Matt LaFleur picked up his second win in as many tries to start the 2019 NFL season with the Green Bay Packers. Going up against a good Minnesota Vikings team, the Packers were able to hold their arch-rivals off to pull out a huge 21-16 victory to move to 2-0 on the young season. That came after a 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 1 to open the league's schedule.
Things started off great for the Packers, getting off to a 21-0 lead to begin the game. Unfortunately, the offense cooled off and the Vikings found some momentum. When everything was said and done, however, the Packers were able to do just enough to keep the Vikings from completing a comeback.
Kevin King came through with a massive interception in the end zone late in the game. Kirk Cousins was unable to get anything going after that play.
Mike Pettine and the Packers' defense allowed some big plays, including a 75-yard touchdown run from Dalvin Cook and a 45-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Stefon Diggs, but they pressured Cousins all game and held him to 14 for 32 passing and just 230 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at three immediate reactions for the Packers from their huge Week 2 win over the Vikings.
3. Matt LaFleur Has To Be Better
Let's just start this off by saying that LaFleur has done a solid job throughout his first two games. However, the Packers have struggled at times due to his decision-making. In this game, the Packers failed to convert on a fourth down in field goal range and LaFleur lost another challenge and timeout.
LaFleur is a young head coach and with that comes growing pains, but he has to be better. Green Bay can be very happy with their 2-0 start, but he still has some work to do.
2. Aaron Jones Is An Absolute Monster, As Predicted
Green Bay failed to get their running game going against a very difficult Bears' defense in Week 1. That was not the case this week against a Vikings' defense that has a ton of potential.
Jones ripped off 116 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, which was good enough for 5.0 yards per carry. He also caught four passes for 34 yards in the game. Without his production, the Packers would not have won this game, and he lived up to the hype in a massive early-season game for Green Bay.
1. The Defense Is For Real
Finally, there were some who didn't believe in the Packers' defense after their huge Week 1 performance against the Bears. Sure, Green Bay gave up some big plays, but they made some big plays as well. King made a huge interception, as previously noted, and Preston Smith also had an interception in the game.
Green Bay only sacked Cousins once, with Kenny Clark getting that sack, but they hit him six times. The defense also had six defended passes in the game and Jaire Alexander dropped what would have been the team's third interception. Pettine knows there is still a lot of room to improve, but this defense is one that the Packers can rely on moving forward.
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