Logging notes throughout last Sunday’s 38-13 Packers victory over the New York Giants, it seemed I kept writing down a surprising name that consistently made plays to provide a major impact for the defense.

On the field for 42 snaps (65%), Jake Ryan showed up on multiple occasions in the run and pass game and collected 9 tackles for the Packers defense. He played with consistency and poise, two things lacking on occasion for the NFL’s 22^nd ranked defense.

On the second play from scrimmage, Ryan showed great effort bringing down Giants running back Paul Perkins after a 6-yard run. Ryan showed elusiveness evading a block by Giants guard, John Jerry, and finished off the ball carrier. One of hardest things to do as a linebacker is miss oncoming blockers, and Ryan showed clear ability last Sunday.

Later on the initial Giants drive, Ryan showed up in coverage on an Eli Manning 5-yard pass to Will Tye on first down. While he gave up the reception, he put an immediate hit on Tye once he received the ball and brought him down promptly. While Tye is not a top-flight tight end, it was still an uncommon sight to see a Packers linebacker not named Joe Thomas in that good of coverage position.

On first and ten opening the Giants second drive Ryan evaded another block, attempted by Giants tackle Ereck Flowers, to finish off a play made by Mike Daniels. Daniels stunned opposing guard Justin Pugh backwards with an immediate push, opening a lane for Ryan to wreak havoc on the ball carrier. It was a textbook illustration of how a defensive lineman and linebacker should work in harmony filling the gaps and stopping the run. The very next play displayed Ryan’s hustle and determination. Manning setup a screen pass towards the left sideline, and Ryan forced his way through a block from Tye and went all out diving towards Perkins to bring him down along the sideline.

In the first Giants drive of the second quarter, Ryan lined up on Tye on second and nine and covered an out route to perfection. It took a perfect Manning throw away from Ryan’s coverage for Tye to haul in a 3-yard reception. Ryan nearly broke the pass up and then dropped Tye for the minimal gain.

Ryan’s efforts on Tye were enhanced on a play when he was not even covering him. With Blake Martinez lined up across from Tye, it seemed like Manning stared down his tight end and was in complete attack mode with the favorable matchup. It was as if Manning expected Tye to run right past Martinez, he threw a strike to him which Tye converted into a 51-yard gainer, the longest play from scrimmage for the Giants.

Ryan showed up in the run game on the Giants last drive of the half. Ryan was let run free, but he did an excellent job holding contain on the inside of a Perkins run forcing him to the outside contain defender, Julius Peppers. The next play Ryan was caught reacting late to a pass out of the backfield to Bobby Rainey, but recovered quickly enough to pull him down two yards short of the first down. These plays allowed the Packers to call a timeout and eventually set them up to get the ball back and hit the bomb right before halftime.

The second half brought several plays from Ryan as well, and it started with a first down pass attempt from Manning to Perkins that fell to the ground incomplete. Ryan closed on the out route from Perkins coming out the backfield, and he wrapped him up just as the ball arrived knocking it to the turf.

Ryan again made a play utilizing Daniels’ dominance of Pugh in the third quarter, cleaning up the mess that Daniels made of the Giants’ left guard on the first play of their second drive. Daniels strung the play outside and clogged up the running lanes, and Ryan finished the play off with the tackle on Perkins.

The second-year linebacker showed his coverage skills in the third quarter as well, as he was lined up against Tye again on back-to-back downs. The first play he covered an out play close and gave up the catch but made the tackle immediately. The next play he was waiting for Manning to throw towards Tye and made an excellent break on the ball and broke the pass up before it could be completed. The second pass attempt was like the first, but it was on the opposite side of the field. It was almost as if Ryan was ready for it and learned something from the previous play, allowing him to force the incompletion.

The highlight of Ryan’s night came in the first play in the fourth quarter when he found himself covering Odell Beckham Jr. down the middle of the field. Ryan did not disappoint running with Beckham as good as you could expect from a linebacker and sending him right to the safety, doing his job perfectly. He reacted quickly enough to be involved in the play when the ball came down. Ryan truly had no room for error on that play and still came out successful. At this point in the game I was focusing on him because his play was standing out, but I still never expected this level of coverage from him throughout a game.

Overall, Ryan made the most of his opportunities and had an excellent game against the run and in pass coverage at linebacker. While he won’t be confused as a coverage linebacker like Thomas, he certainly held his own and more in coverage on first and second downs (He is typically substituted on third down). The Packers will need a similar performance from Ryan if they want to survive and advance against Dallas this upcoming Sunday.