GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With a 5-3 record midway through the season and in the midst of their bye, the Green Bay Packers are taking most of the week off. So it's a good time to review the first half of the season. On Thursday, we looked at the offense.
Here's a look at some of the first-half highlights, lowlights and other noteworthy items on defense:
MVPs
Mike Daniels: The third-year defensive tackle leads the Packers' defensive line with 2.5 sacks and leads the team with nine quarterback hits. It's a continuation of the way he played last year in his breakout season. Since the start of 2013, he leads the Packers with nine sacks.
Sam Shields: After he signed a four, $39 million contract in the offseason, he was performing like one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league should until a knee injury in Week 6 at Miami. He hasn't played since. Still, he ranks ninth among all NFL cornerbacks in ProFootballFocus.com's position rankings. He and fellow cornerback Casey Hayward are tied for the team lead with two interceptions apiece. The Packers need Shields back after the bye. His absence was felt in last week's loss to the Saints, who completed several deep passes over the top of the secondary.
Safeties: What was easily the weakest position on the roster last season has turned into one of the strengths thanks to the improved play of Morgan Burnett, who is having the best season of his five-year career, the addition of first-round pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and the move of second-year pro Micah Hyde from cornerback. That trio has given the Packers a group of sure-handed tacklers, and Sean Richardson made some plays in spot duty as well.
Disappointments
Inside linebackers: This is the safety position of last year. General manager Ted Thompson overestimated what he had at this spot, and it has become the weak link of the defense. Brad Jones was so bad before his quad injury that he didn't get his starting job back upon his return. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has tried both Jamari Lattimore and Sam Barrington at the spot next to A.J. Hawk, and all three have taken a turn as the dime inside linebacker. Capers clearly is still searching for someone to produce.
Datone Jones: After an ineffective rookie season last year, it has been more of the same for the Packers’ 2013 first-round pick. The opening-day starting defensive end has missed the last three games because of an ankle injury. He has only one sack and has been a nonfactor against the run, where the Packers rank dead last in the league.
Clay Matthews/Julius Peppers combination: It's not that they have played poorly but if you expected this pass-rushing duo to wreak havoc then you'd have to put them in this category. Matthews is off to the slowest start of his career in terms of his big-play production with just 2.5 sacks, while Peppers has four sacks, a forced fumbled and an interception return for a touchdown but tends to disappear at times.
Grades
Passing defense: The pass rush has been decent and the coverage has been solid. That combination has put the Packers back in the top-10 statistically in this category, ranking ninth overall in passing yards allowed and fifth in opponent passer rating. They're still living and dying by the turnover – too much for McCarthy's liking – but this unit has by and large done its job. Grade: B
Rushing defense: The best the Packers have fared against the run was in Week 7 against the Panthers, who still managed to rush for 108 yards as a team. Four times, the Packers have given up 147 yards or more on the ground, and three times that total has been more than 190. The decision to get leaner and more athletic (plus the season-ending biceps injury to nose tackle B.J. Raji in the preseason) has blown up in their face. No team has allowed more rushing yards per game (153.5) than the Packers. Grade: F