The Green Bay Packers scored their first season-opening win since 2011 and also got a key divisional road win in the process, taking down the Chicago Bears by a score of 31-23.  The win will put the Packers alone atop the NFC North, at least for this week, as the Detroit Lions lost their game and the Packers' divisional win carries more weight than a potential win by the Minnesota Vikings over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night.  

There were a lot of firsts in this game.  This was the first time during his tenure as head coach that Mike McCarthy didn't call the offensive plays.  Tom Clements handled that duty and seemed to put quarterback Aaron Rodgers in good position to make the needed plays.  It was also Ron Zook's first game as special teams coordinator and he would face a big test at the end of the game when the Packers needed to successfully receive an onside kick.  The rookies were also getting their first game action as well.  The win came with its usual fare of good and not-so-good moments.  Let's take a look at the individuals responsible on both sides of the coin.

Game Balls

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers had a quarterback rating of 140.0 and had just five incompletions on the day.  Rodgers threw only 23 times but a lot of that had to do with Chicago's time of possession and keeping the Packers offense off the field.  Rodgers showed no signs of rust or a lack of playing time during the preseason.  His chemistry with his receivers is already evident and he threw some very well-placed passes, both from the pocket and on the run.  Jordy Nelson was a frequent target of Rodgers when plays broke down in the past and without Nelson as an option, Rodgers was still able to make some nifty throws, including some Brett Favre-esque shovel passes.  Rodgers' mobility was good and it was a good sign that the calf injury that hampered Rodgers in last year's playoffs doesn't appear to be a factor.   

As is often said, "as 12 goes so go the Packers".  If that's the case, the Packers appear to be in pretty good shape and ready to contend this season.

James Jones

Welcome back, #89!  Rodgers threw a pass to a well-covered Jones and gave JJ a chance to make a nifty catch, the type of catch we remember Jones making during his first stint with the Packers.  Jones wasted no time getting back into old form, hauling in the throw over the defensive back who was draped in front of him.  It was an immediate justification as to why the Packers brought Jones back and sent Myles White packing.  Jones' savvy route-running, knowledge of the offense and his rapport with Rodgers led to two touchdown catches on the day.  Were it not for a (questionable) holding penalty, Jones would have caught a third with a highlight-reel effort on another brilliant throw by Rodgers.

Jones is no Nelson, but he immediately reminds us how important it is to have his presence in this offense.  Not a bad day by a guy who just signed with the team one week prior.

Offensive Line

The line did a nice job in both run and pass blocking today.  There were some penalties but the line allowed no sacks on the day.  They also helped running back Eddie Lacy to run for 85 yards on the ground, including a touchdown.  With David Bakhtiari and T.J. Lang having missed most of the preseason, it was good to see this unit gelling as well as they did.  It's impossible to keep Rodgers upright all season long, but for an entire day on the road, that's not too shabby, even if Chicago's pass rush isn't considered to be one of the better pass rushes in the league.

The line will face a stiff test with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs coming up and today's performance was a nice confidence booster.  

Eddie Lacy

Lacy's numbers were on par with his usual average of about 85 yards on the ground, but Lacy was able to eek out some extra yards to finish his runs and added in two catches.  He made a nice one-handed grab of a Rodgers shovel pass when Rodgers was under pressure and turned it into positive yardage.  In looking at the openings Lacy had to work with, he seemed to be able to create yardage more so today than he has in the past.  I liked how Lacy was looking in preseason and he didn't disappoint today.  

Clay Matthews

The lone defender on this list, Matthews made the play of the day with his interception of Jay Cutler and return that set up Lacy's touchdown run.  Matthews somehow shows up big against the Bears and it was much needed today.  Late in the fourth quarter, Matthews stepped in front of a Cutler pass on a veteran play that not many linebackers make.  Matthews joked after the game and said the play call was for him to intercept the ball and be the hero.  While the play didn't end up being the dagger that officially sealed the win, it did put the Packers in position to close the game out and that, they did.  

Earlier in the game, Matthews chased down Bears running back Matt Forte from the backside on a play that looked likely to go for a long touchdown run had Matthews not made the tackle.  Matthews didn't show a lot of speed on his return after the interception, but it was good to see him get there and make a big play with his quickness.  With Sam Barrington still dealing with his ankle issue, Matthews will be needed on the inside for the time being.  It's good to know that there are some big plays to be had from the Claymaker.

Lame Calls

Sam Shields

I hope this was just one of those games that every player has from time to time.  The kind that they're best to forget and move on from.  It seemed every time the Bears were getting a big play or a break, Shields was right there helping make it happen.  After getting paid handsomely before last season, Shields has had a lot of pressure and eyes on him to live up to those expectations.  He's still a good corner, but he looked lost today, for some reason.  After the defense seemed to have held the Bears to a field goal try, Shields went offside on the attempt, allowing the Bears a first down and new life with the ball.  A few plays later, the Bears were near the goal line and Shields drew a defensive holding penalty which knocked out a hold by the offense that would have moved the Bears back outside of the 10-yard line.  Chicago got into the end zone a few plays later and so the gaffe cost them at least four points.  Shields also lost his footing a few times and took himself right out of plays when there weren't many other players having the same issue.

Shields is supposed to be one of the team's best defensive players and one the team can count on in both obvious and clutch situations.  I'm far from giving up on Shields, but he did little to give me confidence that his side of the field is accounted for at all times.

Run Defense

The Packers gave up 189 rushing yards on the day.  It seems like this is the same story every season.  The defense lacks the play making ability up front and in the middle to simply line up and stop the run.  That's not to mention that we're talking about Matt Forte this week, Marshawn Lynch next week and Jamaal Charles in week three.  It's a big task and the Packers have to somehow rise up to the challenge.  Safety Morgan Burnett was out against the Bears and his return should add at least some reinforcement in the run game.  The Packers are also getting Datone Jones back after serving his one-game suspension.  Jones isn't a starter and is far from an anchor on the line, but he's at least another capable body that can rotate in.  After week three, the Packers also get Letroy Guion back and their defensive line is a bit more solidified.

That still leaves these next two weeks to navigate.  If Burnett is out again next week, the Packers are going to have to find some way to slow down Lynch and a more mobile Russell Wilson at quarterback.  Mike Daniels can talk about how pissed off he is after a tough performance and Julius Peppers can talk about how the defense will figure it out and get better, but how?  The players aren't different and the scheme is what it is so how do the Packers stop the run?  I'm glad I'm not the guy responsible for answering that question.  And for those who are on the "fire Dom Capers" bandwagon, please then lay out your plan and showcase how you're better-equipped to handle this riddle.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Clinton-Dix seems to have this mental block where he suddenly forgets how to tackle.  On multiple occasions, he's still ducking his head and diving at the feet of ball carriers, who have obviously scouted this tendency and maneuver around him.  There's a lot of truth to "you can't hit what you can't see" and Clinton-Dix missed on several tries against the Bears.  Backs like Forte, Lynch, Charles and Adrian Peterson will eat him alive if he continues trying to take them down with a blind body jab.  He may be more of a cover safety and best in the role of center fielder, but any safety has to be able to tackle.  He got there on a few occasions and would have stopped the play for no gain or very few yards, but he failed to wrap up and the play ended up going for longer yardage.  Tackling is a fundamental in football and we harp all the time on how little time these defensive players get in pads and to practice live tackling anymore.  However, guys can either play or they can't and Clinton-Dix will never achieve all that he can with the Packers if his tackling doesn't improve and become a bigger priority.