It’s finally time for Week 1 and Jordan Love‘s first game as the Green Bay Packers’ QB1.
All eyes will be on the first-year starter as the Packers navigate the post-Aaron Rodgers era. However, it’s not only Love under a microscope, and it’s not only the offense that needs to break an unfortunate pattern.
The Packers have a lamentable Week 1 problem in the Matt LaFleur era. Green Bay has gone 2-2 in four Week 1 games. Those two losses weren’t just regular L’s but full rear-end whoopings, with the team looking lackadaisical — almost unaware the regular season had started. One of those wins featured a similarly slow start.
Even if the Packers aren’t viewed nationally as contenders this season, the NFC is wide open. A strong start, especially against a divisional opponent, gives the Packers an early advantage in the playoff race. How can the Packers avoid the mistakes of the past and come out swinging this Sunday?
Looking back at those previous four games, we can see some patterns and some irregularities.
In Week 1, 2019, the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in Matt LaFleur’s first game as head coach. The game wasn’t particularly high-scoring, and the Packers won 1-3. But it took the Packers until the second quarter to get on the board.
With it being the first game for most of the starters in LaFleur’s system and the Bears having a fairly stout defense, it made sense this wasn’t a high-scoring affair.
In 2020, the outlier, the Packers were outscored in the first quarter before coming alive in the second. Rodgers caught fire near the end of the first half, beginning his MVP season, and the team never looked back. The 43-34 final score looked closer than it was, with 24 of the Minnesota Vikings’ points coming in the fourth quarter after the game was just about over.
Expectations were high in 2021, thanks to Rodgers’ previous MVP season and LaFleur becoming a noted offensive mind. And while the Packers would top the NFC and make the playoffs, it started disastrously. On a neutral field in Jacksonville, the New Orleans Saints kicked the Packers in the teeth as both the offense and defense floundered. The 38-3 final score was an embarrassment.
Certainly the Packers, once again viewed as NFC darlings, wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes in 2022? WRONG. The Packers again came out looking woefully unprepared as they lost to the eventual divisional-champion Vikings. Starting with Christian Watson dropping a sure-fire touchdown, everything went wrong for the Packers in the eventual 23-7 loss.
On all of these occasions, the team largely neglected the preseason. Aaron Rodgers proved he didn’t need preseason games with two MVP seasons in this timeframe, but he sure didn’t play at an MVP level the last two season openers.
That definitely won’t be a factor this year. To get Jordan Love ready for the season and to build chemistry with his young receiving corps, Love played at least a few drives in all three exhibition games. Most of the team’s preferred starting offensive line protected him, so Love and the offense should be much more polished heading into Week 1. The majority of the starters on defense also played at least a bit.
Historically, in losses where the Packers go down early, they struggle to swim back up. LaFleur hasn’t lost too many games since taking the helm in 2019, but their losses have mostly been blowouts. This is a mindset and preparation problem the team needed to address regardless of the starting QB.
But the team seems to be creating a different mindset thanks to its new locker room-leading voices. The Packers were chippy in their joint practices this off-season, with tempers running hot. We don’t want recklessness, and I won’t say the team was soft before. But it’s nice to see more deliberateness and aggression, particularly from the defense. This team needs to be physical. Take advantage of the youth and superior athleticism and show teams that their views on the Packers are outdated.
The off-season changes may have set the Packers up for early success, especially with a slew of presumably easier teams early in the schedule, but LaFleur can still take specific steps to set Love’s team up for success.
Keep the game plan simple and don’t be afraid to lean on the rushing attack early. Aaron Jones has historically feasted against Chicago and remains the team’s best weapon. Love has shown an improved ability to adapt when a play breaks down, but keeping that game plan simple will help both him and the young receivers. They can stay aggressive by keeping to a quick tempo, a rarity with Rodgers.
Defensively, the team needs to show they can play a full 60 minutes at a high level. While the Bears acquired D.J. Moore and upgraded their offensive line, they still aren’t a scary passing team until they prove otherwise. Green Bay’s run defense looked improved this preseason, and they’ll need to consistently show that by limiting Justin Fields’ rushing opportunities.
Green Bay has a great chance to learn from their past mistakes, even with a new, young offense. They’ve already adjusted for Week 1 by using the preseason to their advantage and changing up the tempo at practice. With a few extra tweaks and a better mindset, the team can walk out of Chicago with a Week 1 win.
