It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy to execute. The Green Bay Packers typically try to emphasize utilizing their best players on offense. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, as evidenced by two very different performances between Week 1 and Week 2. If it wasn’t already oblivious, feeding their playmakers against the Detroit Lions led the Packers to their first win of the 2021 season.
“I really felt like going into this game, from an offensive perspective, we needed to get our playmakers the ball,” head coach Matt LaFleur said during his postgame presser.
LaFleur specifically pointed to guys like Davante Adams, Robert Tonyan, Aaron Jones, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the driving forces on offense. All but one filled up the stat sheet in their 18-point win on Monday night.
Roughly 90 percent of the team’s total yards on offense came from three out of the four players LaFleur listed above. Adams led all receivers with 121 receiving yards while catching eight out of his nine targets. Jones was productive both on the ground and through the air, finishing with three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to set a new career-high. Meanwhile, Tonyan was his usual rock-solid self as he caught three passes for 52 yards, with one being a laser from Aaron Rodgers threading the needle to Tonyan on a seam route for a 22-yard score.
Not to be forgotten, Valdes-Scantling almost had a big game himself. He and Rodgers failed to connect on a few passes which could have resulted in points or a huge gain. The fourth-year receiver did not catch his four targets against Detroit, but don’t expect the Packers to turn their back on their top deep threat.
“We still had some opportunities there for MVS that we just didn’t quite connect on,” said LaFleur. “So, I know there’s a lot more out there for not only this football team but for our offense as well.”
So, what exactly changed between the first and second acts of the 2021 season?
“Obviously, it starts with getting the ball to our playmakers,” Rodgers stated.
The Packers failed to utilize their playmakers effectively in the season opener. The result was a mere 229 yards of total offense and three measly points. However, Monday night was totally different as the offense benefited from a much more organic operating procedure that never felt forced or discombobulated.
Between Adams, Jones, Tonyan, and Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay has four playmakers they can lean on for more performances like the one we saw in Week 2.