One of the most shocking developments in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season was the lopsided defeat the Green Bay Packers sustained to the New Orleans Saints. There was always a chance for the Saints to beat the Packers, but no one expected New Orleans to trounce them 38-3, especially on a neutral field. Both Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur described the loss as embarrassing, especially with Green Bay being considered as contenders entering the season.
Following their 35-point loss to the Saints, the Packers will host the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 2. Detroit is coming off of a loss in Week 1 to the San Francisco 49ers despite nearly making an improbable comeback in the second half.
Amid all of the panicking going on in Green Bay, here are five reasons why the Packers will bounce back strong against the Lions in Week 2.
The Packers Have Aaron Rodgers
It was an uncharacteristic game from Rodgers in Week 1 as he failed to throw a touchdown and he tossed two interceptions. Interceptions aren’t a usual occurrence for Rodgers, so I expect him to be less careless with the ball moving forward this season. Even though he looked out of sorts to begin the season, we’re still speaking about the reigning NFL MVP.
Rodgers is going to be just fine and having the All-Pro signal-caller gives the Packers a clear advantage at quarterback over the Lions, who now have Jared Goff at the helm.
Green Bay Faces The Lions
Simply put, the Packers are in a prime spot to bounce back due to facing the Lions at home. While Detroit came close to making a massive comeback against San Francisco, they were down by a lot of points for a reason. The Lions are an inexperienced team that has a new head coach in Dan Campbell. They are trying to build a winning culture in Detroit, but it’s going to take some time before that happens.
If you’re the Packers, you couldn’t ask for much better of a matchup to have in Week 2 after getting routed by the Saints.
Detroit Lacks Offensive Weapons
Outside of D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson, the Lions aren’t exactly overloaded with weapons on offense. Green Bay’s defense could have their hands full with Swift and Hockenson, but they should still have the advantage on defense. It will be important for the Packers to get out to a fast start and get into a rhythm to avoid letting the Lions hang around in a game that shouldn’t be close.
While Green Bay doesn’t have an abundance of weapons either, they certainly have more to work with than Detroit does.
Packers Should Have More Success On The Ground
Not only did the aerial attack fall short in Week 1 for the Packers, but Aaron Jones and the running game were awfully quiet versus the Saints. Altogether, Green Bay combined for only 43 rushing yards in Week 1, with Jones contributing just nine yards on five carries. But after facing a stout run defense of the Saints, the Packers should have more running room versus the Lions.
Detroit’s defense just surrendered 131 rushing yards to the 49ers to begin the season as rookie Elijah Mitchell scampered for 104 yards himself. No offense to Mitchell but Jones is a much better running back that should have a ton of success against a new-look defense of the Lions.
Jared Goff Is Prone To Making Mistakes
Being able to give the ball to Rodgers more is one way for the Packers to have success on offense. However, despite playing Jameis Winston in Week 1, Green Bay had zero turnovers forced while they turned the ball over three times. Credit to Winston for showing improvements in his game to avoid making mental errors and Sean Payton for dialing up a game plan that put Winston in a position to succeed.
That being said, Goff is prone to making mistakes when under pressure as we saw him throw a pick-six in Week 1. There’s a good chance we see Green Bay’s defense force at least one turnover, which could easily change the outlook of the game.
