Green Bay Packers: 5 players who won the game vs Minnesota Vikings
The Green Bay Packers won their second straight game to begin the 2019 NFL season and moved to 2-0 because of these five players.
When the 2019 NFL schedule came out, the Green Bay Packers immediately noticed they played their two biggest division rivals to begin the season. They later learned they’d actually kickoff the entire season at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears before returning to the friendly confines of Lambeau Field to host the Minnesota Vikings. Fortunately, things have worked out well for the Packers so far.
Through two games, Green Bay’s defense has been everything general manager Brian Gutekunst thought it could be and more. By now, you know the story about how Gutekunst signed free agents Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Adrian Amos while using two first-round draft picks on Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage. All those players, minus Gary, have flashed more often than not in the first two games.
Before we look ahead to Week 3 and begin preparing for the Denver Broncos, let’s take one more look back and identify five Packers who helped win the game against the Vikings on Sunday.
Jaire Alexander
To be sure, Alexander had his ups and downs against the Vikings. There were times when he was beaten by Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen who combined for six receptions and 124 yards against the Packers. Most notably, was the Diggs touchdown that appeared to go through Alexander’s arms.
However, he was in their hip pocket more often than not in order to disrupt the pass. He was officially credited with a team-high two pass deflections, but his impact was greater than that. Alexander has taken a step forward so far this season and appears to be on his way to stardom.
Aaron Jones
Although Vikings’ running back Dalvin Cook cast a huge shadow thanks to his performance on Sunday, Jones wasn’t a slouch. He finished the game with 23 carriers for 116 yards and one touchdown. Not to mention his four receptions for 34 yards. Jones proved he can be a valuable weapon in this offense and the days appear over where he was limited by the coaching staff. Look for him to continue to have a great impact on games moving forward.
Kenny Clark
I was torn between handing this spot out to Blake Martinez, who racked up a team-high 13 tackles, or Clark. Ultimatley, I went with Clark despite his lack of a box score impact. Clark was all over the field against Minnesota and was consistently in the backfield, as he was credited with one sack and one tackle for loss. His strip sack of Kirk Cousins gave Green Bay great field position and an excellent chance to score. The man is a force to be reckoned with.
Preston Smith
Similar to Clark, Smith’s box score won’t jump out at you. He did have an interception on a pass that was deflected by Darnell Savage, but his biggest impact was his mobility and discipline. Smith moves extremely well for a player his size and is good in the open field. He also demonstrated a discipline on boot action that was not there at the outside linebacker position last season. These small changes go a long way toward helping the Packers become an established defense.\
Next. Packers vs Vikings: 3 standouts in Week 2. dark
Davante Adams
After a slow start to the season in Week 1, Adams got back on track against the Vikings. He caught fire at the beginning of the game and eventually slowed down. However, he finished with seven receptions on nine targets for 106 yards. Adams proved why he’s the Packers’ lone receiving threat and still an elite option despite defenses honing in on him.