Green Bay Packers v. Bears: Immediate reactions

The Green Bay Packers wrapped up their first game of the season against the Chicago Bears and here are my gut reactions from what we saw.

It was a defensive battle between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears as the Packers came out victorious 10-3. Here are my immediate reactions from what we saw in week one.

• Outside of the scoring drive in the second quarter, it was tough going for the Green Bay Packers offensively. Considering their opponent, some issues were to be expected but there is plenty to work on moving forward.
• Free agent Za’Darius Smith was impressive! He recorded a sack, a tackle for loss and a few pressures. It was a heck of a debut and should be a big season from him.
• Penalties. Penalties. Penalties. We saw this a bit in the preseason and it was prevalent once again tonight.
• How about this revamped Green Bay Packers’ defense? Just a phenomenal performance and given that the offense may take some time to jell, they’ll need the defense to keep games close.
• J.K. Scott had a fantastic preseason and carried that momentum into tonight’s game. His ability to pin the Bears deep and flip the field was crucial.
• Green Bay brought in Marcedes Lewis last offseason and he was criminally underutilized in 2018. Tonight, however, he saw some action and hauled in two receptions for 14 yards.
• The Packers’ offensive line had a tough task tonight against the Bears’ front seven, but they need to be better. Green Bay gave up 5 sacks and totaled only 49 yards on the ground.
• It’s only one game but this could be the start of Jimmy Graham’s bounce-back season. He caught a touchdown pass, drew big 30-yard pass interference penalty, and even hurdled a defender.
• Rookie Darnell Savage had a heck of a debut. He was flying all over the field, making tackles and breaking up passes. I am incredibly excited to see him develop the rest of the season.
• Tony Brown started across from Jaire Alexander and while he was sticky in coverage for the most part, he did give up a few big completions. This was the story of Training Camp and the preseason for him, but overall a nice game for the second-year corner.
• Kenny Clark is a monster, that is all.
• There were a couple of plays where Lane Taylor just got blown up or missed his block. Could we see Elgton Jenkins sooner than later?
• The Green Bay Packers need Marquez Valdes-Scantling to take a big step this season and it looks like he is ready to do so.
• Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis, and Robert Tonyan all got in on the action, it’s easy to see that the tight end plays a much bigger role under Matt LaFleur.
• It was a fairly efficient night for Aaron Rodgers, but the rust was evident at times with some missed throws that you’d expect him to hit as well has not getting the ball out of his hands quick enough at times.
• The third-down offense was simply, not good. The play clock was often ran down to zero, they gave up four sacks and overall finished 2-12 on third-down conversions.
• Despite all the talk out of Chicago this offseason about Adrian Amos, he was fantastic. He wasn’t out of position, didn’t give up any big plays and at the end of the game when the Bears were threatening to score, he comes away with an interception.
• The other big defensive free agent signing, Preston Smith also had a very good night as he totaled five tackles, with one and a half sacks, a pass deflection, and three quarterback hits.

While there are some things to work on, particularly on offense, there is also plenty to be excited about moving forward. Green Bay’s next game will be at home against Minnesota.