GREEN BAY – It's time for another round of Peak Performances, packers.com's review of the previous season that highlights some of the top individual efforts during the course of the year.
The series is being presented chronologically, with each segment covering a portion of the season.
Peak Performances will appear once per week until the entire season has been covered, with a poll (at the bottom of the page) allowing fans to vote for their favorite each week. The weekly winners will then be in the final poll for Peak Performance of the Year.
Selections were made in an attempt to highlight a variety of different victories and individual players throughout the season.
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Games 9-12*
WR Jordy Nelson at Tennessee
This wasn't a great day for the Packers, but it's worth noting that Nelson set a career-high with 12 receptions as part of his Comeback Player of the Year season. He totaled 126 yards and a touchdown, his first 100-yard game since Week 3 but the first of four 100-yard outings over the second half of the season.
TE Jared Cook at Washington
Cook had missed six games with an ankle injury but came back in a big way. He caught six passes for 105 yards and a TD, by far his most productive regular-season game. His presence clearly made a difference on offense, and it was this performance that, in part, prompted QB Aaron Rodgers to utter his "run the table" line the following week.
QB Aaron Rodgers at Philadelphia
Rodgers backed up his words on a Monday night in Philly, putting together a very efficient performance (30-of-39, 313 yards, two TDs, 116.7 rating) in leading the Packers to the first of eight straight victories. He engineered one of the best drives of the season, a 17-play, 78-yard march that consumed 8:21 on the fourth-quarter clock and produced a field goal to clinch the 27-13 win. The drive included passes of 22 and 21 yards to Nelson to convert on third-and-12 and fourth-and-5.
WR Davante Adams at Philadelphia
Statistically it wasn't, but by the eyeball test this might have been the best game of Adams' young career. He caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, the first score coming on a 12-yard slant to cap off the game's opening drive, and then the second one a spectacular falling-down 20-yard catch in the back of the end zone with a defender blocking his vision. His dynamic night also featured a 50-yard reception on a contested pass in the third quarter to set up a field goal.
P Jake Schum vs. Houston
On a snowy early December day in Green Bay, field position became key and Schum did his part in the 21-13 victory. He placed three of five punts inside the Houston 20-yard line, including back-to-back efforts that were downed at the 11 in the second quarter, helping the Packers shut out the Texans in the first half. His 43.0-yard gross and 35.8-yard net averages were strong efforts in the conditions and set Schum up for a strong finish to the season.
