Analyzing The Week 2 Win for Green Bay Against The Bears

As the Green Bay Packers welcomed the Chicago Bears into Lambeau Field for their home opener, redemption was on the mind of the home team, seeing as how they were very much embarrassed at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings back in Week 1.

This was the first shot at new Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who brought over former GB offensive staff member Luke Getsy as his new offensive coordinator. His acclimation into the rivalry will be imperative for the Bears to make this a worthwhile rivalry again, something that has been missing for quite a few years.

Their Week 2 win over Chicago was a good test for this team, as facing a mobile QB like Justin Fields is something the Packers typically struggle with. Fields is progressing well as the leader of this team, but being able to face him while he still learns the new offense is a great way to have the Packers play through any of their defensive issues.

Offense

The key to the success of the offense for Green Bay is evenness across the board, putting pressure on both Aaron Rodgers and the rushing game equally. Last week against the Vikings, the Packers were unable to follow an even game plan, which saw both Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon not see enough touches.

In just the first quarter alone, a massive shift in the playcalling showed that the offense staff’s comments about needing to get the rushing game more involved were not just lip service – they meant it.

Nine passing attempts by Rodgers (for 66 yards) and nine rushing attempts (6 for Dillon, 4 for Jones) were exactly what helped them put up 10 points early on the Bears, scoring on both of their first two drives. A field goal was the result of a stopped first drive, and a Jones run helped cap off their second drive via a TD.

Even if a healthy average is not established right away via the ground game, the Packers must keep going back to the well to make sure that the offense has fluidity in its game plan. Becoming one-dimensional puts far too much pressure on Rodgers and lets the defense key in on passing work, making it tougher to move the ball altogether.

On a different note, welcome back Elgton Jenkins – we really missed you. As David Bakhtiari continues on his path to return, seeing Jenkins back out there at right tackle was a very welcomed sight (even if he was a bit rusty). The offensive line is such a different unit when at least one of either Bakhtiari or Jenkins are back on the field, so getting Jenkins back is a great first step.

Defense

Stopping the run is apparently something the Packers want nothing to do with on defense. While Justin Fields and David Montgomery are household names, the way that the Chicago offensive line was able to move bodies in the trenches to start the game was a bit embarrassing.

And things just got worse on the ground, as Montgomery was finding truck-sized holes in the trenches to run through on a regular basis. Joe Barry’s idea of trying to stop the run apparently involved making it easier for the Bears to run the ball – with the struggles that Fields has had throwing it, putting more bodies in the trenches should have been the way to go, but apparently, that was not in the cards.

The Bears do not have the strongest crew of wide receivers in the league, which allowed the Packers pass rush to get after Fields early and often. He did not look very confident when he was standing back in the pocket on pass plays, and he consistently was flushed out of the pocket and forced to find a clear platform before re-establishing his eyes downfield.

Jaire Alexander helped shut the door on Chicago with his late interception right before the two-minute warning. His impressive field vision helped him cover almost from sideline to sideline, reading the eyes of Fields and stepping in from of his receiver. All in all, it was a much better performance compared to last week, but there are plenty of things that both the offense and defense need to improve upon.

Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23

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