Packers’ defense once again steps up in another divisional game
Green Bay once again found itself in another NFC North battle in their home opener week 2 at Lambeau Field as they took on the Minnesota Vikings. The offense exploded in the first 17 minutes of the game; scoring 21 unanswered points. At halftime though is when it got stifled. Green Bay then got outscored 16-0 in the second half. Green Bay pulled it out in the end though 21-16.
Running back play also was great on both sides. Dalvin Cook — who’s a legitimate top-five RB in the league; had 20 carries for 154 yards and 1 touchdown; good for 7.7 YPC. On the other side, Aaron Jones had a career-high 23 carries for 116 yards and 1 touchdown; good for 5 YPC. Aaron Jones, in particular, looked very good compared to week 1, he was very powerful and shifty in his running style & it wasn’t going to take only one person to bring him down. He was a fierce runner today for Green Bay and had a big impact on the final outcome of the game.
Rodgers had as good of a start as you could ask for. He was 8/9 for 119 yards & had a perfect 158.3 passer rating on the first two drives alone. He finished 22/34 (64.7%), for 209 yards and 2 TDs, and a 101.2 passer rating. His stats through 2 games: 40/64 (62.5%), for 412 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 96.6 passer rating. To put that in perspective, in 2018 alone, Rodgers posted a 97.6 passer rating; he’s almost to that point through two games in 2019. Let’s hope he elevates his play throughout the season, I think he can.
Lastly, the defense once again picked up the slack for the offense in the second half. They ended up forcing four total turnovers; along with a sack of Kirk Cousins. One person that stood out was Kenny Clark; who was matched up against the Vikings’ guard Garrett Bradbury. In fact, the one sack & fumble of Cousins were both caused by Clark on a strip-sack. He has been a disruptive force on the defensive line for Green Bay thus far these last two weeks; eventually, they’re going to have to pay him big money. He’s definitely worth it. CB Jaire Alexander also was excellent in man coverage when matched up against Stefon Diggs/Adam Theilen. Both he and fellow teammate Kevin King bottled up the usually great WR duo on Sunday. Hopefully, their great play continues throughout the season. Preston Smith also snagged an INT. Overall, this defense has been very impressive through the first two weeks.
Per NFL analyst Ben Fennell via Twitter; Packers defense on 3rd down:
• Conversions: 25.0% (6th)
• Completions: 47.8% (3rd)
• QB Rating: 44.5 (5th)
• 2 INTs, 2 Sacks
Red Zone:
• Opposing QBs: 0/6, 2 INTs
• QB Rating: 0.0
Those are some very impressive stats through two weeks of play. Hopefully, they can keep it up. Offensively, it’s going to take some time to become a complete unit. Within the coming weeks/months is when I believe you’ll start seeing it blossom with more explosive plays from both the run and pass game. Right now though; all that matters is they’re 2-0 and on top in the NFC North. Keep working, keep winning, and the rest will take care of itself. It’s been a great start to the year, let’s hope the momentum continues to roll throughout the rest of the season.
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #ParkerMoes @ParkerMoes
