The Green Bay Packers left Soldier Field with a 38-20 statement win. The first career win for Jordan Love, and he had to say: “All offseason, I think our team has been slept on. It’s just one of those things; we couldn’t do anything about it until we go out there and prove it. I think we did that today.”
The Packers dominated in all three phases of the game. Outside of some penalties, it was a complete game. There was an expected sloppiness in week one, but the Packers played well.
Here are the studs and duds from week one.
Stud: Green Bay Packers Defense
It is hard to give credit to a singular player when so many guys contributed. The box score does not tell the story of Justin Fields. Fields ended the day with 216 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception. He was under pressure the entire game. The Packers came away with four sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Packers Player’s Defensive Standouts
- Quay Walker’s interception returned 37 yards for a touchdown
- Devonte Wyatt 1.5 sacks
- Lukas Van Ness’s first career sack
- Rashan Gary with five pressures on ten passing snaps
The defense overall looked improved and played downhill. Darnell Savage and the rest of the Packers secondary had an excellent game. DJ Moore had two catches for 25 yards. If the Packers play this well all season, they will be tough to beat.
Stud: Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love
The Jordan Love era has officially arrived. In the game’s first drive, Jordan picked up a long third down to Romeo Doubs and capped it off with a touchdown to Doubs. Love was incredibly poised and had 245 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
Love on third downs went 8-10, 141 yards, with two touchdowns. Overall, it was an impressive day for Love, who was missing his number-one receiver in Watson. Doubs, on a pitch count, had a big day connecting with Love.
Packers head coach Matt Lafleur handed out the game ball to Jordan Love. There is plenty to be excited about when watching Love.
Dud: Running Back, AJ Dillon
This is not a knock on AJ and his effort but more on how he was used in the game. The Packers need to get him into better positions and opportunities. He ended the day with 13 carries for 19 yards, averaging just 1.5 yards per carry.
The Packers need to find ways to get him into open spaces and going north and south between the tackles. The former second-round pick has been a topic for discussion with the rumors surrounding Jonathon Taylor. The Packers must find a better way to get Dillon involved to bring value to this offense.
Stud: Running Back, Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones is elite. He had nine carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He had two receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. The game’s highlight was his 35-yard touchdown reception on fourth down to propel the Packers to an 18-point lead.
The drives that Jones was involved in all ended with scores. On his last touchdown, he had felt something in his hamstring and was out the rest of the game. It is obvious what he means to his team. Jones mentioned after the game that the hamstring was precautionary, and he could have come back and played if needed.
Final Thoughts
The Packers played well in all phases of the game. Anders Carlson hit a 52-yard field goal to end the first half. The Packers offensive line looked good in the passing game and did well in the running game.
This was a promising game from the Packers, even though it was against last year’s last-place team, the Chicago Bears. In the NFL, it is no easy task to get a win. The Green Bay Packers head to Atlanta to take on the 1-0 Falcons.
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