Green Bay Packers v. Lions: The Good, Bad & Ugly from Week 2

The Green Bay Packers cruised to another relatively easy win. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from their Week 2 performance against Detroit.

It was a slow start for this Green Bay Packers team as early on, we saw a lack of execution on offense and a defense that couldn’t stop a thing Detroit was doing. As a result, the Packers quickly found themselves in an 11 point hole but dug themselves out very quickly.

The defense would start coming up with stops, and the offense went on another scoring spree, scoring 31 unanswered and topping the 40 point mark once again. The Packers now sit at 2-0 overall and a crucial 2-0 in the NFC North.

As always, I’ve got the good, the bad, and the ugly from Green Bay’s performance. And as you’d expect, we have a lot of good to discuss.

The Good

Matt LaFleur

Year 2 of the Matt LaFleur offense is off to a terrific start. There’s clearly a better understanding by everyone involved, and LaFleur called another beautiful game on Sunday. Although the execution wasn’t always there, especially early on, LaFleur was able to take advantage of Detroit’s decision to play heavy man coverage.

With plenty of presnap motion, bunch formations, and a mix of run and pass, LaFleur was able to stress the Lions’ defense, creating easy throws and several chunk plays for Aaron Rodgers. We hear a lot about ‘scheming players open,’ well, that’s what LaFleur has been doing beautifully for two weeks now. As head coach of the Green Bay Packers, LaFleur is 8-0 in the NFC North and 16-4 overall.

Aaron Jones

I mean, what a day for Aaron Jones. He was not only the Green Bay Packers leading rusher but also their leading receiver as well. When it was all said and done, Jones rushed for 168 yards at 9.3 yards per carry and hauled in another 68 yards through the air, while totaling three touchdowns. According to Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com, Jones 236 all-purpose yards were the most by a Packers’ player in 64 years.

The popular opinion in today’s NFL is that teams shouldn’t pay running backs. However, Jones is making that decision incredibly difficult for the Packers as he plays such a key role within this LaFleur offense that he was tailormade to succeed in.

The Green Bay Packers’ Offense

For all the talk this offseason about how the Packers don’t have any weapons, they have been the most productive offense in the NFL through the first two weeks. Against Detroit, Green Bay posted 42 points, 488 total yards at 7.4 yards per play, and controlled the time of possession once again.

Through the Packers’ first two games of the season, the offense has totaled 85 points, 1,010 yards, nine touchdowns, and no turnovers. As I said above, Year 2 of the LaFleur offense is off to a terrific start.

Rashan Gary

After putting together an excellent training camp, Rashan Gary has carried that momentum into the regular season. In Week 1, he led this Packers defense in total pressures, and against Detroit, he came away with 1.5 sacks while also pressuring Matthew Stafford on what turned into a pick-six for Chandon Sullivan. He continues to make big plays, and both Green Bay interceptions this season have happened after a Gary pressure.

The Bad

First Quarter Defense

Goodness, talk about a lack-luster start to the game for this defense. A week after it looked like they took their foot off the gas in Minnesota, they started this game with zero juice. Whether running the ball or passing, Detroit was able to do pretty much whatever they wanted.

The Lions would march down the field on their first two possessions of the game, taking a quick 14-3 lead. Fortunately, and as is often the case, the Packers’ defense tightened things up and came away with timely stops and a turnover.

Drops

The offense was humming along again on Sunday, but drops were a prominent issue. We saw Jace Sternberger drop two easy passes, Robert Tonyan would have a drop on a potential big play downfield, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling misplayed a ball in the end zone. Even the uber-reliable Allen Lazard had a drop as well. As good as the offense as been through two weeks, this is something that must be cleaned up moving forward.

The Ugly

More Injuries

Last week we saw the Green Bay Packers likely lose Lane Taylor for the season, and we don’t know how long they’ll be without Kenny Clark. Then during the week, we would learn that Josiah Deguara wouldn’t be playing against Detroit either. And unfortunately, we have more bad news on the injury front.

Davante Adams would leave the game with what was called a hamstring injury, followed by Corey Linsley exiting the game due to his hand. We also saw Tyler Lancaster limp off; however, he was able to return, and then Tyler Ervin left with a possible concussion.

Hopefully, everyone is alright, and these aren’t injuries that are going to keep these players out for an extended period of time.