By Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter Published Dec 04, 2016 at 9:03 PM

The Packers did what good teams do Sunday against the Texans. They found a way to win a game without playing very well.

It wasn’t pretty – though it was picturesque, with Wisconsin’s first snow falling on Lambeau Field – and it certainly doesn’t mean this is actually a good team. But Green Bay beat an opponent it had to beat, one it was a touchdown favorite over, despite some familiar problems and plenty of mistakes, the most egregious of which was making Brock Osweiler look like a halfway-decent quarterback.

The Packers defeated the Texans, 21-13, because quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his third straight strong game behind another impressive performance by his offensive line, wide receiver Jordy Nelson provided all the big plays they needed, the running game was eclectically effective, the secondary was competent in pass defense and the special teams – particularly thanks to punter Jacob Schum – won the field-position battle. The run defense didn’t inspire much confidence, allowing 123 yards (a 4.6 average), which is concerning heading into the cold-weather, ground-game-heavy portion of the season; the play-calling was at-times head-scratching; there was a critical, though ultimately not costly, turnover; and, of course, even more injuries, which were again concentrated on one already-thin position group.

But Green Bay uglied it up, made adjustments and got creative, all vital elements for a flawed team to win in imperfect conditions. The Packers made enough plays against a very average Houston outfit to win sloppy in the snow, a fact its head coach made note of after the game.

"Well, that was a good bad-weather win," McCarthy said. "It’s a lot of fun to play in this type of atmosphere at Lambeau Field. In a lot of ways, that’s the way it’s supposed to be."

It probably wasn’t supposed to be by letting Osweiler, the NFL’s worst-ranked starting quarterback in passer rating, post a 97.6 mark with 202 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, or by losing in time of possession, 31:31 to 28:29. But it did seem like fun, even the heart-stoppingly chaotic zaniness of the Texans’ final, lateral-filled play, and, with frost on the ground and fog from the players’ breaths, it looked like December football in Green Bay.

The victory evened the Packers’ record at 6-6, though they remain in third place in the NFC North and still outside of the playoff field – at ninth in the conference – with four games left to play, including this week against 7-3 Seattle and the final three against divisional foes.

"I told the team this the other day: Until you win 10 games in this league, it’s nonsense to talk about anything else," McCarthy said of looking at anything besides whatever is up next. "We’re not worried about Detroit or any other team out there or anybody’s record.

"We have six wins and we know we have to get to seven fast."

But how did they get to six? Here's everything you need to know, or just forgot, or missed because you were outside throwing snowballs around, like Brett Favre at Donald Driver – plus all kinds of other wacky whatnots, from the Packers' Week 13 win over the Texans.

Who starred?

Nelson. He’s had a fine season – entering Sunday's contest, he had 61 catches for 754 yards and nine touchdowns, including five games with at least 90 receiving yards – but hadn’t really looked like the old Jordy. One year after a torn ACL, he still doesn’t possess his former top-end speed down the sideline or otherworldly ability to go up and get a ball at its highest point; but his slightly slower routes are still clean, he has a supernatural connection with Rodgers and those extremely dependable hands.

"I don’t know how much more Jordy needs to prove. He’s going through what every great player goes through that first year back from a major injury," McCarthy said. "He practices every day, and those are the little things that are probably the most important because I think his performance speaks for itself."

On Sunday, Nelson once again looked like the big-play wideout who tied for the third-most receptions of 25 or more yards in the league from 2010 to '14. With Davante Adams getting lots of Houston’s attention, Nelson stretched the field and gave the Packers a clutch deep threat. Craftily, he caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter; bravely, on the next series, he hauled in a 21-yard throw just before getting hammered by a Texans defender; and crucially on that same drive, he jumped over Kareem Jackson on a deep corner route for a 28-yard completion on third-and-6, which led to Aaron Ripkowski’s touchdown run two plays later. Nelson is now tied for seventh in the league in receptions (69), ninth in yards (872) and tied for second in touchdowns (10). Seemingly quiet or not, Nelson is on pace this season to finish with 92 for 1,163 and 13, which would still be a darn good year.

Who stunk?

The Packers’ run defense. It’s hard to single out one player for particular blame, so the whole group gets the ignominy of this prestigious column’s denunciation. On the whole, allowing 123 yards on 27 carries to a Texans offense without a premier running back – and with starter Lamar Miller hindered by injury – is unacceptable. It was the third time in the last four games Green Bay has allowed an opponent to rush for at least 120 yards, after starting the season so strong in run defense.

Backup backs Jonathan Grimes (five carries for 43 yards) and Alfred Blue (five for 38) had per-carry averages of 8.6 and 7.6, respectively, and Houston converted numerous first downs against Green Bay’s dime defense. Tackle Letroy Guion had a couple of tackles for loss but was also flagged twice; undersized linebacker Joe Thomas was blocked easily and badly exposed in run support. Why isn’t first-round rookie Kenny Clark playing more? The only silver lining is that the Packers’ final four games are against Seattle (ranked No. 27 in rushing offense), Chicago (21st), Minnesota (32nd, or last) and Detroit (30th).

Unsung hero

In the worst conditions he’s experienced – he was in Tampa Bay last year, his rookie season, and didn’t play in any cold-weather games outdoors – Jacob Schum had his best punting performance. He kicked five times for 215 yards, with a season-high three inside the 20, including one downed at the 1-yard line, and only a single attempt returned for 16 yards. Tim Masthay who?

McCarthy score

(Mike McCarthy isn't renowned for his play-calling, having fired and then rehired himself for that role last year, but he does try his best. Here we rate his coaching performance, on a score from one to 10 McCarthy heads.)

The offense executed fairly well, with Rodgers hitting short and long passes and the varied running game – with a mix of James Starks, Christine Michael, Ty Montgomery, Ripkowski, Rodgers and Jeff Janis – taking 26 carries for 109 yards (4.2 average) and a score. Overall, McCarthy and the Packers were more innovative, adaptable and dynamic than they’ve been much of the season, and even more credit is deserved for preparation on a short, six-day week.

But then there were still the instances that had fans making that famed McCarthy face. Like in the third quarter, on a fourth-and-2 at the Houston 48, when the head coach called the only play in his playbook guaranteed to always and only gain one yard: the dreaded fullback dive. Ripkowski took the handoff up, tried to charge up the middle and, sure enough, gained one yard when Green Bay needed two. Seven heads for Coach Mac this week.

Three-word reaction

It’s the Texans ...

Dumb #hottake

Just like Lombardi’s boys, the Packers always play their best football when the weather gets cold and there’s snow on the ground! (Note: This iteration, especially on offense, definitely does not.)

Good quote

"Ty’s a big guy now. Look at him; he’s like (an) Under Armour model, just muscles on muscles." – left tackle David Bakhtiari on wide receiver Ty Montgomery, who led the Packers in rushing for the third time this season, with six carries for 40 yards.

Best photo

Encouraging thing

After being stuck in neutral and at seven points for almost three quarters, the Packers put together two hugely significant, statement-making possessions, back to back, in the second half, totaling 20 plays and 187 yards and resulting in a pair of touchdowns. The 98- and 89-yard scoring drives were the first- and second-longest such series for the team this season. McCarthy said the Packers "tilted toward our pass game" and Rodgers made a couple of big plays.

"We just needed to put something together. It starts with one first down," Rodgers said afterward. "We had good field position early in the game and kind of squandered it. To put together two drives with over 180 yards of offense is pretty special."

Alarming thing

Besides the porous run defense, still more injuries on defense – and specifically at linebacker – are cause for real concern. The Packers were already without rookie ‘backers Blake Martinez, the team’s leading tackler, and Kyler Fackrell for Sunday; superstar Clay Matthews, who was injured on a purported cheap shot in last week’s win over Philadelphia, probably shouldn’t even have been playing and made virtually no impact.

But then, during the game, Green Bay saw outside linebacker Nick Perry, who has a team-high eight sacks, and inside linebacker Jake Ryan, its third-leading tackler, leave with hand and ankle injuries, respectively. The defense is not going to hold an opponent under 14 points for the third game in a row if it’s playing the likes of Thomas, Carl Bradford and Jayrone Elliott at linebacker for extended periods of time.

And also, Rodgers fumbling the snap and losing the ball with the Packers on Houston's 2-yard line wasn't ideal. It was the quarterback's fourth fumble of the season and took sure points off the table.

Looking ahead

The Packers – winners of two in a row after their four-game losing streak put them in a run-the-table situation, as Rodgers said – host the Seahawks on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. (FOX). Seattle is an early three-point favorite at Lambeau, where it has lost the last six times it’s played in Green Bay. Of course, the Seahawks have won the past three games in Seattle, including the NFC Championship two years ago and the epic Fail Mary of 2012.

After hosting the Seahawks, the Packers (4-2 at home this season) will play on the road in Chicago, at home against Minnesota and on the road in the finale at Detroit. 

Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.

After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.

Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.