One year after losing 38-3 to the New Orleans Saints in the regular season opener, the Green Bay Packers struggled mightily again in Week 1 and lost 23-7 to the Minnesota Vikings in a one-sided game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Matt LaFleur’s team trailed 20-0 at one point in the second half and only briefly threatened a comeback attempt.
Here’s everything that went wrong for the Packers in Week 1:
Couldn't cover Justin Jefferson
The Packers had no answer for Justin Jefferson, who caught nine passes for 184 yards and a pair of scores, including the game-opening touchdown in the first quarter. The Vikings did a terrific job moving Jefferson around and scheming up route combinations to attack the Packers’ zone-heavy coverages, but Joe Barry’s defense also had at least three busted coverages that left Jefferson wide open for big plays. It was a highly disappointing start for a veteran secondary with big-time players. And it could have ended up worse: Jefferson was barely out of bounds on two other targets, including one in the end zone. In the first game of the post-Davante Adams era, the Packers got a big taste of what it was often like to face Adams for opponents, and it wasn’t fun.
Missed opportunities
The Packers gave up a touchdown on fourth-and-goal, had a likely 75-yard touchdown get dropped by Christian Watson, got stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and then threw incomplete on fourth down in the red zone with the game still in reach in the fourth quarter. As Aaron Rodgers said post-game, it’s really, really hard to win in the NFL when you can’t get out of your own way, and the Packers missed too many chances and made too many self-inflicted errors to beat a good football team on the road. There are always a few plays that turn a game one way or another, and the Packers weren’t able to make any of them on Sunday.
Couldn't block Za'Darius Smith
The former Packers edge rusher got a taste of sweet revenge on Sunday. Smith ended a drive with a third-down sack, helped stop A.J. Dillon short of the goal line on fourth down and was partly responsible for both of Aaron Rodgers’ turnovers (interception under pressure, strip-sack). He was “amped up,” as Matt LaFleur said, and nothing if not disruptive. On his first-quarter sack, Smith beat right guard Jake Hanson, who was only on the field because David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins didn’t play. Overall, Rodgers took four sacks – including another from Danielle Hunter – and was rarely playing from clean pockets.
Not enough Aaron Jones
In a game where the Packers couldn’t get going on offense, the team’s best playmaker hardly got the football. Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones handled just five carries and eight total touches overall. He averaged almost 10 yards per touch and created two plays over 20 yards, including a 29-yard run sparking the lone scoring drive, but his usage (or lack thereof) greatly limited his impact on the contest. Baffling. Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers need to do a much better job of getting the ball to No. 33.
Run defense wasn't good enough
Quietly, the Vikings rushed for 126 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per rush, and both Dalvin Cook (90 yards) and Alexander Mattison (36) had a run over 10 yards. Cook really heated up in the second quarter when he helped spark two different scoring drives with efficient runs, and Mattison ran hard in the second half. It appeared that some of the pre-snap motion got the Packers out of their run fits and opened lanes.
Pass rush wasn't disruptive enough
Kirk Cousins took only one sack and had multiple opportunities to attack downfield from clean, well-kept pockets. The Packers have big-time players in the defensive front and ended up finishing with eight total quarterback hits, but the pressure wasn’t consistent enough, especially in the first half. Green Bay needed to control the game at the line of scrimmage and use pressure to create a turnover or two, especially once the offense got off to a slow start. It never really happened, and Cousins – who averaged 8.7 yards per attempt and finished with a passer rating of 118.9 – played comfortably for most of Sunday.
Passing game never got in sync
Aaron Rodgers attempted 34 passes but never got into much of a rhythm and often looked uncomfortable and indecisive. He ended up averaging 5.7 yards per attempt, taking four sacks and turning the ball over twice. Much will be made about the rookie receivers, but veterans Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins caught only five passes for 32 yards despite playing most of the contest. Running back A.J. Dillon led the team in targets. The Vikings played two-deep safeties for much of the game and took away big plays, and many of the in-breaking route concepts weren’t effective. The Packers’ passing game is a work in progress, and it will be an all-hands-on-deck experience without Davante Adams in Green Bay, but this was a poor start – from the pass protection to the timing to the execution to the quarterback play.
