Well, the opening game of the post-Davante Adams Packers season did not go as planned. Not one of their receivers reached 50 receiving yards as they were comprehensively outplayed by the Minnesota Vikings, recording a 23-7 loss, in which opposing wide receiver Justin Jefferson hit 184 yards.
Between them, Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Randall Cobb didn’t get anywhere close to that total, and while Aaron Rodgers also threw to Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan, they can’t be expected to carry the passing burden. Green Bay, for now at least, remains the favorite in the NFC East as fans looking to shop for NFL odds will find, but that won’t remain the case unless the team gets much more from the wide receiver group.
R-E-L-A-X.The Packers Passing Game Will Improve
The good news is that there are some relatively simple games coming up that the Packers can use to build up their passing chemistry. Games against both of the New York franchises and Chicago will be much more straightforward and will give Rodgers and his receivers the chance to improve.
There were also some positives to take from the Week 1 game. Doubs caught four of his five targets, Watson caught two out of four and Watkins grabbed all three of his. Of course, the headline-grabbing issue was Watson dropping a clear chance at a touchdown, but the context must be considered. Watson, who would not have been expecting to take on such a prominent role at this stage of the season, put in some good work to get into the touchdown scoring position in the first place.
The fact that Rodgers himself missed much of the preseason training camp will not have helped either, but although it is not ideal to have young receivers learning as they go in such a high-profile situation, the fact is that they will have learned a lot from that experience. While they need to show improvement against Chicago next time, those first-night nerves and unfamiliarity will not be such a factor.
Matt LaFleur has also acknowledged that the decision not to play his starters in the preseason games was a mistake – although a mistake that was also made last year, so perhaps it is understandable that the team and the inexperienced catching group was a little unprepared in Game One.
The passing game will also be boosted by the return of Allen Lazard. His absence for Week One was a big loss for the Packers. While Randall Cobb has some chemistry with Rodgers, he won’t be expected to be the lead catcher. Lazard is that player, and when he is back, he will be able to draw away the opposition’s top cornerback, giving the younger receivers more space, time and opportunities.
Of course, Lazard himself will have to adjust to life as the main go-to receiver and his connection with Rodgers will be different in the post-Adams era, but if he can thrive in that role, he will take some of the heat and the focus away from the younger players. Although his injury status is still listed as ‘questionable’, he was able to take part in practice on Wednesday, so the signs are positive.
Trust in Aaron Rodgers
We can also expect more from Rodgers as the season gets going. He has a history of starting the season slowly, which makes his non-appearance during preseason training even more frustrating. Sunday was the second year in a row in which he has recorded fewer than 200 passing yards in Week One and it is also the third occasion in four years when the Packers have started with 10 points or fewer.
If this season follows the pattern of previous ones, then we can expect Rodgers to quickly get up to speed. Last season, for example, he threw for 255 yards, which included four touchdowns in a Week Two victory over the Lions. Back in 2019, he followed up a poor performance in the opening game with a total of 209 yards and two touchdowns. The fact that the Packers’ second game is against the Bears will also be in his favor. Rodgers threw for eight touchdowns and 451 yards against the Bears last season. All the evidence points to the likelihood that Rodgers will be better in Week 2.
Packers fans will hope for significant improvement in that game as the team faces the Buccaneers in Week Three. A victory and strong performance against Tampa Bay would give them a solid platform before a run of three winnable games against the Giants, Jets and Commanders. They can also count on three more favorable games against the Bears and Lions.
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