3 takeaways from the Packers' Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings as Justin Jefferson torches Green Bay
The first week of the 2022 NFL season is in the books and it's time to recap some of the action from a wild few days of football.
For the second straight year, the Green Bay Packers looked off the pace in their season-opener as they were outgunned by the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers offense struggled to get any momentum going and managed to put a meagre seven points on the board. Minnesota, on the other hand, looked sharp from the get-go and cruised to a 23-7 win.
On that note, here are the three biggest takeaways from the Packers-Vikings game:
#1 Green Bay really needs its young receivers to grow up fast
Second-round pick Christian Watson had a terrible drop on the first snap for the Packers offense. However, that was not the only blunder on the day by the young receiving corp for Green Bay.
On their very next drive, on third-and-seven, their fourth-round rookie Romeo Doubs was likely supposed to snap off for a curl route, but instead broke flat inside and Rodgers threw it to the turf, where he expected his receiver to be.
At the end of the game, down by 16 and having just entered the red zone on third-and-one, they ran a basic flat-screen to Watson as they got him matched by Eric Kendricks off a motion. But Doubs was way too timid trying to block the nickel and Watson just wasn’t ready for the ball, almost resulting in a pick.
Rodgers’ frustration was visible on multiple occasions in this game and he could have a long hard road ahead of him. Green Bay's young guys are undoubtedly very talented, but they need to start getting the little details right. The Packers need them to do so fast, because they’re all they have, particularly when Allen Lazard misses time.
#2 Justin Jefferson the clear front-runner for OPOY after just 1 week
Leading the NFL after week one with 184 receiving yards and being tied for a league-high two touchdowns (on nine catches) is obviously a great sign. Accounting for 68.4% of their passing output on just 11 targets (tied for 12th league-wide) is even better, especially when it leads to a 23-7 victory.
What I loved so much about this is the fact Jefferson didn’t have to do it all by himself. Instead, he was schemed on some of the biggest moments in the game. Obviously he did cook defenders on a few occasions and being matched up on Preston Smith once certainly helped, and it became a no-contest on his quick-out route.
They ran the little slide route into the flats off a jet motion, on fourth-and-goal for the first touchdown of the day. And then, Jefferson was all by himself on the screen for his second trip to the end-zone from 36 yards out, where they motioned Adam Thielen into a stack with K.J. Osborn and ran off the coverage with a deep crosser and a post route, respectively.
You add those kind of plays to what Jefferson can do when he’s in straight-up man-coverage, and it’s scary to think what he could achieve this season.
#3 The Vikings pass-rush has gone to a completely different level
Before I get to Minnesota, let me just say that Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers should have been more conscious about not having two All-Pro level offensive linemen available. There wasn’t nearly as much quick game as we saw them transition to last season and Rodgers held onto the ball for way too long..
However, I still believe that not only will what the Vikings do from a coverage-perspective, transitioning to a lot more of the split-safety principles under Ed Donatell, be more effective for them, but I also think their defensive front looks worlds different to previous seasons.
They sacked Rodgers four times, including one strip by Jordan Hicks. They basically swapped him and Za’Darius Smith, who blitzed through the A-gap, knocked away the hands of the center and ran over A.J. Dillon, who couldn’t get into his check-down.
Rodgers bolted the other way and when he got his head back around to drop it down to his back, he didn’t see anybody there, as Hicks took the opportunity to race up to the quarterback.
Za’Darius Smith played with his hair on fire all day, going against the team that he said “made him feel like a nobody”. Danielle Hunter had a different pep to his step and their push up the interior of the pocket was so much better than last season.