The Packers’ Week 1 loss to Minnesota has plenty of people sounding the alarm, and it’s easy to see why. Dropping a division game right out of the gate is a rough way to start, especially when the reaction around Green Bay is already boiling over. But one bad Sunday doesn’t close the book on the NFC North.
That’s the bigger picture here: the division looks far more unsettled than it did before kickoff. Minnesota was supposed to be the team everyone else could beat up on, but the Vikings flipped that script by leaning on their backup quarterback and taking advantage of Green Bay’s mistakes to steal the upset.
And the teams that are supposed to be ahead of the Packers? They didn’t exactly look untouchable.
Detroit needed overtime to get past New Orleans and was two-point conversion away from being beaten. The Saints quarterback led all signal callers in passing yardage, and the game exposed real concerns in the Lions’ secondary. Detroit also stumbled after building an early lead and, for stretches, looked surprisingly one-dimensional.
Chicago’s opener was just as messy in a different way. The Bears put together a record-setting offensive day, but they also allowed more than 300 passing yards to Bryce Young and three touchdown passes.
Carolina scored 37 points and could have done more if not for a few mistakes that let Chicago seize control late in the second half. For all the noise around those results, the defenses in Detroit and Chicago both looked very human against quarterbacks who are clearly not Jordan Love.
Green Bay’s loss, meanwhile, probably looks different if Kyler Murray stays in the game. Carson Wentz brought a jolt of energy to the Minnesota offense, and the Packers’ own miscues helped turn a game that felt like Green Bay’s to lose through three quarters into a Vikings win.
That’s why the division still feels open. Once teams get a full week to prepare for Wentz, or if Murray or J.J.
McCarthy are back in the starting lineup, the outcomes are likely to shift. But after one week, there’s still no clean argument that any team has separated itself from the pack.
The Packers stumbled badly, sure. But with the Lions and Bears showing clear defensive issues of their own, Green Bay still has every reason to stay in the NFC North race.
In Other News...
Javon Hargrave Already Has Packers Fans Worried About His Role
Javon Hargraves first game in Green Bay gave Packers fans plenty to monitor along the defensive front. In Week 1, he played 30 snaps, finished with one tackle and did not register a pressure, while the Packers leaned on a by-committee rotation across the defensive line. Karl Brooks got the start at defensive end over Hargrave, which added another wrinkle to a unit still sorting out how it wants to deploy its pieces.
For a player brought in with bigger expectations, the opening usage looked more restrained than many around the team probably imagined. It is still far too early to make any firm judgments, but the snap count and the way Green Bay distributed work up front suggest Hargrave may have a more limited role than expected unless the rotation shifts in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Sent A Clear Message About O-Line Depth
The Packers added another piece to their offensive line room this week, signing Cordell Volson to the practice squad after he worked out with the team. Volson arrives with NFL experience after originally being drafted by the Bengals, and he spent part of this offseason with the Titans before not making their final roster.
Green Bay has been active in using the practice squad to build depth with outside additions, and Volsons signing is part of that wider approach. For a team that has spent the season keeping an eye on its protection options, every extra lineman on hand matters, especially when the front office is clearly making sure there are workable answers if the need arises. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Already Has Packers Fans Debating One Week 1 Problem
Week 1 brought an early quarterback sorting exercise in the NFC North, and Jordan Love landed in the middle of the conversation for all the usual reasons. The Packers quarterback put up plenty of yardage even while dealing with pressure, but the kind of up-and-down start that can define an opening game still left people weighing the good against the bad. In a division where every quarterback performance gets scrutinized quickly, Loves debut did enough to keep Green Bay fans talking.
The broader ranking also had plenty of moving parts, from Carson Wentz making an effective relief appearance for the Vikings to Jared Goff turning in a mixed outing for the Lions and Caleb Williams getting off to a strong start for the Bears. The list is meant to be fluid and shaped by both recent play and career body of work, which is why Loves spot feels more like an early checkpoint than a verdict. For Packers fans, the question now is whether the Week 1 pressure points were just an opening hiccup or the first sign of something more familiar. [Read more 🡒]