Slow and steady wins the race, right? That was surely the case for the Green Bay Packers (1-0, 1-0 NFC North) in week one of the NFL’s 100th season, topping NFC North Rival, the Chicago Bears (0-1, 0-1 NFC North) 10-3 at Soldier Field.

The Matt LaFleur era opened with a win, and even if it was not the prettiest game, a win on the road over a division rival is absolutely a great start for the Packers moving forwards.  

“They worked for four quarters, and we knew it was going to be a four-quarter battle,” LaFleur said at the post-game press conference. “Proud of our defense, and their effort. I thought they were smothering. Special teams really picked up the slack. Obviously, we have a lot of improvement from the offensive side of the ball.”

The offensive struggled to find any sense of consistent rhythm throughout the game, but a phenomenal scoring drive in the second quarter was certainly the highlight. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who finished 18-30 for 203 yards and a touchdown (ESPN stats), took Green Bay 74 yards in just four plays in 1:35. 47 yards to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, 9 yards to tight end Mercedes Lewis, 10 yards to wide receiver Davante Adams, and then an insane 8-yard 50-50 touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham. Count it. Thanks to the superb performance from Mike Pettine’s defense, that drive was all the Packers needed to top the Bears Thursday night.

With some offensive struggles, a defense that looked truly promising for the first time in years, and an electric performance from punter JK Scott, we certainly have quite a few things to takeaway.

What we learned: “We got a defense”

Yep. pic.twitter.com/oHfYflLbNI

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) September 6, 2019

Rodgers said it best in his post-game interview. For the first time in a long time, the Green Bay Packers have a defense and boy, did they show up Thursday night. Packers fans saw what Mike Pettine was starting to implement last season and with the addition of some key players in the offseason like, linebackers Za’Darius and Preston Smith and safety Adrian Amos, as well as key draft picks in players like safety Darnell Savage, they finally have the key weapons they were missing before.

“I just thought, it seemed like they were all over the place, it felt like we were getting pretty good pressure, the coverage was on point,” LaFleur said at the post-game press conference. “That’s great credit not only to those players, but to our coaching staff as well. I thought Mike Pettine and our staff on defense designed a great plan and were certainly able to get some free runners tonight.”

As a whole, the defense combined for 5 sacks and 4 tackles for a loss, and a late-game interception, (ESPN stats), but they could have easily had two more picks as well.

What went right: Defense and Special Teams (JK Scott)

I already touched on the defensive performance above, but let’s talk about punter JK Scott and the monster night that he had. Scott punted a total of 9 times for 428 total yards with an average distance of  47.6 yards (ESPN stats). Five of his nine punts also landed inside the Bears’ own 20-yard line. I know punters are rarely talked about, but if you watched this game you could not miss the significant impact Scott made for the Packers.

What went wrong:  Running Game/ Pass Block

It was evident that the Packers’ true offense did not take any snaps together during preseason Thursday, but it also did not help that they were up against one of the toughest defenses in the league.

Rodgers was sacked a total of 5 times (ESPN stats), as the Bear’s defensive front came blazing through the Packers offensive line on multiple occasions. The run game was pretty much non-existent for the Packers as well. They were held to a team total of 47 rushing yards, with running back Aaron Jones accounting for 39 of the 47 yards (ESPN stats).

As the season goes on, I certainly think that this is something that will improve, so there is no need to panic too much. The combination of it being week one against the Bears’ defense, with little real-game situations under their belt, just proved to be a little too much for the Packers’ offensive front Thursday night.

Offensive Standouts: Graham, MVS

It finally happened. Jimmy Graham played a significant role in the Packers offense in week one. With LaFleur’s new offense, it was no surprise to see him and Lewis more involved, but it was refreshing to see Graham come up with some of the plays that he did. His athletic ability on his 50-50 touchdown catch was one of the reasons that the Packers got him last offseason and I certainly hope they continue to utilize him that way more often.

Graham finished the night with 3 receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown (ESPN stats).

MVS showed potential as a deep threat last season, and you could tell that he gained Rodgers’ trust in the last year he has been in Green Bay Thursday night. He had an impressive 47-yard catch that sparked the Packers’ scoring drive and led the team in receiving with 4 receptions for 52 yards on the night (ESPN stats).

MVS showed potential as a deep threat last season, and you could tell that he gained Rodgers’ trust in the last year he has been in Green Bay Thursday night. He had an impressive 47-yard catch that sparked the Packers’ scoring drive and led the team in receiving with 4 receptions for 52 yards on the night (ESPN stats).

Defensive Standouts: Savage, Amos, Smith^2

Honestly, I could highlight almost every player on the Packers’ defense for something that they did here, but Savage, Amos, and both Smiths really stood out to me.

Savage was simply, a savage, and came super close to his first career interception, while also breaking up several plays throughout the night.

Both Preston and Za’Darius Smith were putting constant pressure on Bears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky, and Preston sealed the win with a sack, assisted by Za’Darius at the end of the game.

However, Amos, who just so happens to be a former Bear, takes the cake with his interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Oh, the irony of that one.

Adrian Amos. pic.twitter.com/RCsKyU7l0k

— Zachary Jacobson (@ZachAJacobson) September 6, 2019

Up next, the Green Bay Packers get a visit from another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings, next Sunday Sept 15^th. Kickoff is set for 1 PM EST.