GREEN BAY, Wis. -- This is what Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson envisioned when he picked Datone Jones 26th overall in the 2013 NFL draft.
Jones recorded just the second two-sack game of his career on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings while splitting his time between defensive end and his new part-time role as an outside linebacker.
He was a major part of the Packers’ resurgent pass rush. After going three games without a sack, they dumped Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater six times.
“I was really proud of him,” defensive tackle B.J. Raji said. “He’s been asked to do a lot the last couple weeks, and to his credit he just buckled down and is really playing hard. He’s doing a good job [and] finally some plays came through for him. He did well.”
Here’s a breakdown of the defensive performance from Sunday’s 30-13 win (the offensive breakdown can be found here):
Total defensive plays: 64
Defensive line
Mike Daniels: 44
B.J. Raji: 34
Datone Jones: 31
Letroy Guion: 19
Mike Pennel: 5
Notes: Daniels and Guion combined on a tackle for loss of Adrian Peterson, and Daniels had another stuff for no gain against Peterson, who was held to just 45 yards on 13 carries.
Linebackers
Clay Matthews: 60
Nate Palmer: 41
Julius Peppers: 40
Mike Neal: 38
Nick Perry: 23
Joe Thomas: 22
Jayrone Elliott: 20
Jake Ryan: 1
Notes: Although Matthews failed to record a sack, he had a pair of tackles for loss against Peterson and another for no gain in what might have been his best performance against the run since he switched to inside linebacker last season. Peppers increased his team-leading sack total to 6.5.
Defensive backs
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: 64
Sam Shields: 62
Morgan Burnett: 58
Casey Hayward: 48
Quinten Rollins: 21
Micah Hyde: 8
Chris Banjo: 6
Notes: Burnett essentially sealed the game when he forced Peterson into a fourth-quarter fumble at the Packers’ 22-yard line. The Vikings' tight ends accounted for 133 of Bridgewater’s 296 passing yards. Hyde left the game with a hip injury after he allowed the 47-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. Rollins replaced Hyde in the dime package, and Banjo played while Burnett left the game briefly with an ankle injury.