3 Big Things from the Packers Week 2 Win Over the Bears
By Paul Bretl
As they often do, the Green Bay Packers responded fairly well following their loss to Minnesota, with a three-score victory over the Chicago Bears to improve to 1-1 on the season.
Now that I’ve had the opportunity to go back and rewatch this game, I have my three big things from their performance.
Aaron Jones leads the way for the Packers
Immediately following last week’s loss to Minnesota, where Aaron Jones had just eight touches, both Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur made it very clear that he needed to be more involved in the game plan, as did AJ Dillon, who had only 15 touches of his own.
Jones and Dillon both knew all week leading up to this game that they were going to be involved heavily, and that’s exactly what happened, with the duo combining for 37 touches, most of which came on the ground.
Jones finished the game with 132 rushing yards on only 15 carries and bounced off plenty of would-be Bears tacklers along the way. Last season, Jones was one of the more difficult running backs to take down, and we saw that on display Sunday night. He’s a hard runner, with excellent vision and balance, along with a quick burst.
As I wrote about recently, added touches for Jones doesn’t guarantee a Packers win, but it doesn’t hurt their chances either. At the end of the day, he is this offense’s top playmaker, and regardless of the opponent, he needs to be heavily involved. To put it simply, this Green Bay offense is just different when he’s involved.
Dillon, meanwhile, had some success of his own, totaling 61 yards on 18 carries, fighting hard, and turning nothing into something. We also saw LaFleur utilize Jones and Dillon on the field together for eight snaps, exceeding their Week 1 total. How often they play together is something LaFleur is mindful of, but when on the field, it not only provides Jones and Dillon more opportunities, it also opens up the offense for others and gives LaFleur added flexibility as a play-caller.
Credit should also be given to LaFleur for some of the creative play designs he had drawn up to get Jones and Dillon involved. When asked about how the Packers will respond to upcoming opponents keying in on those two, Rodgers told reporters that “there’s a lot left in the bag,” in reference to play packages with Jones and Dillon.
We know that without Davante Adams, things are going to be different offensively, but this unit can still be effective. Their performance on Sunday night, specifically how involved Jones and Dillon were, showcased what that new identity should look like—a heavy dose of the running backs with a the ball being spread around in the passing game.