Chicago's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix strips the ball from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the second half of the Packers' 10-3 win over the Bears on Thursday at Soldier Field in Chicago. Rodgers, who was sacked five times on the night, recovered the fumble.
Chicago's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix strips the ball from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the second half of the Packers' 10-3 win over the Bears on Thursday at Soldier Field in Chicago. Rodgers, who was sacked five times on the night, recovered the fumble.
At least that's what the NFL wanted us to believe. Why else would the league have scheduled the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, two of its oldest franchises and proud participants in its most bitter rivarly, to open up its 100th season Thursday night on national television?
NBC got the buzz it was seeking, too. At least that was the case in Chicago, a city that has gone all-in on the Bears — the defending champions in the NFC North Division — and harbors a 100-year dislike for Green Bay.
Indeed, there were shiny new statues of George Halas and Walter Payton standing outside Soldier Field. There were introductions of past stars, including the 1985 NFL champions just before the opening kickoff. Even Jay Cutler showed up on the sideline.
For Packers fans, however, the game had nothing to do with the past. It was all about the future.
Matt LaFleur's first game as coach had an aura of intrigue about it after the reputed offensive mastermind kept everything — starters, schemes, plays, innovations — under wraps during the preseason. For those fans north of the Wisconsin-Illinois border, the unveiling of LaFleur's cutting-edge offense was the main attraction in the opener.
So what did the offense look like?
The cold, hard truth was that for much of the Packers' stunning, 10-3 victory over the Bears, LaFleur's offense looked badly overmatched. However, before you say, "Hey, that looks a lot like Mike McCarthy's offense," you should understand that there were some underlying reasons for the Packers' 213-yard offensive performance.
Take your pick.
Did the offense struggle because quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the starters on offense took no snaps together in the four exhibition games? Was it simply natural growing pains from a group of players learning a brand new offensive scheme? Or was it because the Bears defense has the most dominant front seven in the NFL, a ball-hawking secondary and a history of roughing up Rodgers?
Actually, it was all of the above. That didn't make the game any easier to watch, however.
Well, except for the finish. And the victory.
In what will go down as one of the great ironies in Green Bay's century-old football history, the Packers, a 3-point underdog, won their opener almost entirely with their defense. The 39-year-old LaFleur was hired to make Rodgers and the offense great again, but it wasn't expected to happen overnight and it didn't. Instead, LaFleur's best decision as coach seemed to be keeping Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator.
Fans tailgate outside Soldier Field before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
A member of the U.S. Air Force parachutes into Soldier Field before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Fan get ready for the start of an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Roy Robertson-Harris sacks Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Jones is stopped by Chicago Bears' Roquan Smith during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Mitchell Trubisky is sacked by Green Bay Packers' Blake Martinez and Adrian Amos during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Roy Robertson-Harris reacts after sacking Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers drops back during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers is sacked by Chicago Bears' Leonard Floyd during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Mitchell Trubisky runs past Green Bay Packers' Raven Greene and Preston Smith during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Eddy Pineiro kicks 1 field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Chicago Bears' Tarik Cohen runs against Green Bay Packers' Kyler Fackrell during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Mitchell Trubisky throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Green Bay Packers' Jimmy Graham catches a touchdown pass in front of Chicago Bears' Deon Bush during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Davante Adams is stopped by Chicago Bears' Eddie Jackson during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Jimmy Graham reacts after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Marquez Valdes-Scantling catches a long pass in front of Chicago Bears' Prince Amukamara during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Allen Robinson catches a pass in front of Green Bay Packers' Tony Brown during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Akiem Hicks reacts to a defensive stop during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Buster Skrine breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers' Davante Adams during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Green Bay Packers' Jamaal Williams runs past Chicago Bears' Roquan Smith during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers' Jimmy Graham leaps over Chicago Bears' Eddie Jackson during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur talks to players during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Chicago Bears' Ha Ha Clinton-Dix strips the ball from Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. Rodgers revered the fumble.
Chicago Bears' Roquan Smith is called for pass interference on Green Bay Packers' Jimmy Graham during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.Â
Chicago Bears' Prince Amukamara breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers' Jimmy Graham during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago.
Green Bay Packer fans pose with a giant Packer helmet during the NFL Experience on opening day of the NFL, Thursday, Sep. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Green Bay Packers open the 100th NFL season playing the Chicago Bears.Â
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers scrambles in the second half of the Packers' 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night in the regular-season opener at Soldier Field in Chicago.Â
Green Bay's Adrian Amos intercepts a pass during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Packers won 10-3.
Green Bay Packers players pose for a picture after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Packers won 10-3.Â
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers talks to Chicago Bears' Eddie Jackson after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Packers won 10-3.Â
Chicago Bears' Allen Robinson runs past Green Bay Packers' Jaire Alexander during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Packers won 10-3.Â
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers high fives fans as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Chicago. The Packers won 10-3.
Fortunately for LaFleur and the Packers, it didn't have to happen overnight. Pettine's defense, bolstered by draft picks and big-ticket free agents, smothered the Bears and erratic quarterback Mitch Trubsiky almost from the start.
Even when the Packers offense went 3-and-out — and mostly backward — on its first three possessions, the Bears managed only a 3-0 lead. The first quarter apparently served as the lost preseason for the Packers offense, which then drove 74 yards for the go-ahead score early in the second quarter.
More important, the defense looked to be quite capable of carrying the offense for awhile. It might have to, but all those big free-agent contracts the Packers gave to safety Adrian Amos and outside linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith looked like money well spent as all contributed big plays on defense.
Many things were expected from the Packers offense and LaFleur trotted out many of them. The Packers started out trying to run the ball, which is the foundation of the offense because it sets up the play-action game. When that failed miserably, they went to quick, rhythm passes, another staple of the offense. Along the way, there were bunch formations, plenty of presnap movement, passes to tight ends and, yes, even a few audibles from the quarterback.
The problem was, very little worked against a Bears defense that controlled the line of scrimmage all night. The Packers had an unacceptable number of negative-yardage plays. Late in the third quarter, they had 10 rushing yards on eight carries and had surrendered five sacks.
Give LaFleur credit for resourcefulness, though. When it became apparent that the Bears, who had the NFL's best run defense last year, weren't going to allow much on the ground and had the capability of collapsing the pocket on Rodgers almost at will, LaFleur and Rodgers started getting the ball out very quickly. If you're looking for positives, one is that the offense is diverse enough that it had a Plan B when Plan A wasn't working and a coach flexible enough to change on the fly.
Remember, too, that this was only one game. In time, the line will play better, the running game will become a factor and LaFleur's offense will show improvement. When it does, the Packers will look like a contender again.
Indeed, the best thing to come out of the opener was that the defense showed it is capable of winning a game by itself, helping the offense survive the first-quarter storm the Packers knew was coming at amped-up Soldier Field. If the offense ever catches on to what LaFleur is teaching, the Packers' two-year playoff drought might well come to an end.
Bucky!
Subscribe to our BadgerBeat email!
Stay connected to Badger sports with our FREE daily email featuring all of our Wisconsin athletics content, delivered straight to your inbox!
Tom Oates has been part of the Wisconsin State Journal sports department since 1980 and became its editorial voice in 1996, traversing the state and country to bring readers a Madison perspective on the biggest sports stories of the day.