They say that offense wins games in the NFL, but defense wins championships. So where does that leave the Green Bay Packers after a 2-0 start to the 2019 season? Two wins against divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. Two wins in which the defense stepped up to deliver the victory.
It’s somewhat uncharted territory in Green Bay – having a defense capable of winning games. But here we are two weeks in and the Packers have largely leaned on their defense in the biggest moments of the games. Against the Bears, it was Adrian Amos who came away with what ended up being the game-sealing interception. Against the Vikings, Kevin King found himself in the same situation and delivered with a huge pick on Kirk Cousins with the Vikings in the red zone and threatening to take the lead late in the fourth.
Through two games, the Packers have allowed only 19 points from their two biggest NFC North rivals, and that’s incredible news.
Less than incredible has been the play of the offense, though, which has been inconsistent at best and dysfunctional at worst.
Green Bay managed only 10 points against the Bears, though it’s worth noting that Aaron Rodgers’ touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham was the difference in the 10-3 win to start the season. Against the Vikings, the offense started out red-hot and put up 21 points in the first half thanks to two Rodgers touchdown passes and an Aaron Jones touchdown run.
Rodgers looked crisp – frankly, he looked to be in MVP form for a few drives – and the offense looked like a well-oiled machine. Matt LaFleur was able to get the Vikings moving laterally via the run game and Rodgers took care of everything else, hitting Davante Adams early and often and utilizing unbelievable accuracy to hit Geronimo Allison for a 12-yard touchdown dart.
All was good in Green Bay, and there was (way too premature) talk of a Super Bowl in the air. And then the Vikings adjusted, and the offense didn’t score a single point for the rest of the game.
The inconsistency on offense has been concerning, but perspective can be a great friend in these situations, and perspective suggests that despite the offensive woes so far, this Packers team can be a contender.
Keep in mind, Rodgers and LaFleur – the two primary cogs in this offensive wheel – are only two weeks into this experiment. It’s going to take time for the offensive players to grow comfortable in this scheme and it’s going to take some time for LaFleur to grow his play-calling chops. He’s two games into his head-coaching career, but only 18 games into his play-calling career, mind you. He’s still a young play-caller and clearly, he’s learning a bit on the job.
The good news for Green Bay is that LaFleur’s opening scripts are certainly powerful – the 21 points to start the game will tell you that. He just needs to work on his in-game adjustments and that’s something that will only come with time and experience.
That may seem like an unfortunate reality, but again, let’s lean on perspective here. The perspective is that this offense is going through some growing pains, yet LaFleur is the first Packers coach to start 2-0 in his first two games since Vince Lombardi. Remember him? The perspective is that that the Packers’ offense has been learning on the go against two of the best defenses in the NFL, let alone in the division, and they’ve still found ways to do just enough to win.
It hasn’t always been pretty, but we saw glimpses of what this offense has the potential to be. We saw it when Rodgers completely flipped the switch against the Bears to score that game’s only touchdown. We saw it when the offense raced off to 21-straight points against Minnesota, and we saw it in all 23 of Aaron Jones’ rushing attempts. He finished with 116 yards, averaging five yards per carry. That’s LaFleur’s offense in a nut-shell. It’s going to be explosive at times, but it’s also going to rely heavily on using the run.
And frankly, that’s how things will probably be in Green Bay from now on. We know Rodgers can play at an MVP level, but perhaps the Packers won’t need that anymore. They’ve got a defense worthy of the playoffs, if not more than that, and the offense will continue to develop and lean heavily on Jones – who has what it takes to be a superstar as well.
It’s not something we’re used to seeing, but that’s going to be Green Bay football in the LaFleur era. The Packers are a run-heavy, defensive team. It sure looks different, but it’s a reason through two games why this team looks like a legitimate contender.
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