CHICAGO – The Packers opened the 2023 regular season with a 38-20 win over the arch-rival Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Here are five takeaways from this win.
1. Jordan Love answered the bell.
After a long offseason filled with speculation and hype about how Love will perform as the Packers’ new starting quarterback, the 2020 first-round draft pick has made it big.
Not only did he have an impressive passer rating of 123.2, going 15-of-27 for 245 yards and 3 TDs, but he also maintained control in an up-and-down game until the Packers pulled away in the fourth quarter. be.
“That’s the game, right?” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “You have to be resilient and not allow one play to affect the next…He has poise and competitiveness.
“Overall, I couldn’t be more proud of his performance.”
2. Aaron Jones’ value to the Packers offense cannot be overstated.
Jones had five carries on Green Bay’s first possession and helped set up a TD before taking over in the third quarter.
He took a 51-yard throwback screen and set up his own 1-yard TD plunge. Then on the Packers’ next drive, they caught Love’s fast throw on fourth-and-3 from Chicago’s own 35-yard line and brought it home, pushing the lead to 24-6.
“He’s a guy who tilts the playing field in your favor,” LaFleur said. “He’s very dynamic and explosive. Even when you bring up football, he means a lot to that locker room, not just what he does, but what he says and does every day. A true leader in the room. He’s an inspiration to everyone. ”
On a crucial fourth down, Jones ran what’s known as a “selection route,” reading the defense and choosing a route based on what he saw. Love saw that the Bears’ defense had left man coverage on Jones at linebacker and thought the short throw had a chance to make a big break.
“I knew it was going to be open, I knew he was going to kill them (with it),” Love said. “It was a great finish from him that was able to split up defenders.”
Jones finished with 127 yards from scrimmage (41 rushing, 86 receiving) and two scores, and did not play in the fourth quarter, leaving the game with a hamstring injury and his second TD. Lafleur said after the game that he hoped it was “just a cramp.”
