The Packers welcomed the Lions to Lambeau Field for Monday Night Football. There’s a lot to recap, from both the Aarons showing off to the Packers honoring the late Ted Thompson at halftime. Let’s not waste any time and get into it!
Back To Lambeau
After last week’s embarrassment of a season opener, it was the team’s first game back at Lambeau Field this year. It was, in fact, the first game at Lambeau with a full crowd since 2019. I had the honor of attending the rain-soaked game, and there is nothing quite like Lambeau Field.
When the Packers and the fans are on the same page like they were tonight, you see how well the team can play. The Lions actually led going into halftime but wouldn’t score a point in the second half. The Packers scored three unanswered touchdowns to ultimately win the game 31-17. The Packers are now 1-1 and head to San Francisco for a Sunday night matchup.
There were a few standout moments from last night, as well as players and events throughout the game, that I would like to touch on.
Aaron Rodgers
The Packers’ quarterback had a monster night. All week, we had to hear about how Rodgers is giving up on the Packers, or “What’s wrong with Aaron?”
There were two specific plays against the Lions where you knew that Rodgers still has it and that last week was a fluke. The first was the deep pass to Adams on 3rd and 12. It was an absolute beautiful rainbow throw to his favorite target.
The second was his touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan. I was sitting on that side of the field, and I still don’t know how he got that ball into Tonyan! But that’s what Rodgers does. The man is magical.
AARON RODGERS DIMES ARE BACK
pic.twitter.com/VmN3zbPq2b— PFF (@PFF) September 21, 2021
On that pass to Adams, Rodgers passed John Elway for 10th all time on the passing yards list. Just another accomplishment for one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen. We all knew there was nothing wrong with Rodgers, but with a great performance last night, all the news about Rodgers this week will be positive. Rodgers finished the game with a 145.6 passer rating, four touchdowns, and 255 yards passing.
TOP 10 ALL-TIME. #GoPackGo@AaronRodgers12 | @packers pic.twitter.com/fuPHtu764i
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2021
Aaron Jones
Green Bay’s star running back showed us all why the Packers paid the man in the offseason. Jones was making plays all night and ended the game with four touchdowns. When Aaron Jones is moving his feet, opposing defenses beware.
Packers’ RB Aaron Jones became the first player to record four touchdowns on Monday Night Football since Marshall Faulk did it against the Buccaneers in 2000.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2021
Ted Thompson
Our former General Manager, whose first-ever draft pick was Aaron Rodgers, was honored at half time. Thompson passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.
Ted brought a Super Bowl back to Green Bay and he loved everything about the team. On the video board at Lambeau, the Packers showed a highlight reel of some of his finest moments. Along the inside of Lambeau, the Packers revealed his name, as he will always be remembered by generations to come. During this season, the players will be wearing “TT” stickers on their helmets to honor his legacy.
Kevin King
King gets his own section in this recap. If you’ve watched any Packers football recently, you’ll know that Kevin King is a problem. So much so that the Packers drafted Eric Stokes with their first pick in the 2021 draft.
Last week, King got burned on a Jameis Winston touchdown. It was the same story tonight at Lambeau, as he got burned once more. When the defense came out on the field, he was booed extremely loudly. King has become a liability and it’s time to let Stokes start.
Stokes did get some time in the game in the 3rd and 4th quarters and from what I saw, he was making plays. Kevin King, thank you for your time in Green Bay, but it’s time for us to move on.
The Defense
It’s lucky that the Packers offense can score points, because it looks like Green Bay’s defense will have trouble again this year. There was hardly any pass rush during the majority of the game. Later on, the Packers started to knock around Jared Goff. You could feel that energy inside Lambeau.
As a result of that pressure, the Lions had two turnovers in the second half. The Packers have to get better on the defensive side of the ball, because not every week will be like Jared Goff at Lambeau. Next week will be quite a test. The Packers’ defense needs to force three and outs. The 49ers won’t be as forgiving as the Lions were tonight.
As always, Go Pack Go!
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