3 Packers who must be benched or worse to catch the Lions and go on a playoff run

The Green Bay Packers kept things rolling on Thanksgiving night, sending Lambeau Field home happy with a 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins that frankly wasn't even as close as that final score would suggest. Jordan Love shredded a game Miami defense, while Quay Walker, Lukas Van Ness and the Packers pass rush finally found some success harassing Tua Tagovailoa. (Even Kenny Clark got into the act; no, seriously.)

The win is Green Bay's third in a row since the loss to the Detroit Lions back on Nov. 3, and keeps the team within shouting distance of Detroit atop the NFC North. But sewing up a Wild Card spot isn't where the bar should be for this team at this point; there's simply too much talent on the roster and coaching staff, and after how last season ended, the Super Bowl is the standard. And to get there, the Packers will need to look a lot better than they did on Thursday. Here are three ways to help make that happen.

3. Can the Eric Stokes experiment finally be over?

With Jaire Alexander out and Carrington Valentine struggling, Jeff Hafley has given Stokes plenty of opportunities to earn playing time on the outside. But he just refuses to take advantage, consistently getting picked on as Miami's offense finally found some momentum in the second half on Thursday night. Stokes and Valentine seemed to be alternating series against the Dolphins, much like they did in last week's win over the 49ers, but this is going to be an untenable situations against the best passing offenses in the league come playoff time.

2. Another rough day for Dontayvion Wicks

Romeo Doubs' absence gave Wicks another chance to turn around what's been a disappointing season so far, but he delivered more of the same on Thursday night. Wicks did catch four balls for 30 yards, and he remains a very willing blocker in the Packers' diverse running game. But he remains maddeningly inconsistent on the outside: Once again, Wicks was responsible for a brutal drop in this game, letting a first-quarter pass from Jordan Love hit him in the chest and nearly land in a Dolphins defender's arms for an interception.

At this point, Matt LaFleur should have seen what he needs to see with Wicks. He hasn't cracked 40 receiving yards in over a month, and Green Bay can't trust him to make the simple plays 100 percent of the time. Jayden Reed and Christian Watson are the clear 1-2 in the pecking order here, and Bo Melton and Malik Heath deserve more snaps as complimentary pieces as long as Wicks makes it hard to trust him.

1. Eric Wilson is the weak link at linebacker

There was plenty of good news in the Packers linebacking corps on Thursday night. Isaiah McDuffie was a man possessed despite a bum ankle, racking up double-digit tackles to go with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Quay Walker put together a second straight positive performance and seems to finally be turning a corner, wreaking havoc on the blitz and earning raves from LaFleur after the game.

But it wasn't all good news. Wilson recorded just two solo tackles and assisted on two others, and he appeared to be a liability in both the run and the pass. He struggled to set the edge against the Dolphins perimeter running game, and he was often caught not getting proper depth as Tua Tagovailoa looked for the quick hitters over the middle that are Miami's bread and butter.

Granted, Mike McDaniels' offense is among the toughest in the league on linebackers, but even still, this was a disappointing performance. Usual starter Edgerrin Cooper was sorely missed, and if he has to miss extended time, the Packers could be in trouble. At this point, someone like Ty'Ron Hopper might warrant a longer look.