Having not taken any notes it's hard to comment from anything but the depths of shame at our performance.
Did we move the ball? Yeah.
Did we put the ROOKIE Receivers in situations where they got touches even if they didn't get catches? Sure.

Someone is going to have to explain to me how NO ONE on the Packers Coaching staff heard of Jefferies or warned any of the SECONDAY (if you can call it that) about how crafty he is in his routes.

It's just week one. It's just week one. It's just week one. FURTHER PROOF that Rodgers needs to play in at least ONE Pre-Season game. Not because he needs the practice but because SCREWING THE POOCH every week one is not acceptable and the 1s need to play with Rodgers at game speed.

Game Balls...Hmmm...Tough one but I'd have to go Dillon and even Tonyan. WHEN Rodgers did throw Big Bob the ball he caught it and looked good. Nice to have Big Bobby back.

Zack Tom...As SOON as he came in the game the Packers looked a LITTLE better. The long run by Jones was to his side and he had a nice block on it. Even when Jenkins comes back, and Bakhtiari ever plays again, Zack Tom has got to be part of the starting 5 O-Linemen.

Lame Calls...MLF...Once again MLF doesn't know WHO his best 5 O-Linemen are. Hanson sucked in the preseason and he sucked today. LaFleur needs to spend less time on his eyebrows and more time figuring out what he'll do until Jenkins gets back and IF Bakhtiari doesn't ever play again. Whatever happens moving forward Hanson can't be part of it.

Rodgers...Jesus Christ, WHY can't this guy get a fucking play off in time? Then if he does manage to get the ball snapped he holds on to the ball FOREVER!

Joe Barry... Jarie Alexander said after the game the Defenses game plan was not to allow Justin Jefferson to beat them. Now I understand you can't shadow Jefferson on every play 100% of the time. But when I saw first Quay Walker responsible for him, and then Preston Smith lined up ACROSS from him, I really, REALLY, wonder what the hell they did in the two weeks before the game to get ready. THAT CAN'T HAPPEN!!!

-The Chiefs put up 40+ points without their star receiver?

-Can MLF actually coach or does this team go as Aaron Rodgers goes?

-Joe Barry can’t field a competent Defense with this group against a first year head coach?

-The Vikings are the new Kings of the NFC North and it doesn’t look close.

Lost me at “laid a giant egg”.

A good offensive team, at home, is held below the league’s scoring average and that’s laying a giant egg? Are you kidding me?

We scored 7. Four turnovers, including twice on downs. One of the most anemic offensive outputs of the Rodgers/LaFleur era, and you lead with “defense lays a giant egg. Unbelievable.

Game Balls:

Clark - He is so damn good.
Gary - He is a stud. Plain and simple.
Dillon - He didn't have a lot of room to work with, but he was running hard.
Walker - He is legit! He was all over the field. I have not heard about his injury but hopefully its not bad. His speed is a difference maker.

Lame Calls:

Hanson at RG instead of Tom - Everyone you talk to, or listen to Tom was easily better then Hanson. Them starting Hanson over Tom simply is about Hanson being here longer. He doesn't have a ton more experience other then being here longer. Tom is clearly the better option.

Offensive game plan - I don't get why there were so many deep throw plays and long play action pass plays when they were without their top 2 OT's. Also I don't get how Aaron Jones only managed to have 8 touches. That should be a crime in this offense.

Defensive game plan - I don't get how hard it is to make sure that Jefferson is not lined up against Preston Smith. Whatever they are doing there, they need to stop it. Cuz that is a joke.

THREE AND OUT:

Special Teams - Overall there were no issues here. Blocking seems to still be an issue. I was waiting for a punt to be blocked honestly. There was a lot of pressure up the middle.

Predictable - I wasn't surprised by the way this game went. We saw it happen last year. Without our starting OT's and number 1 WR, a new set of WR's and a shuffled OL, I was not surprised that our offense struggled. Week 1 is always tough. Going into Minnesota where they have struggled with the new stadium, against all new coaches and schemes, it did not surprise me. I was a little surprised at how they played defense. I thought they were going to make Jefferson their focus. doubling him everywhere he went. To me this was not surprising at all.

Positives - While I just said it wasn't surprising the end result, I am more encouraged by some things in this game then I not. Realistically this is a very different game if Watson doesn't drop the 75 yard TD on the first play of the game. If he catches that, scores, they have tons of momentum, the score is tied up. Its a completely different game from there. I also feel there were a lot of missed chances/opportunities. Rodgers missed a throw to Jones that would have kept the drive going. Tonyan looked good.
But Watson showed he has legit speed to burn defenses. Doubs flashed a bit. Walker is legit. Tom deserves to be a starter. The rookies had good moments for sure.

Now its time to go to week 2 and see what they have learned and what has changed. We need to see more energy and less mistakes. I am looking forward to seeing what happens.

Here were my impressions:

Good things (albeit not many of them):
AJ Dillon looked awesome. A true Packer. Tonyan also looks good to go, which is great. The STs were also good (I can’t believe I just wrote that). Coco looks good as a LS.

Bad things:
Why was Jaire not covering Jefferson? I (and the d-backs probably too) have no idea what Barry’s plan (or lack thereof) was supposed to accomplish. Hopefully he learns and does better the next time we play the Vikes. Also, the defensive front needs more consistency. Our OLB depth is not good, and that is just why the Packers NEED to sign Jason Pierre-Paul. On offense, woof. Hanson SHOULD NOT be out there, and Tom should. Tom is way better. When will D-Bak and EJ return, because I think the time is now. I’m also suprised Tonyan, Watkins, Cobb, Jones, and Dillon were not more involved. Why we did not run in most of the time I do not know. As for the rookie receivers, Doubs flashed and Watson dropped, but these things will happen.MLF needs to call better plays in the red-zone. Should have had Dillon run in through the side of the end zone, not right into the pile.

Ultimately, I think the Packers will be able to put this behind them and have a good season for a couple of reasons. First, over the last couple of years, we’ve had a history of slow starts. Last time, we heartily beat a division rival in week 2, and hopefully that happens here. Also, the returns of Lazard, EJ, and D-Bak will give the offense a HUGE facelift, both in the run and pass game. The rookie receivers can only get better from here. The defense I think will use the humiliation and disorganization that occurred in this game as a motivation to play harder; that’s what happened last year to some degree. The defense also didn’t have any film to watch for this game; the element of surprise played a huge degree here. Also, this is the first real-game situation in which the starting defense and offense have played; so they’re both trying to figure things out also. To prove this point, the STs, which played in the Preseason, did well. Ultimately, I have faith that the Packers can put this behind them and have a good season. GPG!

Game Balls: Dillon

Lame Calls: ACR - Tom Brady had three new starting OL. Mahommes lost his most talented receiver too. At some point, a guy being paid $50M supposed to make guys look better than they really are, and I always get the feeling with #12 that for him it is about what he doesn't have around him. He needs to go back to Watson. And keep going back. You know who else besides Dillon looked happy to on the field? Jordan Love looked happy to be on the field. Sure, it was a prevent defense and he took what the defense gave him, but he had a decent release, he threw the ball with some zip, and he took what the defense gave him.

MLF - Was there an offensive game plan? Can you make an adjustment or three? Or are you too busy kissing #12's arse to get him to follow a game plan so you've just given up trying to make one?

JB - Same questions.

Speaking from a coaches perspective you come up with a gimmick defense when when you are out manned and you experiment and say screw it, let’s try this. You can’t line up mano - mano and say let’s get it on with this roster?

If the system is to complex for your teaching ability to successfully implement and execute and their best player is run around uncovered…then don’t try it! Look in the mirror time coach.

GAME BALL: Zach Tom played great, as did Nijman. Dillon and Jones ran and caught the ball well. O'Donnell, whom I did not want to see very much of, in this game, punted well. Amari Rodgers and STs did not do anything to live down to it's preseason reputation. Jordan Love went 4-5 in the 2 minute drill, at the end of the game. Tonyan played okay, in his first game back.

LAME CALL: We got away from running the ball, again! Injuries to Q.Walker, Barnes, Nixon and Runyan are hopefully short term ones. The coaching decision to play Jake Hanson at RG and Newman at RT was disastrous, and many people here, said it during preseason. Zach Tom should be a starter on this O Line. Tom played well at LG and should play there again, until either Elgton or Runyan comes back.Then move Tom to the right side of the OL. Caleb Jones or Rasheed Walker should play at RT, a bit too, to spell Rodgers from getting sacked. Play Newman at RG and if he doesn't hold up, there, put Sean Rhyan in that spot. Rhyan, Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker cannot be worse that what we saw on Sunday. If Watson catches that ball and if AJ punches through their DL for a TD, it's a different game. Another bad thing was the play on that AJ Dillon at the goaline play was that Big Dog ran right past Zadarious instead of chipping/ blocking him. Zadarious was unblocked and made the tackle on Dillon, from behind. If Big Dog disrupts Zadarious there, AJ may have been able to score. Rodgers throwing to a double covered Tonyan, at the goal line, on that 4th down play, could have changed the game had he been able to make the catch.

JUST PLAIN WHATEVER: It was a Division loss to a team we should have beaten. Our lethargic performance allowed the vikings to beat us. The Packers are just killing their fans in western Wisconsin and those fans who live in Minnesota. We get to hear the vikings crow about how great they are. They are not great, but were good enough, to beat us. Poor defensive coaching allowed Jefferson to be wide open, all game long. Jaire should have been tasked with covering him. When he did cover him, Jefferson was called for OPI. Rodgers was up to his old "hang onto the ball and take a sack" gameplan, again. Nagler said it yesterday, that when Cousins was about to be hit, by a GB pass rusher, he threw the ball, in rhythm, to a receiver and many times moved the chains. We have to get better, really quickly. We play the Bears next and the Bears beat the 49ers yesterday. That's something we have had trouble doing.

My takeaway from this game? I think next year I'll wait till week 2 to watch football.

Game Ball 🏈 Bakhtiari, highest paid cheerleader in the NFL 💰💰

A.J. Dillon was very solid running the ball and had some nice catches. Yosh Nijman held up well. That is all.

Everything was Lame. The energy, the game plan, Rodgers holding the ball for 6 seconds. All of it is a recipe for an L.

Oh BTW, Jake Hanson sucks.

Is this team capable of getting of to a fast start in a season (or a game, for that matter)? If not, why not??
The (downhearted) Szotman

The Ghost of Dom was floating over field. The return of exotic D that serves to to confuse...your own guys. I have an uneasy feeling about Barry. He has never succeeded as a D coordinator and if he can't with this group...he never will.

I also have an uneasy feeling how ML, Stenovich and Butkus select their "best 5" OL. The Playoff selections of the lumbering Kelly and moving Turner to LT was befuddling. Going into this game, based on on field performances, with Jenks and Dave (again) out, the best 5 IMO were Yosh, JRJ, Myers, Newman, Tom. Newman is serviceable at G but a liability at T. Hanson is an emergency C only right now. He may never be more this. Seems they select OL starters based on tenure as much as performance.

Lastly and most importantly, the O game plan for MN was also awful. Maybe ML is missing Hackett and Getsy more than realized. One of the most talented RB duos in the NFL and ML runs the ball 32%? Looks like the ghost of MM is back too.

Jones just getting 8 carries is just assinine.

The question I keep coming back to is: how would Belichick take away the best player, Jefferson. I have to think a CB and a safety would be on him. There was No jamming at the line, and an 8+ yard cushion wasn’t getting it done. Back to the drawing board.

Ken good write up! I agree with what you stated, except “ We’re still getting nothing out of kickoff returns.”. They did what they should’ve done and let the ball fall 5-10 yards into the end zone. Starting on the 25 is much better than one of three bad things that might happen. They are; you don’t reach the 25, you fumble the ball, and the one thing that happens frequently in the NFL, you have a penalty and start inside your 15 yard line. I’d take the 25 yard line all day long if the ball falls into the end zone 3 plus yards.

Regarding, passing vs running on 4th and 1, be careful many posters have shelled Mlf for not running Dillon in those instances. We’ll he did and it didn’t work. I didn’t have a problem with he play and the OL should’ve had a better push. What I noticed is I believe it was Hanson and maybe Myers and Yosh, didn’t get low enough and create leverage to get the push needed.

I'd estimate 80% vikings fans in the crowd. My section had four packer fans in it, so probably 50-60 vikings fans around them.

We just sucked in X and O's, sucked on O and D, and played average on ST... Can't win against a high school team like that.

This loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. I don't care if you use zone/man to man/cover 1/cover 2 or box and 1(I know basketball but thought I would throw that in there) whatever you use NO DEFENSE has the other team's #1 receiver running free by as much as 4 yards. None of them!

The Viking were giving the offense the middle of the field, why not utilize it?

Run the ball, and use short passes or throw it away. Probably part of the game plan, but it wasn't utilized.

4th and 1 (should have been shorter but coaches didn't argue ball placement) RPO was called...Rodgers made mistake in reading the defense by his own admission. I think it was the right call, bad execution.

Compare to last year's team...I'm not so sure this is just rust like last year. Rodgers has to work the offense according to MLF's plan. You know why it's not? Easy, too much time in setting up the play. Look at Rams, and 49ers quick to the LOS and run the play.
Look at the other side of the coin...the SB winners lost by 21 points so we always have that!

We kept hearing about how the D was dominating the O in practice. We now see why. The O is, for now, mediocre in practice and worse when it counts. The D is good in practice and just mediocre when it counts.
Next week is now a bigger game than a game 2 normally is. Two division losses will make the post-season push a whole lot harder.

Watkins and Cobb being the #7 and #9 receivers on the team this week is... interesting. Watson gave away a 75 yard TD pass and still ended up with as many yards as those two combined.

I just don't really understand the Cobb thing - if he's there because Rodgers loves him, you'd think he'd target him more, especially in a game where he's getting frustrated.

Here we go again, to the purple pukes no less. Week 1 excuses. Seems most of the league has no trouble showing up for week 1,,, I wonder how long I would have lasted in my job if I showed up as ill prepared as the Packers were yesterday and put out that kind of effort. I was halfway to turning the game off after the first Packer offensive play, and it didn't take long after that to shut it down and just check the score off the internet from time to time.
Despite all the preseason hype about the defense, it pretty much was MIA by the stats yesterday, Rogers pretty much appears same old, same old, (holding the ball too long, wasting time outs) only this year he doesn't have his security blanket to throw to, has to work with a new bunch of receivers (wonder how long the trust factor is going to take) and a leaky O-line.
Not looking forward to a season of seeing 12 on the sidelines looking peeved 'cause things ain't going like they're supposed to, and if this keeps up, that's the only reason the networks will want to show Packer games in primetime.

The sad thing is that this game almost seemed like a total waste. Other than special teams being okay, there was nothing either on offense or defense that you can really build off of. I think the defense will regain its footing, but on offense, I don't know. If you were just going to hand the ball off and throw underneath most of the game, you might as well have inserted Love at QB.

Red zone offense was a problem last season as well. Wasn't MLF rumored to have a creative offensive mind? You would have thought he and Rodgers would have come up with some fresh solutions now that Adams is gone.

This is one of those games you forget about and move forward--not much to be learned here, except that you watch Jefferson's every movement but be careful not to get burned by Thielen the next time against the Vikings.

On offense, MLF might want to think about throwing the poop at the wall and see what sticks vs. the Bears. The sooner some of these newer players get broken in, the better. We need a win with a road date vs. the Bucs coming up next.

Lame calls:- Defense as they looked clueless all night. This was definitely not expected as this defense is not only pretty much intact but also added new pieces to further Strengthen it and are into 2nd yr under Barry just no excuses.

Agreed the offense played poorly but it is somewhat expected with our inexperienced make shift Oline and no true Wr1 we are going to struggle. But even with all these -ve's there are still chances to be had but the offense fell flat. 12 holding on to the ball, Oline
getting pushed all nite and our HC sucked at red zone like last yr and no in game adjustments. The worst part is loosing to the divisional rivals hope this doesn't come back to bite us this season.

And what's up with so many shoulder injuries with this team? All our back up safeties got wiped up in the preseason and in the very first game our rookie Lb and nixon both seemed to have similar injuries. Is it becoz of poor tackling?

This shouldn't be musical chairs on the OL. Either you block, or you're gone! The OL lost this game. They got blown off the line.
Seriously, Why wasn't Walker playing, and Newman at RG? If Hanson stays at Guard. Fire the Coach!
Rodger's needs to give the kids a break. They will never be on the same page with him. If he doesn't pull for them.

Kenny Clark had a really nice game with 6 pressures and 2 hits. We won't talk about Lowry and his 45 grade from PFF. Not sure how much film they need to watch before they realize he's a 4i and 5T ONLY.

this game means nothing , now if the packers lay an egg at home against the Bears that will be troublesome.

Arod doesn't want to be there and it's obvious. He came back because he though Adams was his Siamese twin and that's not the case. His frustrations are only going to grow because Bak is probably done and the receivers don't have his trust or patience.

Arod was taking unnecessary sacks like he "wants" to get hurt... and to be honest, Love looked better in garbage time than Arod did anywhere in the entire game. I predict Arod will not finish the season. He'll eventually be "injured" and on IR. And since the receivers have been practicing with Love all Off Season and Preseason, we might be better off.

Defense got the snot beat out of them and they know it. I think they'll bounce back though. Nothing like an embarrassing whooping to make you mean.

I'm likely full of doo-doo... but we'll see.

Game balls reluctantly to Dillon, Jones, Campbell and Gary.

Lame Calls: Almost everywhere. Start with the coaching staff, MLF and his staff were out coached and out prepared by a rookie HC and his staff.

Secondary had no plan or ability to cover Jefferson. He seemed to be wide open all game.

This game exposed 2 of the Packers biggest weaknesses which we discussed here during the offseason. First our OL, they were pushed around in the first half but did play a little better when Tom was installed for the second half. Second our WR corps was worse than I expected them to be starting with Watson's drop on the Packers first offensive play of the game. For the rest of the game they were out of sync with Rodgers. These 2 issues, OL and WR needs to be addressed in time for our next game. We especially need EJ and Bak back ASAP.

Next is Aaron Rodgers. He was frustrated early when Watson dropped a sure TD and he remained that way throughout the game. It looked to me at times that he didn't want to be out there. He needs to pick his team up when they are going flat.

In spite of everything the Packers had their opportunities to score during the first half. First they had a sure TD on Watson's drop on the first play of the game. Second they needed to execute better when they had First and goal at the Vikings 9 yard line and failed to get in on the 4th and 1 play. Those two drives should have produced 14 points in the first half and they ended up producing 0. We could have gone into halftime with either a 14-14 tie or trailing 17-14 at the worst. In either case we have a totally different game in the 2nd half.

I thought that our one TD scoring drive was an excellent example of the how the MLF offense should work. It was a solid drive with a good mix of runs and quick passes. We need to see more of that and we need better execution for a full 60 minutes of football. Our defense also played better in the second half but again leaving Jefferson wide open allowed the Vikes to retain possession and chew up clock.

It's only the first game. The Packers have plenty of time to recover. Let's see how they respond against the Bears this week. Thanks, Since '61

I'm a realist which sometimes means I'm not a 'fan'. This is not a very good team now and probably won't be for awhile. My reasons:

1)Two All-Pros missing from the offensive line. The 'mix and match' approach has never allowed one unit to gel. Strange to have that approach given the need to run the ball and protect Rodgers. Hanson is bad and whoever said he's impressive has been taking ayahuasca.
2)Tonyan is back, kind of, but the tight end position needs another game breaker not on the roster.
3)The Vikings showed that the Packers defense is not very flexible. It was clear they needed to make adjustments at halftime and did not. Cue Jefferson to continue to run wild. The defensive line was nowhere near as stout as I thought they would be.
4)Aaron Rodgers is starting to look old. He used to be one of the better running QB's in the league. No more. That is why we don't have 60 year old QB's in the league. His throwing accuracy is still outstanding.
5) They could have run the ball a lot more. Two things happen: they move the ball and they keep the Vikings offense off the field. Aaron Jones spent most of the day on the bench. Why?
6) The secondary, now with all veterans, looked lost.
7) Matt LF, once the golden boy of innovative offense, now has an offense that is as stale as Mike McCarthy's.
Regardless of the excuses he brings out today, like last season's opener, this team was not ready to play.
One of the announcers pointed out the Vikings didn't play their starters all preseason but they were ready to go.

I put the pre-season prediction at 9-8 and out of the playoffs and I'm sticking to it. Here's something to ponder: the Bears beat mostly the same 49'er team that beat Green Bay in the playoffs. Jimmy G was the QB, yes, but the rest of the team was there. All who think the game Sunday night will be an automatic Packers win could be surprised.

Vikings may not yet be the King of the North, but they now have an excellent young offensive minded coach. He schooled MLF in his first NFL HC game.

Not having the vast majority of your starters play a single snap in pre season hasn't worked out to well the last two years. The whole David Bac deal is a real joke. Having him take reps with the 1's the week before the first game should have happened the first week of camp. Not only was he unable to play but he also took away reps from the guys who started in the game. I don't care what procedure he may have had in march or what bull shit the front office gives us. Also so ill prepared on defense. What a joke