Three overreactions after the Packers' win over the Rams

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There used to be three certainties in life. Now there are four.

Death.

Steer.

Xavier McKinney intercepts.

Matt LaFleur led the Green Bay Packers to a victory over Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.

With McKinney playing his best game of a great season, Tucker Kraft scoring two touchdowns and Evan Williams delivering a potentially game-saving pass breakup, the Packers defeated the Rams 24-19 on Sunday. LaFleur has beaten McVay in each of the last five seasons.

Here are the weekly overreactions.

1. Xavier McKinney named NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Ahead of NFL free agency, I ranked the top 60 players available. On a list weighted by need items, I put Xavier McKinney #1 in total.

Because of his combination of youth, playmaking and superior tackling, the Packers gave him a four-year contract worth $67 million.

Given his dominance at the start of the season, he would be a bargain at twice the price.

After the Packers' go-ahead touchdown, set up by McKinney's fumble recovery, the Rams had advanced into Green Bay territory. On third down, Matthew Stafford tried to thread the needle on Tutu Atwell. Using instinct and athleticism, McKinney won the race for the ball for his fifth interception in as many games with the Packers.

Green Bay converted that into another touchdown and led 24-13.

“I saw his eyes,” McKinney said. “I was able to take a really good break. Yes, he harassed me a few times during the game. It was difficult. It was probably the most talked about thing I've seen this year. So it was difficult, but I know if I trusted him, my craft and my instincts, I would be able to get one.”

Including his two interceptions for the Giants in Week 18 last year, McKinney has intercepted a pass in six consecutive games. He is the fourth player since 1990 to achieve this feat.

Here are the NFL's team interception rankings

1. Vikings 11.

2. packer9.

3. Bears, Steelers and Saints 6.

4, McKinneyBills and Broncos, 5.

McKinney's five interceptions obviously lead the NFL. No one has four, and the Lions' Kerby Joseph is the only player with three.

Entering Week 5, Aidan Hutchinson of the Lions was the betting favorite to win the award, followed by TJ Watt of the Steelers and Nick Bosa of the 49ers. McKinney had the ninth lowest ratings.

However, no one does what McKinney does. Sacks are great, but takeaways win games.

They definitely won the game on Sunday.

“That’s all,” LaFleur said. “The ball is everything. We talk about it every week and every week there are great examples from around the league. If you win the ball, you have a great chance of winning the game.”

It's not just McKinney's interceptions. He was all-round brilliant against the Rams. In the opening series he delivered a hard, clean shot to Atwell to prevent a third-and-3 conversion. He recovered a fumble. He had a season-low three tackles, but by our count he was as advertised with just two fumbles in five games.

The beauty of McKinney's performance is that he doesn't go for interceptions and really hasn't allowed any significant plays.

“Being out there with him,” Williams said, “it’s like seeing big things.”

With the additions of McKinney, Javon Bullard and Williams, general manager Brian Gutekunst should be nominated for NFL Executive of the Year honors based solely on his work at safety.

2. Tucker Kraft is a top-five tight end

Last year, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft led all tight ends in yards after catch per catch. Not all rookie tight ends. All tight ends, period.

Since he was drafted by FCS powerhouse South Dakota State, it was fair to wonder how Kraft's game would adapt to the NFL.

No, actually it wasn't fair to ask that.

“Everyone was wrong” Kraft told Packers On SI during OTAs. “Anyone who tries to push the small school narrative can take it where the sun don’t shine.”

Kraft turned the McKinney takeaways into touchdowns. First, there was a 66-yarder that traveled about 50 yards after the catch. He fended off a defender around 30 yards and ran through another player's diving tackle attempt at 17 yards. Next came his 7-yard touchdown in which he ran through two defenders.

“The standard I play with is to make the first guy miss and not let a DB tackle me unless he has a side line. These are my rules,” Kraft said last week after studying former Giants legend Mark Bavaro.

According to Stathead, among all non-running backs with at least 15 catches, Kraft is No. 1 in the NFL with 11.3 yards after the catch per catch. Among tight ends, Detroit's Sam LaPorta is a distant second with 8.1 YAC per catch.

“I think consistency is key when playing the tight end position,” Kraft told reporters after the game. “If you can always win your one-on-one match, the coaching staff is more likely to give you bigger roles. Really, I'm just going back to the rules I follow myself, the standard I set at the start of the season – don't let a DB attack me in space. Sometimes it still happens, but you always try to prevent the first hit.

“But keep your head down, bull in the Chinese shop. That’s exactly what I do.”

Sunday was just the 13th start of Kraft's career. He's come so far and so quickly that it's fair to wonder how good Kraft might be by the end of the season. With Travis Kelce slowing down, George Kittle is probably the gold standard at the position. As far as all-around players go, Kraft could already be a top-five tight end.

“Tucker is a dog, you know,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “Every time he touches the ball he has the mindset that he’s trying to score. He will not go down lightly. He will run over people and stay on top. He does really good things when he has the ball in his hands.

“I definitely continue to try to find ways to give him the ball. He is a dog. He did a great job today.”

3. Sound the alarm

Where is Rashan Gary?

It's not an original question; Packers fans have been asking it for a few weeks now.

Gary's lack of production against the Eagles and Colts was understandable considering the elite athleticism of quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson and the game plan required to keep them in check.

However, Gary wasn't part of the feeding frenzy against the Titans' Will Levis in Week 3, he didn't get anywhere against the Vikings' standout offensive tackles in Week 4, and he was nowhere to be seen against the Rams in Week 5.

The Rams' offensive tackles are good, but not great. Matthew Stafford is a great quarterback with definitely not great athleticism.

According to the official stats, Gary has one sack, one tackle for loss (the sack) and two quarterback hits this season. That performance came against the Eagles, the sack coming when the center grabbed the ball too early and Gary raced past unsuspecting right tackle Lane Johnson.

In the last four games, Gary had zero sacks, zero tackles for loss and zero quarterback hits.

Including last year's playoffs, Gary has one sack and two tackles for loss in his last 12 games.

According to Next Gen Stats, Gary had three pressures against the Rams. His pressure rating of 9.4 percent was his second lowest of the season.

It is true that bags usually come in bundles. However, the pressure should be at least somewhat constant. There was no need for a “mush rush” to face Sam Darnold or Stafford in the last two games. There were opportunities to get sacked quarterbacks, but he didn't deliver.

According to Next Gen, Gary's season-long strain rate is 10.5 percent – the lowest of his career and well below the 17.1 percent last year when he tore his ACL. He has had 14 pressures in five games – the highest on the team, which is a whole other topic. Detroit's Hutchinson had 10 against Seattle.

It's probably far too early to go down this path, but Gary is due a base salary of $6.8 million and a roster bonus of $8.7 million in 2025. A change would almost cover the cost of the salary cap.

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