The Green Bay Packers pulled off a 31-23 win on the road against the Chicago Bears in Week 1. What five takeaways can be seen from the big NFC North win?
Quite simply, any road win is a big win no matter what the final score ends up being. Green Bay was expected to blow the Bears out to open the season which didn't end up happening, but there are still quite a few good things to take away from the victory. Aaron Rodgers was excellent once again as usual and the rest of the offense showed up and played good football as well
Unfortunately, the defensive side of the football was not as good as the offense. There are quite a few issues that the Packers will have to fix if they want to live up to the Super Bowl hype that they have received throughout the entire offseason.
All of that being said, what are the five main takeaways that can be seen from Week 1 action?
1. Aaron Rodgers Is Once Again an MVP Favorite
Aaron Rodgers was brilliant once again as usual for the Packers and took even more leadership to lead his team to a 1-0 record to start the 2015 season. He completed 18 of his 23 passing attempts for a solid 189 yards and three touchdowns. Green Bay will need nearly perfect football from Rodgers like he gave them last season in order to make a run to the Super Bowl and he is more than capable of doing just that as he showed again Sunday.
2. James Jones Will Help Replace Jordy Nelson in a Big Way
As we talked about in an earlier article, James Jones came through with a huge game in his return to the Packers and helped replace Jordy Nelson's production. He caught four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon and was once again Rodgers' favorite target in the red zone. Jones is going to be a very consistent producer for the Packers and fans should expect to see him come through with solid performances each and every week.
3. The Defense Need a Lot of Help ASAP
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the game was the poor play of the entire defensive unit. They gave up massive yardage on the ground and they simply couldn't tackle anybody while also giving up big plays through the air. Green Bay has to figure things out quickly if they want any chance of knocking off the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night and proving that they are the team to beat in the NFC.
4. Eddie Lacy Must Be Unleashed Every Week
Another major bright spot for the Packers in Week 1 was the stellar play of star running back Eddie Lacy. He carried the football 19 times for 85 yards and a touchdown and needs to be given a lot of carries every single week moving forward. Lacy is able to run over any defender trying to bring him down and it will be interesting to see how he plays against a very tough Seattle defense on Sunday night.
5. Julius Peppers Is Even Better Than He Was Last Season
Julius Peppers came through with a huge performance in Week 1 as well, recording five total tackles and 1.5 sacks. He looked much more comfortable than he did at the start of last season and appears to be even more dangerous in the pass rush than he was in 2014. Assuming that is the case and he continues to play at the same level, it will be huge for the Packers and will help their defense make plays throughout the year.
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