By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. –The Packers woke up Monday to a not-so-happy Halloween. The nightmare on Lombardi Avenue refuses to die.

In an October to forget, the Packers have dropped as many games this month as they did all of last season. Their latest setback was a 27-17 loss to Buffalo on Sunday night in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Aaron Rodgers said he liked his teammate’s energy all week. Their attitude, focus and preparation didn’t suggest thee problems often associated with a team on a three-game losing streak.

The vibe was good.

Then the Packers kicked off, the teams exchanged possessions and the Bills proceeded to score on their next five straight drives.

Game, set and match.

The Bills (6-1) imposed their will on the Packers’ defense by passing sparingly, running repeatedly and jamming it down Green Bay’s throat. Josh Allen, the NFL’s leading MVP candidate, hit on just 13 of 25 passes for 218 yards with a substandard 75.1 passer rating for the night.

His numbers were pedestrian, but don’t be fooled.

Allen was deadly while rolling the Packers’ defense in the first half.

He was 8 of 11 for 129 yards, two touchdowns and a 151.1 passer rating. He also rushed twice for 26 yards as the Bills took a 24-7 halftime lead.

The Packers (3-5) showed pride by outscoring Buffalo 10-3 in the second half, but the reality is the Bills were in control start to finish.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was disappointed by the sluggish start after what had been a strong week of practice.

“They came out with more intensity early on and put us in too big of a hole to climb out of,” he said. “Certainly our guys are disappointed, I’m disappointed, but we’ve got to find a way to right this thing.”
Rodgers completed 19 of 30 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was pressured frequently, sacked twice, and finished with a 91.4 passer rating.

“The energy in the pregame, in the locker room, was different,” he said. “It felt like ‘Packers’ again. I felt like, for whatever reason, we didn’t have the confidence for a few weeks. We weren’t playing with a lot of energy, weren’t amped up before the game.

“So, I like the way we felt before the game. Maybe it was Sunday Night Football, maybe it was being counted out … maybe it was this environment. But it’s encouraging.”

Rodgers was quick to note that there was nothing at all encouraging about their 17-point halftime deficit.
Aaron Jones rushed for 71 of his game-high 143 yards in the first half, and Rodgers completed 8 of 11 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Still, the Packers’ offense could only muster seven points.

The unsettled offensive line struggled early.

Elgton Jenkins’ foot injury forced him to the inactive list, leaving Zach Tom to slide in at left guard at the last minute. Frankly, it looked like the rookie didn’t get many, if any, reps there all week.

Tom was taken advantage of by the Bills’ defensive front. If it wasn’t Ed Oliver making him look bad, it was the mammoth Tim Settle doing it.

Tom settled down and played better in the second half, but the Bills were already in control by then. To LaFleur’s credit he finally used Josiah Deguara as a true H-Back and lead blocker.

Once Deguara found his footing in the trenches he played well.

The question is why it took so long to utilize that position on offense? Especially on an offense whose line has been struggling? The best way to bail them out is by using an H-Back that can lead block or pass block.

At least the Packers got some mileage out of it.

“Do I think we showed some physicality in the run game? Absolutely, I think we did,” LaFleur said. “We need that every week, because that is one of the premier defenses in this league. We knew it was going to be a grind of a game.”

Jones was fantastic as the Packers rushed 31 times for 208 yards, a whopping 6.7 yards per carry, but they still couldn’t sustain drives.

Rookie receiver Christian Watson, who just returned from a hamstring injury, was lost in the first quarter to a concussion. LaFleur’s disappointment was evident. Clearly, he had relied on Watson’s availability as he formulated his game plan for the Bills.

Once Watson went out that portion of the playbook had to be scrapped.

It was similar to the Packers’ NFC divisional playoff loss to San Francisco in January when Marquez Valdes-Scantling wasn’t available because of a back injury. It left the Packers without a legit deep threat, and LaFleur should’ve learned his lesson then.

Here’s a thought: Allow Samori Toure to get reps during the week. That way if Watson is injured, again, they won’t have to scuttle plays.

LaFleur tried to use Watson’s absence as an excuse for his offense’s inability to effectively threaten the Bills’ defense downfield. He cited a failed fourth-down run against a loaded box as an example.

“I do think there’s something to just having the mix, the threat, because otherwise – the fourth down is a great representation of that – you start getting everybody up in there, you have to be able to throw it over their heads from time to time as well.”

Rodgers put a finer point on it.

“We’re going to have to push the ball down the field in order to win games in this league,” he said.

That’s true, but is Watson the only legit deep threat on the roster? The NFL’s trade deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday. It is possible Green Bay may pull the trigger and acquire a receiver, but it feels like the odds are low.

Toure, the seventh-round pick from Nebraska, showed that he deserves more playing time. He made an excellent adjustment on his “off script” 37-yard touchdown grab.

Fellow rookie Romeo Doubs had four catches for 62 yards and a sensational 19-yard touchdown catch.
Jones was encouraged.

“Both of them got in the end zone and Doubs had a really good catch on third down to extend the chains,” Jones said. “He went up there and got it, strong hands. They tried to rip it out as he was coming down. I’m very proud of those guys and they’re just going to continue to grow.”

Doubs’ touchdown grab made it 14-7 in the first half. But that’s as close as the Packers would get the rest of the way.

Rodgers bemoaned the Packers’ slow start on offense.

“We’ve got to help our defense out a little better early in the game,” he said. “When we went on a run back in ’16 we started those games faster so we could play more one-dimensionally on defense. We just haven’t done that. We haven’t put up any points early in games to get our defense to have a chance to pin their ears back and get after the passer.”

The Packers’ defense struggled to stop the run all night. It didn’t help that Quay Walker was ejected for shoving a Bills’ practice squad player on the sideline. De’Vondre Campbell left late in the first half with a knee injury and didn’t return.

It left the Packers without their starting inside linebackers, although Isiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson actually played well in their stead.

Kenny Clark still believes in the Packers’ defense. He’s just struggling to find the answer to their season-long inconsistency.

“There are times we play good football and times we let it get away from us,” Clark said. “Whatever it is we’ve got to correct it. We’ve got to figure that out. I don’t really have an answer for it.”

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. –The Packers’ awful October prompted Matt LaFleur to remind his team to have fun. And it led Aaron Rodgers to ask the coaches – on behalf of his teammates, no doubt – to simplify things.

So much for those approaches going well.

It turns out the Packers’ 23-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday was neither fun nor simple. It was brutal. The Packers’ offense was conspicuous by its absence in a third straight loss to an underdog.

In the wake of their most recent no-show, veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis took a different tact.

Lewis wants his teammates to regain their confidence through repetition, and their redemption by working hard until they get it right. He told them so when he addressed the team in the locker room after the loss.

“We’ve got to stick together through prosperity and adversity,” he said. “When it’s going well, everything’s good. But when it’s not going so well, we’ve got to be stronger whether it’s on the sideline, individually, being able to keep your head up and go through that adversity.

“Nobody wants to be in this spot. It’s time to go back, look at the film obviously and just confront that truth and come back better next week.”

Confronting the truth is indeed the first step on the road to salvation, which in this instance is defined as 10-7 and a wild-card berth.

The Packers (3-4) aren’t very good right now.

It can’t be any simpler than that, and it definitely isn’t fun, but it’s true.

To be more specific, the Packers’ offense isn’t very good right now, and in particular a reshuffled, reconstituted offensive line.

When David Bakhtiari couldn’t play because of knee soreness, the Packers went with rookie Zach Tom at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Jon Runyan at right guard and Yosh Nijman at right tackle.

Tom played well, and Rodgers had time to throw, but nobody was open. Furthermore, the timing in run blocking was horrendous, although what else could be expected given Bakhtiari’s late scratch?

Perhaps this current configuration is the answer.

The Bills’ defense definitely will provide a measuring stick.

Meantime, the Packers’ offense couldn’t generate much of anything.

“We didn’t run the ball particularly well, didn’t catch it particularly well and I didn’t really move a whole lot to extend plays until that last drive,” Rodgers said.

Take away De’Vondre Campbell’s incredible “pick six” and the offense is averaging less than 17 points per costume party. Oh, they may look like the Packers’ offense – No. 12 and all – but they sure don’t play like it. They’re all dressed up with nowhere to go, except back to the sideline after their most recent third down fail.

They gasped and wheezed like a two-pack-a-day smoker against the Commanders (3-4) while going 0-for-6 on third down tries.

Rodgers was 23 of 35 for 194 yards and two touchdowns for a 99 passer rating. He wasn’t sacked and got hit just once. Still, he had trouble stepping into throws and making accurate passes downfield.

Perhaps it’s the oft-shaky offensive line that’s inside Rodgers’ helmet. Maybe his right thumb is a lot worse than anyone is letting on. Regardless, Rodgers and the offense are shells of their former selves.

Allen Lazard was the top receiver with six catches for 55 yards before exiting with a second-half shoulder injury. Aaron Jones caught nine passes on 10 targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns, which qualified as one of the few offensive highlights on the day.

The Packers’ running game was non-existent.

Aaron Jones had eight carries for 23 yards. A.J. Dillon had four rushes for 15 yards. That was it. They rushed for 60 yards against the Jets, and 38 yards against the Commanders. Does anyone care to guess how many rushing yards the Packers will manage at Buffalo on Sunday night?

Lewis said it “feels eerie; weird, almost,” in the way they’re playing.

Most fans would agree.

“Our guys are extremely disappointed,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think anybody thought we’d be in this spot that we’re in right now.”

Campbell’s interception and 63-yard return for a touchdown early in the second quarter gave Green Bay a 14-3 lead.
The Packers were 14-0 in their past 14 games when they forced a turnover. Sunday the defense got a “pick six” and it wasn’t enough.

Washington answered with a touchdown drive to make it 14-10 midway through the second quarter.

After a “three-and-out” by the Packers, the Commanders drove to midfield before Rashan Gary sacked Taylor Heinicke to force a fumble. Rasul Douglas recovered and returned it 52 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, Eric Stokes was penalized for illegal contact – a dubious call at best – which nullified the touchdown.

The Packers’ defense bowed its back and limited the Commanders to a 47-yard field goal try, which they missed.

The Packers’ Amari Rodgers handed the Commanders a gift field goal when he muffed a punt deep inside Green Bay territory.
Again, the Packers’ defense stiffened and held Washington to a field goal.

But in the spirit of confronting the truth, the Packers must replace Rodgers on punt return or suffer the consequences. LaFleur has no business allowing Rodgers to continue in that role.

If that’s the case, where’s the accountability? What does Rodgers have to do to get benched (Amari, not Aaron)?

Offensively, LaFleur has to find a way to meld Robert Tonyan’s 10-catch, 12-target day with Aaron Jones’ nine-catch, 10-target day and run the attack through them.

This isn’t a new suggestion. It’s just that I’m vain enough to think LaFleur might actually see it this way, too.

Rodgers has his own ideas.

“We’ve just got to play better – all of us,” Rodgers said. “There are probably a number of plays in every phase that we could’ve done better. The margin of error is so tight, a couple calls don’t necessarily go our way and we don’t execute at all on offense in certain situations.”

“It’s not winning football.”

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the spirit of positivity, I’ll try limiting my criticism of the Packers to two areas: blocking and tackling.

They are most to blame for Green Bay’s 27-10 loss to the 7 ½-point underdog New York Jets on a rainy, gloomy Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Beyond the obvious, other factors included Aaron Rodgers’ thumb injury, Royce Newman’s pratfalls (which are defined as falling onto one’s buttocks – look it up), missed tackles galore and (drum roll) back by unpopular demand – special teams’ gaffes.

In fairness to the Packers it was their most complete game this season.

The offense was awful in the first half and the defense was gassed and then gashed in the second half. In their three-hour trip to perdition and back the Packers also had a punt AND a field-goal attempt blocked.

In a lethargic first half, the Packers (3-3) had eight possessions, six first downs and three points to show for a mistake-riddled 30 minutes. While Green Bay’s defense was neutralizing the Jets’ attack, the Packers’ offense missed a tremendous chance to take control early.

Instead, they never got a handle on it.

“That was very humbling when you’re in your own building and you get taken like that and lose by three scores,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve all got to be better.”

The loss came on the heels of Green Bay’s 27-22 loss to the New York Giants last week at London.

LaFleur endured the first back-to-back losses of his four-year career, both in front of and because of his relatives. His younger brother, Mike, had a good day as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. His best friend, Jets head coach Robert Saleh, drew up a superior defensive game plan.

The LaFleurs’ parents and grandmother were in attendance, alternately smiling and smirking if such a thing is possible. Certainly there was a lot of twisting, contorting and hand-wringing on Matt LaFleur’s part.

It’s the first time in memory the Boy Wonder sounded fresh out of ideas. When asked why the Packers’ offense hasn’t hit stride he frowned.

“That’s a great question … a fair question,” he said, then added, “I don’t know. We’re in a pretty bad predicament right now. We could never get into a flow. Give them credit. They were tough to handle up front.”

The Packers’ offensive line has been outplayed by the opposing defense’s front seven repeatedly this season. Rodgers has been hit more frequently and more savagely than ever in his 18-year career. His birthday is Dec. 2. At his current rate he’s 38 going on over-the-hill.

Rodgers was 26 of 41 for 246 yards with one touchdown and an 88.1 passer rating. He was sacked four times and absorbed nine hits.

After the game, a reporter asked Rodgers if the Packers’ season was “getting a little wobbly” at .500.

“We’ve got to be realistic of where we’re at,” he said. “We’ve played a couple of subpar games the last two. We’ve got to play better, but wobbly? (That’s) only if people are breaking rank. I think it’ll be interesting to look at the comments from all of our guys and coaches, and hopefully we stick together.”

Rodgers only offering up a “hopefully” they’ll stick together isn’t exactly encouraging. Then again, he has reasons to be less than certain, beginning with the utterly sloppy play of his offensive line.

Newman was outclassed at right guard. Center Josh Myers wasn’t much better. Right tackle Elgton Jenkins got whistled for a dubious holding penalty, as did left guard Jon Runyan.

The Packers had one turnover and seven penalties. They were outgained by the Jets’ rushing attack 179 to 60. Aaron Jones had nine carries for 19 yards. A.J. Dillon had 10 carries for 41 yards and a lost fumble.

Green Bay’s ground game was non-existent.

Jets’ defensive tackle Quinnen Williams single-handedly redrew the line of scrimmage about 3 yards into the Packers’ backfield. Quinnen Williams had five tackles, two sacks, three QB hits and a forced fumble.

Linebacker Quincy Williams led the Jets with 14 tackles and rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner had three tackles and defended two passes.

Saleh had high praise for his defensive line.

“We feel like our D-line matches up from an advantage standpoint versus anybody, whether that’s cocky or unguided confidence, whatever it is,” he said. “We love our D-line. We think they’re a rolling ball of butcher knives, and there are a lot of them that can play at a high level.”

The Packers are in no position to disagree.

The Jets (4-2) won a total of six games the past two seasons. They’ve already notched four victories, including three road wins. The victory at Lambeau Field Sunday had to be especially gratifying to a Jets’ team that’s trying to establish credibility.

“Give the Jets a ton of credit,” Matt LaFleur said. “They were prepared. I thought our defense battled in the first half. Special teams – there was some good and some bad, obviously, but we didn’t do enough offensively in the first half to take control of that game.”
The Packers’ receiving corps is decimated through six games. Sammy Watkins (hamstring) is on injured reserve, Christian Watson (hamstring) may be headed there and Randall Cobb sustained what looked to be a serious lower leg injury. Cobb was seen wiping away tears as he was being carted to the locker room.

LaFleur said he hadn’t received word of Cobb’s status while reiterating his value to the offense, especially on third down plays.
The Packers did switch it up along the offensive line by benching Newman in favor of Jake Hanson, only to have Hanson leave with an injury after a handful of snaps.

LaFleur said they brought in Hanson in hopes of getting a spark on the right side of the line. He was asked if they might consider moving Jenkins from right tackle to left guard, Runyan from left guard to right guard, and inserting Yosh Nijman at right tackle.
“Everything’s on the table moving forward getting our best people out there,” LaFleur said.

The Packers’ offensive and defensive stars of the game were tight end Robert Tonyan and safety Adrian Amos. Tonyan turned back the clock to 2020 by catching 10 passes for 90 yards on 12 targets. Hopefully that’s merely the beginning of what’s to come for Tonyan, whom the Packers’ offensive desperately needs right now.

Amos had six tackles, four solos and one for a loss.

The Jets’ Zach Wilson completed just 10 of 18 passes for 110 yards and a 73.8 passer rating. He was sacked twice and ran five times for 1 yard.

Wilson has led the Jets to a three-game winning streak since returning from injury and replacing Joe Flacco.

The Jets broke a 3-3 tie when Braxton Berrios scored on a 20-yard end around. After a Jets’ stop, Michael Clemons blocked a Pat O’Donnell punt and Will Parks recovered and sprinted 20 yards for the touchdown.

The Packers responded with a 25-yard Rodgers-to-Allen Lazard touchdown later in the third quarter before being blanked in the fourth.

LaFleur sounded like a coach who couldn’t wait to see the film and get to work fixing everything that ails his team.

“The reality is we’re six games into this thing, we’re 3-3, and there’s a lot of ball in front of us but we have to have that urgency to want to improve,” LaFleur said. “We have to clean up a ton of details. We’re going to have to take a hard look at everything from a coaching perspective and find out what’s working and what’s not.”

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers ought to retain London super sleuth Sherlock Holmes in order to solve the case of the AWOL offense.

It’s obvious they don’t have a clue.

If I didn’t know better I’d say Matt LaFleur’s preferred way to play offense is for 30 minutes a game. The Packers’ head coach will get the attack humming in the first half … or the second … but not both.

On Sunday, the Packers’ vanishing act came after intermission when they were blanked by the Giants in a disappointing 27-22 loss at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The only thing magic about Green Bay’s offense is how it disappears.

The Packers came into the game as 9-point favorites. Their loss was the NFL’s worst this season by a team so heavily favored.

A.J. Dillon and his quads had an embarrassingly low six touches, all rushing attempts that netted a total of 34 yards. Aaron Jones had 13 carries for 63 yards and two catches for 17 yards.

The Packers’ offense netted 98 yards in the second half.

Rodgers tried to go deep repeatedly but to no avail. It was as if ex-Packers coach Mike McCarthy had commandeered the play-calling duties for several possessions. It was pass, pass, pass and punt.

Perhaps the Packers should’ve focused on running the football and the short- and intermediate- passing game.

“You make a good point,” Rodgers told the reporter that broached it. “It’s something to think about.”

The Packers’ second-half offense was an embarrassment.

“It was the tale of two halves,” LaFleur said. “They kicked our butt in the second half.”

The Packers (3-2) led 20-10 at half on a pair of Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes and Mason Crosby’s 46-yard field goal. That’s when the Giants (4-1) roared back to score 17 unanswered points.

Trailing 27-20 and down to their final drive, Rodgers marched the Packers 69 yards in 12 plays to the Giants’ 6. Faced with third-and-1 LaFleur called two straight pass plays, both were swatted away at the line, and the Giants danced off with the win.

Just last week Rodgers declared that winning in spite of the offense’s split personality wasn’t sustainable. He was right.

“Offensively, we haven’t put two halves together,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot that factors into that – everything from calls to execution, to the momentum, to defensive stops, to the adjustments that we make. There’s games like this were our defense is not going to be up to their normal standards and we’ve got to pick them up.

“And we had chances … a lot of chances.”

The production from the Packers’ top three receivers could be best described as not much bang for a whole lot of targets.

Randall Cobb was wonderful while catching seven passes for 99 yards, including a 35-yard catch-and-run. The downside is that it took 13 targets to get those seven catches.

Allen Lazard had four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, but that was on eight targets. Romeo Doubs had three catches for 29 yards, but it took five targets. In all, the trio combined for 14 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown, but it took 26 plays to get there.

Rodgers was asked why they’re having trouble connecting.

“We’re just not quite on the same page at times,” he said. “We’ve got to go back and look at it. I don’t want to make a blanket statement right now, and definitely not an emotional blanket statement.”
For all of the Packers’ problems on offense, the defense struggled, too.

The Giants’ Saquon Barkley rushed 13 times for 70 yards and caught three passes for 36 yards. He had a 40-yard run, a 41-yard catch, and a rushing touchdown.

Daniel Jones also played well.

The Giants’ quarterback completed 21 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a 100.2 passer rating. Jones was especially sharp in the second half when he hit on 13 of 14 for 136 yards.

Jones got great production from his top three receivers, a trio of no-name wide-outs: Darius Slayton had six catches for 79 yards on seven targets; Marcus Johnson caught three passes for 35 yards and Richie James had two for 16. They did what the Packers’ receivers couldn’t: Get open.

The Packers’ defense committed four penalties that handed the Giants four first downs. Cornerback Rasul Douglas committed three of them.

Afterward, Douglas said he apologized to his teammates.

“I just told everybody, ‘My fault,’ ” Douglas said. “I had three uncharacteristic f—ing penalties that I don’t usually get, but I had them. I think that f—ed the whole defense up.”

Packers’ linebacker Preston Smith said the Giants took advantage of Green Bay’s mistakes on defense.
“They executed off a lot of our mistakes,” Smith said. “They had opportunities to get first downs when we could have executed a lot better.”

Further troubling is Rodgers’ response to comments made by teammates after the game in the locker room. Jaire Alexander said he wasn’t worried about the defense’s second-half meltdown in London.
“I ain’t worried, but if we lose next week, then I’ll be worried,” he said. “But it’s a new situation for everybody – new circumstances, sleep patterns. It’s a whole adjustment here in London.”

The Packers spent so much time analyzing their departure time when the real problem was scheduling the return trip to take place at halftime.

Rodgers said he didn’t want to hear any talk about losing.

“I don’t like all this conversation about losing next week,” he said. “I’m a firm believer in the power of words and manifestation. And we’ve got to check ourselves on that, because talking about that is not winning football. There was a conversation about it in the locker room, and I don’t like it. Ja’s my guy, but we don’t need to be talking like that.”

Rodgers is right.

Now isn’t the time for talk. It’s time for drawing up a kick-butt game plan for the Jets, then practicing it this week and executing it Sunday.

The Packers have faced two of the NFL’s top defensive coordinators in the past two weeks. The Patriots’ Bill Belichick came within a whisker of defeating the Packers, and the Giants’ Wink Martindale got them.

Now we’ll see what the Jets’ Robert Saleh – a long-time acquaintance of LaFleur’s – will have cooked up for his old pal. I suspect it’ll be similar to Belichick’s and Martindale’s plan, which is to make Rodgers and the Packers have the patience to run it, move the chains and grind you down.

That requires giving it to Jones and Dillon and throwing it to the tight ends, in particular Tonyan and Lewis.

Suddenly, the Jets’ game got a lot more interesting.

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Fans know their Packers are a work in progress.

They don’t need an “under construction” sign to be reminded. All they have to do is re-watch last week’s narrow win at Tampa Bay, or their offense’s awful first-half performance against New England on Sunday.

The difficulty is relishing the ride while awaiting the finished product.

The beauty is soul-shaking scares like the Packers’ 27-24 overtime victory against the Patriots make fans feel anxious but alive. At game’s end, as they celebrated Mason Crosby’s 31-yard field goal at the gun, they had the greatest motivation to be patient.

Their Packers won.

They defeated a legendary, surefire Hall of Fame coach in the Patriots’ Bill Belichick despite what charitably has to be viewed as an “off” day. The effort was A-plus. The execution was C-minus.

The result was acceptable, if not overwhelming. It’s no coincidence the same could be said of Aaron Rodgers’ performance. In a dreadful first half, Rodgers hit 4 of 11 passes for 44 yards and an 11.2 passer rating.

The cherry on top came with 13 seconds to play before halftime.

That’s when Rodgers threw the fourth “pick six” of his illustrious career – a 40-yard interception return by the Patriots’ Jack Jones – to hand the Patriots a 10-7 lead at halftime.

New England was without starting quarterback Mac Jones (ankle injury) and came in as a 10-point underdog. The Packers quickly KO’d veteran backup Brian Hoyer, who was forced to leave with a head injury after taking a first-quarter hit from Rashan Gary.

Third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky, entered and played well in his first NFL game.

When Zappe came in it looked to be the greatest mismatch since Tyson versus Spinks. By game’s end it was more like David versus Goliath, with Zappe wielding a pretty mean sling.

Zappe finished 10 of 15 for 99 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions and a 107.4 passer rating. He was sacked three times but stayed with it.

He was aided by a running game that churned out 167 yards in 33 carries for a 5.1 average. Damien Harris had 86 yards on 18 carries and Rhamondre Stevenson added 66 yards on 14 carries.

Fortunately, the Packers didn’t fall flat on their face like Goliath.

“Coming into halftime, we didn’t want to come in like that (the pick six), but we talk about, ‘How do you respond from adversity?’ ” LaFleur said. “Our guys stuck together and I was proud of them. They’re not always going to be pretty wins … you (media) can criticize us and that’s cool, but every week presents new challenges and we’ll take the win.”

The Packers will do that knowing full well they need to play better.

“This way of winning, I don’t think, is sustainable because it puts too much pressure on our defense,” Rodgers said. “And obviously, I’ve got to play better and will play better.”

Rodgers went on to say what fans must’ve been thinking.

“You can’t be 2-2 losing to a third-string quarterback and not playing great in all three phases, so we had to have this one,” he said. “That doesn’t take anything away from the joy of winning, but this was one we had to have.”

Rodgers finished 21 of 35 for 251 yards with two touchdowns, the interception and an 89.1 passer rating.

The biggest completion of the day came on the opening drive of the second half. Trailing 10-7, the Packers came out and threw back-to-back incompletions, one to Christian Watson and the other to Romeo Doubs.

Now it was third-and-10 at Green Bay’s 19.

LaFleur could feel the fans’ displeasure growing.

“I was on the headset telling the guys upstairs, ‘If we have three consecutive passes (for incompletions) we’re about to get booed out of here,’ ” LaFleur said. “Thankfully, (Allen) Lazard … we took a shot downfield and he caught it. It was like ‘boom.’ I could feel it.”

Lazard beat Jonathan Jones on a sideline rout for 32 yards. The Packers drove it to New England’s 28, where they faced fourth-and-1.

No problem.

LaFleur called Jones’ number on a counter toss left and the shifty back sprinted for 17 yards. Three plays later Rodgers turned a second-and-19 into a 20-yard touchdown strike to Robert Tonyan to make it 14-10.

The Patriots didn’t throw in the towel. Belichick wouldn’t allow it.

Zappe answered by directing a seven-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 25-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. The play clock reached zero, but no delay of game penalty was called. The officials’ mistake, coupled with the Packers’ loose coverage, proved costly.

That gave New England a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.

The Packers tied it with Crosby’s 38-yard field goal, but the Patriots had one more answer as Harris rushed for a 5-yard touchdown to make give them a 24-17 lead.

The Packers responded with a game-saving touchdown drive that was capped by Doubs’ 13-yard touchdown catch. That tied it at 24-24.

After a Green Bay stop, Rodgers appeared to hook up with Doubs for what would’ve been a 40-yard touchdown catch. Doubs caught the football cleanly but lost control when his elbow hit the turf.

LaFleur challenged the call despite being advised not to do so by assistant coach Connor Lewis up in the booth.

“I’m not too proud of that moment,” he said. “It’s a great learning lesson that you can never make those emotional decisions in the heat of the battle. You know better. Thank God our guys bailed me out in that regard, but definitely the worst decision of the day by me.”

Had LaFleur decided not to challenge he would’ve retained his third timeout, which would’ve allowed Rodgers to have minutes, rather than seconds, to put his team in position for the winning field goal.

Instead, the Packers were forced into overtime, where their defense came up with a terrific third-down stop. Facing third-and-5 at Green Bay’s 46, the Packers stopped Hunter Henry short of the first down.

Rodgers took it from there and directed a 12-play, 77-yard drive that led to Crosby’s game-winning field goal as time expired.

“A win’s a win,” Rodgers said afterward. “That was an ugly first half, good second half. We’re going to celebrate this and now the schedule gets physically demanding as far as travel.”

The Packers are scheduled to depart Thursday for London, where they’ll face the New York Giants on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 8:30 a.m.

Green Bay fans will get to see if their team can get one step closer to being a finished product, rather than a work in progress.

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay defense persevered and ultimately prevailed despite Tampa Bay’s insufferable heat and Tom Brady’s insatiable (and insufferable) will to win.

The Packers’ offense opened with a one-two touchdown punch and the defense sealed it with a last-second 2-point stop in Green Bay’s 14-12 victory against the Bucs Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur let out a sigh of relief at the end.

“It came down to that last (2-point) play,” he said. “The question is how do you respond when adversity strikes? I thought specifically our defense – to allow a touchdown in the two-minute drive – to reset itself on that final play, shoot, it was a gritty team win.”

Trailing 14-6 with less than three minutes to play, the Bucs were down but hardly out as Brady went to work. He mixed in an array of short passes and capped a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown toss to Russell Gage with 14 seconds to play. But Brady’s tying 2-point throw was tipped by the Packers’ De’Vondre Campbell to seal the win.

Campbell had 14 tackles (eight solo) and defended the key pass.

The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers heaped praise on Campbell.

“He’s a special player,” Rodgers said. “He’s really coming into his own as a leader. To think a couple years ago nobody really wanted him and here he is, 14 tackles, a deflection at the end of the game … It says a lot about the type of person that he is.”

The Bucs (2-1) were shorthanded, so to speak, at receiver.

Mike Evans, their top receiver, was serving a one-game suspension. Julio Jones (knee) was a game-time inactive, and Chris Godwin (knee) also was out. The Bucs were so decimated they signed Cole Beasley, who caught three passes for 12 yards on short notice.

It wasn’t nearly enough against Green Bay’s active defense.

Coordinator Joe Barry didn’t blitz in the first two games. He did blitz against the Bucs, but only sparingly, and managed to prove his point. Why blitz if your defense can be impactful and disruptive when rushing Rashan Gary and Preston Smith off the edges, with Kenny Clark and (take your pick) coming inside.

Clark had four tackles and two sacks. Gary had three tackles and a sack. Dean Lowry had three tackles and Jarran Reed had a tackle and fumble recovery. Rookie Quay Walker had five tackles and a forced fumble.

The Bucs’ receiver woes were offset by Jaire Alexander’s absence due to a first-quarter groin injury. In his postgame news conference, LaFleur said he was unsure of the severity of the injury.

LaFleur said special teams’ ace and slot corner Keisean Nixon had a strong game in place of Alexander.

“Our defense was playing great,” LaFleur said. “A couple of times (the Bucs) got into a rhythm but we caused turnovers. Nixon busted it on teams and then he played a ton of snaps on nickel. Shemar (Jean-Charles) was out there, Rasul (Douglas) played some in the nickel, and 21 (Eric Stokes) seems to have a pretty quiet number of targets his way, so give him credit.”

Brady finished 31 of 42 for 271 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times and posted a 98.4 passer rating.

Rodgers was 27 of 35 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked once and had a 103.9 passer rating.

Rodgers’ primary weapons were rookie Romeo Doubs and veteran Randall Cobb. Doubs was smooth as silk while catching eight passes in as many targets for 73 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Doubs’ 5-yard touchdown grab gave Green Bay a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.

Doubs also had a 21-yard catch and was sure-handed throughout.

Rodgers said he is going to look at the tape to see if Doubs might’ve had more opportunities to inflict further damage. It was interesting that Rodgers’ tone concerning Doubs was so matter-of-fact, as if the 8-catch, 73-yard day was expected.

The Packers were without Sammy Watkins (hamstring), who was placed on IR and will miss at least four weeks, and Christian Watson (hamstring).

Cobb (illness) missed practice all week, but reminded everyone that he’s a pro and a gamer. Cobb caught two passes for 57 yards. Both netted first downs and keyed the scoring drives.

Cobb’s contribution was expected. Doubs’ was welcomed.

“We called some plays for (Doubs) and he made some nice catches,” Rodgers said. “The thing that gives you confidence is the majority of the time he catches it with his hands. I was calling him a ‘body catcher’ in practice – I was teasing him – because he made a body catch. Then I throw an over-the-shoulder route and he goes ‘zoom!’ and catches it.”

“His route-running also looked pretty solid, so I’ll see on the tape if there were more opportunities I could’ve given him.”

Neither team could run the football effectively.

The Bucs’ Leonard Fournette banged away 12 times for 35 yards with a long run of 6 yards. Aaron Jones rushed 12 times for 36 yards with a long of 10, and A.J. Dillon also had 12 carries and finished with 32 yards. Jones caught three passes for 11 yards and Dillon two for six.

The Packers rushed for three first downs. The Bucs rushed for one. The Packers were 6 of 15 (40 percent) on third-down conversions while Tampa Bay struggled to go just 2 of 11 (18.2 percent).
Brady and the Bucs finished with just 285 total yards of offense.

LaFleur was looking for the Packers’ offense to back its defense’s play by delivering the knockout punch in the second half.

It didn’t happen.

“What I was disappointed in was so much good field position in the second half and we did nothing with it,” LaFleur said. “It felt like we could close out the game and we didn’t do it on offense.”

LaFleur paused, and added, “This game was won by our defense and special teams.”

Tampa Bay’s defense came into the game having allowed 13 points. They’ve now given up 27 (a nine-point average) through three weeks.

“They’re a great defense,” Rodgers said of the Bucs. “We had three really good drives before the turnover (Aaron Jones’ second-quarter fumble inside the Bucs’ 2-yard line), and then they tightened up and went man-to-man and we had some penalties and poor execution.”

Green Bay’s defense proved its mettle, too.

The Packers’ defense has given up one second-half touchdown through three games. It stuffed Fournette and controlled the wide receivers. Gage had 12 catches for 87 yards and the touchdown, but nobody else did any notable damage to the Packers’ secondary.

“It feels good to win,” Rodgers said. “There could be some tiebreaker stuff down the line, but it’s just Week 3. The Bears won and the Vikings won so there’s three 2-1 teams in the NFC North.

“To look at it as a whole you’ve got to feel good about the defense,” Rodgers continued. “And that third category, the “wee-fense” category, Pat (O’Donnell) punting the ball, Keisean (Nixon) downing it, and I’m feeling like we had the advantage on teams, not just breaking even.”

Rodgers paused as if surveying a defensive secondary before the kill.

“If you’d have said in the offseason that we’d be 2-1 after three, I’d say that’s probably pretty good with two tough road games – Minnesota and Tampa Bay – which are in the NFC’s top seven.”

“So you feel good.”

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Matt LaFleur kept his promise.

The Packers’ head coach vowed to give Aaron Jones more touches against the Bears Sunday night. That came after the explosive back was largely ignored in last week’s season-opening loss at Minnesota.

LaFleur called Jones’ number 15 times and No. 33 responded by whistling through Chicago’s defense to the tune of 132 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Jones’ exploits, which coincided with the healthy return of offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, were too much for Chicago as the Packers rolled to a 27-10 victory at Lambeau Field.

“Aaron Jones, man, he was absolutely electric,” LaFleur said. “Every time I’d think he was going down, he’d somehow find a way to squirt his way through. And he’s just a hell of a competitor and he’s a guy that just embodies everything that you want in a football player: the way he works, how selfless he is, how he cheers for his teammates, how he supports his teammates.

“They don’t make many like this guy. He is one of a kind. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. It’s not a surprise to me that he was elected a captain, just the way he treats everybody in this building. So respectable, just works his ass off and he’s a hell of a player, too. He’s a guy that obviously we have to get involved each and every week.”

The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers aided and abetted Jones and the run game by efficiently completing 10 passes for first downs. That allowed Jones and A.J. Dillon more opportunities to hammer away at the Bears.
“Tonight was really about 28 (A.J. Dillon) and 33 (Jones), getting them the football,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t play great. I feel like the stats look a little better than the game. … I missed some throws that I should never miss. There were some opportunities for more points out there.”

The Packers rushed for nearly as many yards (203) as the Bears’ offense totaled (228). Green Bay was sloppy as evidenced by its three fumbles, but still racked up 414 yards. The highlight was a 21-point second quarter in which Jones scored twice. His 15-yard run gave Green Bay a 10-7 lead and his 8-yard touchdown catch pushed it to 17-7.

Allen Lazard, who was making his season debut after missing the opener with an ankle injury, hauled in a nifty 13-yard touchdown catch to make it 24-7 to close out the half.

It’s true the Packers’ offense didn’t play its best game, but it did play its preferred style by running the offense through the backs.

A reeling Bears’ defense had to know what was coming.

They couldn’t stop it anyway.

“It says a lot about our offense,” a beaming Jones said. “You know what’s coming, but you have to stop it. That’s not easy to do. I just say kudos to our whole offensive unit and our whole team for responding and bouncing back from last week.”

Jones only had five carries in the Packers’ 23-7 loss at Minnesota, and Green Bay only rushed 18 times as a team. That changed with LaFleur’s commitment to running and Jenkins’ return at right tackle.

“If he’s not in the lineup, we don’t win that game,” LaFleur said of Jenkins. “It transcends his level of play, what he’s able to bring to us. For his first night out, I thought he did a great job.”

Jenkins allowed a pair of sacks in the first 20 minutes, but after he got his cleats under him the Pro Bowl lineman pitched a shutout. Jenkins’ return allowed Royce Newman to slide to right guard, his best position.

“The definition of success isn’t always measured in stats,” Rodgers said. “And for Elgton, I thought tonight was an absolute success, I really do. He’s been out for a long time (since Nov. 21, 2021), and he’s battled in practice and he’s battled in rehab, and he went out there and played an NFL football game. That, to me, is a successful night.”

Rodgers was sacked three times, which is three too many, but he didn’t endure anything close to the beating he took at Minnesota.

Rodgers also looked more in sync with his receivers, and in particular rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. He finished 19 of 25 for 234 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 131.1 passer rating.
The Packers’ All-Pro quarterback completed passes to eight different receivers, with none catching more than three passes.

Veteran Sammy Watkins made the most of his three catches by racking up 93 yards. His 24-yard grab late in the first quarter helped set up the Packers’ first touchdown. His 55-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter set up Mason Crosby’s 28-yard field goal to make it 27-10.

Randall Cobb also was efficient catching three passes in as many targets for 38 yards. Meantime, A.J. Dillon banged away 18 times for 61 yards as the Packers averaged 5.2 yards per rush.

In Week 1, the dispersal of targets was 19 to the backs/tight ends compared with 16 to receivers. Against the Bears, it was nine targets to the backs/tight ends compared with 16 to receivers.

In LaFleur’s first three seasons his offense targeted receivers 65 percent of the time, which was exactly the percentage in Sunday night’s game.

The goal is to rely on runs and short to intermediate passes to move the chains, which increases the number of opportunities for big plays. That framework, interspersed with a clever array of pre-snap motion, jet sweeps and play-action passes had the Bears’ helmets spinning.

Meantime, the Packers’ defense started slowly.

The Bears took their opening possession and marched 71 yards in seven plays with Justin Fields capping it with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 7-3 Bears. Fields’ 30-yard completion to ex-Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on the drive was one of just two passing first downs for Fields on the night.

Fields finished 7 of 11 for 70 yards with no touchdowns, an interception and a 43.8 passer rating. He was sacked three times and the Bears’ net passing of 48 yards was the lowest allowed by Green Bay in 16 years.
Jaire Alexander’s interception was a thing of beauty and a reminder that the All-Pro corner is just rounding into form after missing most of 2021.

David Montgomery rushed 15 times for 122 yards (an 8.1 average) with a long of 28. Khalil Herbert added four carries for 38 yards.

Clearly, Green Bay needs to tighten up its run defense, especially with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Leonard Fournette up next.

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers’ offense might have found a way to win despite the typical Week 1 growing pains, but multiple self-inflicted wounds were too much to overcome.

A patchwork offensive line and Allen Lazard’s absence plus numerous mental miscues proved to be lethal in the Packers’ 23-7 loss to the Vikings in Sunday’s season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The setback conjured images of Green Bay’s loss in last year’s opener, a 38-3 dud against the Saints at Jacksonville.

Aaron Rodgers has seen it all in 18 NFL seasons. That includes the annual Week 1 overreactions to bad losses by good teams.

So when asked to compare the season-opening losses – a request lacking a purpose – he responded like a true pro. He responded with sarcasm.

“I feel like we had a much better performance (this season),” Rodgers quipped. “We scored four more points (Sunday) than we did that day. There’s a lot to build on when you compare the two.”

Rodgers paused, removed tongue from cheek, and continued.

“Look, it’s tough to win in this league,” he said, “and it’s definitely tough when you get in your own way too many times.”

Indeed, the Packers’ offense spent much of the day playing with its food, at least until game’s end when it was asked to leave the table.

Christian Watson’s drop of a would-be 75-yard touchdown catch on the Packers’ first offensive play of 2022 set the tone. A.J. Dillon getting stuffed by smack-talking ex-Packer Za’Darius Smith on fourth-and-goal at the Vikings’ 1 early in the second quarter extended the misery.

Justin Jefferson’s dominance of the Packers’ secondary sealed the deal. Halfway through the first half concerned fans should have tweeted Jefferson’s bio to Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

Was Barry somehow unfamiliar with Jefferson’s work? It looked like it.

Kirk Cousins hooked up with Jefferson on nine of 11 targets for 184 yards and two touchdowns. It looked eerily similar to Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp with the Rams, where Vikings’ first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell was the offensive coordinator a year ago.

Jefferson wasn’t merely open. He was playing solitaire.

Getting separation is one thing. Being ignored is something else.

Even the Vikings’ terrific young receiver was surprised he was so open on his second touchdown catch of the game. It was a 36-yard grab in which there wasn’t a Packers defender within 10 yards as he sprinted into the end zone to make it 17-0 with 35 seconds left in the first half.

“I was thinking somebody was about to come from behind and tackle me,” Jefferson said. “I thought (Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander) had run with me. But he wasn’t there. It kind of shook me up a little bit, but I’m glad I got into the end zone.”

It shook up Alexander, too.

“All week, (I) was asking for that matchup,” Alexander told reporters. “But it ain’t about me. It’s about the team. It ain’t about me. If it was my way, you know what I would be doing.”

None of this rises to the level of mutiny, but it’s likely to shake the lines of communication between the defensive coordinator and his players.

Offensively, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s game plan seemed predicated on tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins playing. Neither was available as they continue to rehab their knee injuries.

Yosh Nijman held up at left tackle, and Zach Tom played well at left guard when Jon Runyan exited with a concussion. The right side wasn’t nearly as solid with Jake Hanson struggling at guard and Royce Newman in way over his helmet at right tackle. Newman surrendered two sacks, by my count, and both led to Vikings’ points.

So long as Newman is the right tackle, the Packers’ line is in “disarray.”

The Packers and Vikings each ran 61 plays. That’s where the similarities between the offenses ended.
Cousins finished 23 of 32 for 277 yards with two touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 118.9 passer rating. He was under considerable pressure, but sacked just once.

Dalvin Cook, the Vikings’ star running back, rushed a workmanlike 20 times for 90 yards (a 4.5 average) with a long of 16.

The Packers’ defense actually played well in stretches.

Both teams were 1-for-3 in the red zone. The Packers were just 3 of 9 on third-down conversions, but the Vikings (4 of 13, 30.8%) were worse.

The Vikings’ four sacks were a significant factor in the outcome.

Trailing 17-0 with the football on the opening possession of the second half, Rodgers drove the Packers to a first down at Green Bay’s 44. LaFleur called a slow-developing pass play, Newman couldn’t hold up and Rodgers was sacked by Jordan Hicks. The football came loose and Minnesota recovered.

The Packers’ defense bucked up and held the Vikings to a field goal to make it 20-0, and Green Bay’s offense finally found the end zone on its next possession to close it to 20-7.

But it was too little, too late.

“We had a lot of chances today,” Rodgers said. “I’m not taking anything away from their defense, but we hurt ourselves many times, myself included. We had a lot of opportunities to score more than seven.”
Rodgers said he should have kept the football on the RPO (run-pass option) in which Dillon was stuffed at the 1.

Watson’s opening-play drop didn’t help.

“Obviously, it’d be great to have a 75-yard touchdown to start the game, but drops are going to happen. It’s part of the game,” Rodgers said. “It’s the mental stuff that we just can’t have because we’re hurting ourselves. Whether we’re going the wrong way on a block or missing a protection something or missing a hot or not running the right route, the right depth, there was just too many mental mistakes.”

Rodgers was 22 of 34 for 195 yards and one interception. He finished with a dismal 67.7 passer rating and was hit repeatedly.

Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon were the only active running backs. In hindsight it makes sense because LaFleur didn’t seem interested in sticking with the running game. For that matter, he didn’t seem too interested in devising ways to get the football to his featured backs.

Jones had five carries for 49 yards and three catches for 27 yards. Why he isn’t a greater focal point for the offense is beyond me. Dillon rushed 10 times for 45 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards.

Many were anticipating the Packers’ deploying Jones and Dillon together. Instead, they scarcely used either one. They combined for 167 yards on just 23 touches. That has got to change.

On the bright side, the Packers’ special teams’ wasn’t the culprit. It wasn’t even culpable. It was a non-factor, which qualifies as progress, I suppose.

Clearly the Packers have lots of work to do between now and Sunday’s 7:20 p.m. kickoff against the unbeaten Bears (1-0) at Lambeau Field.

By Chris Havel

Special to EVENT USA

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If the Packers’ regular- and post-seasons go as smoothly as training camp and the preseason it’s a fair bet Green Bay fans will be partying in Glendale, Ariz., in early February.

There’s just one problem with that way of thinking.

As Packers head coach Matt LaFleur knows firsthand it’s seldom easy. The NFL schedule’s 17-game grind is a beast to navigate with injuries, illnesses, the occasional poor performance and plain old bad luck.

The Packers will combat it with optimism, professionalism and talent.

The challenge is considerable. The goal is attainable. The reward for being the NFL’s best team in any single season lasts a lifetime. As if the Packers needed to be reminded, LaFleur invited Pro Football Hall of Fame safety LeRoy Butler to lend perspective in a speech last week.

LaFleur called it one of the best speeches he’s heard in the last decade. The fuse has been lit.

And so it begins with a 3:25 p.m. kickoff Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, as NFC North rivals Green Bay and Minnesota open the 2022 season.

The Packers come in as 1 ½-point favorites. The point total is 48 ½.

Take the Packers and the under. A look at the offense, defense and special teams entering Week 1 will explain why.

** Packers’ offense

Aaron Rodgers has done a 180 in the past 18 months.

It wasn’t known in the spring of 2021 if Rodgers would play for the Packers. A rift between the future Hall of Fame quarterback and GM Brian Gutekunst seemed irreconcilable at one point.

Today, it’s a different dynamic.

Gutekunst and Rodgers have an open line of communication and the GM routinely consults his quarterback in terms of the roster. Their relationship went from being at death’s doorstep to fairly flourishing.

Now, a rejuvenated Rodgers is eager to attack the 2022 season.

He likes his young receivers, he loves his running back tandem and he is ecstatic about having his bookend tackles – David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins – back from serious injuries.

Bakhtiari and Jenkins haven’t been named the starting tackles for Sunday’s game at Minnesota, but the word out of 1265 Lombardi Ave. is that they should be ready to roll.

That is critical given the Vikings’ pass rush duo of Danielle Hunter and ex-Packers pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. When healthy Hunter and Smith are as nasty an edge-rushing tandem as there is in the game.

But that’s the million-dollar question.

Will Bakhtiari and Jenkins be healthy? Will Hunter and Smith be 100 percent? Undoubtedly it is the single most important question entering the game.

Three of the Packers’ biggest questions were on offense this offseason.

In addition to the health of Bakhtiari and Jenkins, fans are curious to see the debut of rookie receiver Christian Watson. The 34th pick overall elected to have a knee scope and as a result missed camp and the preseason games. Now he is back at practice and getting up to speed.

Rodgers has been effusive in his praise of Watson’s physical skills. Now we’ll see how quickly he is integrated into the offense.

The other question is how frequently the Packers will deploy two-back formations. Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are two of the team’s top five weapons, and Rodgers has said repeatedly that the best 11 will play.

The Packers didn’t show any two-back sets in the preseason. I won’t be surprised if they deploy it on nearly 20 percent of the snaps.

Rodgers talked at length about ways to attack with two backs.

“They can both, obviously, run the ball really well,” he said of Jones and Dillon. They can both catch it out of the backfield well. Different types of backs. I was talking to Matt (LaFleur) this morning about it, they’re both I feel dangerous in the open field. Jonesy’s such a slasher and, when he gets the ball, he’s tough to take down. He’s got great balance, low center of gravity. And 28 learned how to run behind his pads, and he can punish, especially in the wintertime, but he can also make you miss. He’s tough to bring down. He’s got tremendous quad size and strength.”

Ideally, the Packers will wear down the Vikings’ defense with an array of short and intermediate passes mixed with a heavy dose of the run game. I suspect the Packers will run right at Hunter and Smith to test their willingness to tackle, as opposed to just pinning their ears back.

Allen Lazard missed Monday’s practice for an undisclosed reason, although LaFleur didn’t sound overly concerned about his game status. Along with Lazard, look for veteran Sammy Watkins to contribute in Week 1. Watkins has a reputation for starting fast. We’ll see if it holds.

** Packers’ defense

Packers’ fans haven’t anticipated watching a great defense in years.

This is that year.

The Packers’ 10th-ranked defense has been galvanized by a second season with De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas, plus the ongoing improvement of edge rusher Rashan Gary.

Kenny Clark remains one of the league’s top defensive tackles, and he’ll have veteran Jarran Reed lining up next to him. Dean Lowry is coming off a solid season and second-year tackle T.J. Slaton has looked good.

Rookies Devonte Wyatt and Jonathan Ford will be brought along slowly, a luxury they can afford right now.

The corners are loaded with All-Pro Jaire Alexander, promising second-year pro Eric Stokes and Douglas. Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage will direct traffic at safety.

The Packers’ defense is feeling the vibe – and the vibe is good.

** Packers’ special teams

NFL rosters annually undergo a 33-percent makeover. The Packers were no different. They kept all 11 draft picks plus an additional seven players. Reed and Watkins were the offensive and defensive niche players, while the other five roster spots were devoted to special teams.

Safeties Dallin Leavitt and Rudy Ford, plus corner Keisean Nixon, each led their teams in special teams tackles the past three seasons. Punter Pat O’Donnell and long snapper Jack Coco are the others. With new coordinator Rich Bisaccia running the show the coverage units should be better. The return game appears to be in the hands of Amari Rodgers on punt returns and perhaps Romeo Doubs or Rodgers on kick returns.

** Prediction

The Packers’ offense is likely to experience some growing pains while the tackles and tight end Robert Tonyan settle in after their injuries. The absence of Rodgers’ go-to receiver, Davante Adams, also is a factor.

Meantime, Green Bay’s defense is excited about the challenge presented by Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and the Vikings’ offense.

So long as the Packers’ special teams units don’t sabotage the effort, look for Green Bay to notch a 26-19 victory at Minnesota.