In an underwhelming season opener on the road against Jacksonville, the Green Bay Packers walked away with the ‘W.’ But the win didn’t come without a few offensive missteps.
Check out a recap with the basics from Jimmy Carlton, Sportswriter at OnMilwaukee.com:
The Packers went on the road for their season opener Sunday in Jacksonville, taking on an unfamiliar and supposedly up-and-coming AFC opponent, battling hot weather such as they hadn’t endured since about three weeks ago in Green Bay, overcoming communication issues and offensive mediocrity and, ultimately, taking care of business. Basically, they waited for Jaguars coach Gus Bradley to beat himself.
And thanks to yet another Aaron Rodgers miracle play (that included Davante Adams!), hearteningly competent O-line play and a defense that clamped down in the second half and made big plays when it had to, Green Bay emerged from sweaty, sprawl-y Jacksonville (did you know it’s the most populous city in Florida and the largest by land area in the contiguous United States?) with a 27-23 victory against a team it had played just five times in the previous 20 years, which finished 5-11 last season. Also, they waited for Gus Bradley to beat himself.
It wasn’t pretty or all that convincing, but that’s not really a surprise; this team was 11th in the NFL in point differential last year and, before Sunday, had lost three of its last four season openers. The Packers tend to start slow and look rusty early on, and releasing a Pro Bowl guard who was tied for being the second-longest-tenured offensive player a week before the game probably didn’t help with cohesion.
The offense is no longer of the record-breaking caliber; it is now merely good – potentially very good, at least as long as No. 12 is at quarterback. But defensively they showed up, special teams didn’t hurt them against talented Jaguars units and head coach Mike McCarthy made good, smart and, at times, even aggressive decisions.
For more on the game, visit OnMilwaukee.com.
