The Packers looked like a disjoint preseason squad in Week 1, but got back near their normal level with a tune-up against the Bears.
Prior to the game, there was a lot of uncertainty with the Packers losing another opener in embarrassing fashion while the Bears managed to beat a team that made last year’s playoffs.
Looking back, we have answers to the 3 biggest questions that we said would determine the outcome of the game:
- Can Matt LaFleur mix it up? With Luke Getsy on the other sideline, we need LaFleur to break his tendencies and mix things up. He did. Aside from the run-heavy attack, he added some subtle wrinkles like using Watson on jet sweeps and passing to his running backs less less. If the Packers can continue to add new wrinkles each week, their offense will remain unpredictable and build a lot of new plays as the season goes on, making them harder to scout in the playoffs.
. - Can the Packers secondary rebound? Nothing better for a secondary in disarray than to cover a weak receiving corps on a team with an undeveloped quarterback. The Packers allowed a net total of 70 passing yards, which qualifies as supremely dominant. Jaire, Stokes, and Douglas needed a get-well game as they continue to feel each other out and learn how to play together. This game showed what we already suspected: this can be an elite group.
. - Can Special Teams have another non-disaster? Yes. Amari Rodgers gave us a little scare on a fumble that he recovered, and the kick coverage team gave up some yards, but there were also some good plays and, on the whole, no real disasters for the second week in a row! I’m starting to get optimistic that this unit may not completely blow a game this year.
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