whopping 10 second half points between the first three games of the season. Sunday’s second half performance was the worst of the season so far, with six drives ending in a punt and one ending with an interception. Give credit to the Buccaneers’ defense – it is one of the best in the league. However, the team from Titletown will need to get second half offensive issues fixed in order to be as good of a football team as it can.

HOLD

Robert Tonyan- I’m still holding out hope that Robert Tonyan will come on in a big way later in the season. However, it has been a bit surprising how the Packers have used him to this point. It seems the coaching staff is not afraid of using more of a “tight end-by-committee” approach up to this point in the season. Outside of Marcedes Lewis in a blocking role and Josiah Deguara in more of a utility role, which was to be expected, Tyler Davis has actually seen some playing time in what is normally more of Tonyan’s job as a pass catcher. I know he’s also coming back from an ACL tear, so I still think he’ll end up getting more targets and opportunities down the road. For now, it’s a hold from me.

Jaire Alexander- When Jaire Alexander took himself out of the game for a groin injury on Sunday, we all held our breath. Good news for us, early reports say that it’s not a long-term injury. Does that mean he’ll be back out on the game field right away this weekend? I would be surprised if that was the case. For now, I’m putting a hold on Alexander’s stock.