The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears by a 31-23 scoreline to open the 2015 NFL season. 

Here are the five primary reasons why the Packers were able to leave Soldier Field with a 1-0 record:

1. Return of James Jones

Jones made contested catches on his first-quarter touchdown and on a free play that went for 34 yards. He also hauled in a difficult throw on third down to move the chains, and Aaron Rodgers audibled to him at the goal line for a second score. Who knows if Jeff Janis (one snap) or Ty Montgomery (one snap) could have made the same difficult catches, or if Rodgers even would have attempted to make those same throws. With veteran know-how and an undeniable trust level with his quarterback, Jones brought a stabilizing presence to the Packers receiver group. Sunday could have ended very differently without No. 89 back in the fold. 

2. Front Five Command

Rodgers was rarely disrupted in the pocket Sunday, facing pressure on just eight of 28 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. Even when the Bears did get some push up front, Rodgers was able to sift through the clutter and make plays—scrambling five times for 35 yards and completing four of five passes for 76 yards and a score under pressure. Give credit to the offensive line, which took over right where it left off to end last season. The line did commit three penalties, including a hold on David Bakhtiari that negated a score. But the Green Bay front five mostly had their way with the Chicago front, especially in pass protection. Rodgers is impossible to handle when he’s protected. 

3. Red Zone Prowess

The Packers scored touchdowns on four of their five trips to the red zone. The only miss came after David Bakhtiari’s hold took away James Jones’ diving touchdown, but Green Bay still got three points out of the ordeal. Jones was a big part of the reason why the Packers were efficient in the red zone. He works well in cramped spaces, and trust between quarterback and receiver means everything down near the end zone. He also set up Eddie Lacy’s easy plunge for a score by drawing a pass interference penalty late in the contest. Of course, it sure helps to have a quarterback capable of making impossible throws (see: Randall Cobb’s touchdown). Meanwhile, the Bears scored just one touchdown on three red zone trips. In reality, Chicago should have finished 0-for-3, but Sam Shields’ bone-headed penalty on the field goal attempt gave the Bears a second life. The final miss came on fourth down, when a blitz forced Jay Cutler to throw erratically against Casey Hayward’s coverage. The Packers won decisively in the red zone. 

4. Cutler Goes Full Cutler

Coordinator Adam Gase had a good plan, especially in terms of featuring Matt Forte and the running game and preventing Jay Cutler from needing to make difficult throws. For three quarters, Cutler and the Bears executed the plan smoothly. But it only took one relapse for the recurring nightmare to come back for Cutler, who tossed an interception to Clay Matthews with the Bears down eight but driving. He broke two of Aaron Rodgers’ rules for not throwing picks: Cutler didn’t look inside (where Matthews was breaking on the throw), and he threw late down the middle. Like they have for years, the Packers turned the takeaway into seven points—essentially ending the contest. There seems to be a decent possibility that Cutler will only get one more shot to not throw a pick against the Packers as a member of the Bears. He’s now 12-for-12 in tossing at least one interception to the Packers since arriving in Chicago back in 2008. 

5. Typical Rodgers

Like most weeks, the most obvious reason for victory was also the most important. Nothing should be surprising with Rodgers, but he provided some ridiculous plays once again Sunday. His first-quarter flip to Eddie Lacy was downright Farvian. This packaged play makes you wonder how he releases the football so quickly. The touchdown to Randall Cobb had a foot-by-foot window to fit it in, and he placed it perfectly. On the negated score, he scrambled to his left, squared his shoulders and unleashed a 105 mph fastball to the only spot James Jones could catch it. He created a big play with his cadence and changed a play at the goal line for an easy touchdown. Rodgers beat the Bears every way possible Sunday. 

Zach Kruse contributes to Cheesehead TV. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected].