DENVER - Opportunity can knock in the NFL at any time, and it was Ryan Grant's turn to be ready on Monday night.
The Packers' No. 2 running back went from substitute to workhorse in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos, and the youngster out of Notre Dame earned himself a starting role in the offense with his productive play in the 19-13 overtime victory.
Taking over for an injured DeShawn Wynn, Grant rushed 22 times for 104 yards, jump-starting what had been the league's lowest-ranked rushing attack and giving the Packers their first 100-yard rusher in 11 games.
Like most backs do after a good game, Grant credited his offensive line for giving him the holes and creases. But Grant deserves plenty of credit too for putting a late fourth-quarter fumble at Minnesota behind him and answering the bell on Monday night.
"We were able to do some things, stay consistent, and stay to our game plan," said Grant, who was named next week's starter by Head Coach Mike McCarthy after the game. "It was a long week, we had a lot of practice, a lot of reps. We had a great week of practice running the ball, and it showed up."
On Green Bay's first drive of the second quarter, the Packers were backed up to their own 1-yard line when Wynn injured a shoulder on a first-down carry for 1 yard. In stepped Grant, and he proceeded to rip off seven carries for 53 yards on a 98-yard drive.
Grant had a 24-yard run on that drive that moved the ball into the red zone, and four plays later he nearly scored. On third-and-goal from the 4, Grant took the handoff out of the shotgun formation and tried to spin his way to the goal line, but he was brought down on the 1, setting up a field goal for a 10-7 Green Bay lead.
Grant took over again on the Packers' next possession, carrying five straight times for 23 yards to open the drive. Two of those runs went for 9 and 8 yards.
After taking a breather and being spelled by Vernand Morency, Grant re-entered on first-and-goal at the 3 and nearly scored again. His dive off right guard came up just short of the goal line, putting the ball inside the 1.
Two false start penalties bogged down the drive and the Packers once again had to settle for a field goal and a 13-7 halftime lead.
But on those two drives Grant showed a hard-nosed, lower-the-shoulder style that kept the positive yards coming.
"That's one of my goals, to finish every play, finish every run," he said. "Just try to set the tempo for this offense and give a spark."
{sportsad300}Grant, acquired in a trade with the New York Giants at the roster cutdown deadline, had 14 carries for 81 yards in the first half alone, as the Packers took advantage of Denver's league-worst rushing defense to get their previously stagnant running game going.
The effort came with another re-shuffled offensive line to boot. With center Scott Wells unable to play because of a lingering sinus infection and guard Junius Coston out with an ankle injury, Jason Spitz stepped in at center and Tony Moll took over for Coston, creating the same starting line the Packers had two weeks ago against Washington.
"We really emphasized the run in practice last week," Spitz said. "It's something that's been obviously a battle for us to correct. I think we corrected it tonight. Obviously we still have a lot of work to do, we probably had a lot of technique errors, but I'm satisfied with it right now."
Grant's halftime total was already a season-high for a Green Bay running back, and he eclipsed the century mark with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
"It felt great," veteran offensive tackle Mark Tauscher said. "We've struggled all year with that, and to come out and execute today after the bye week with all the emphasis on it was important for us."
