There was a lot to be excited about if you are a Green Bay Packers fan following their performance in Week 1. They dominated the Chicago Bears, winning 38-20 on the back of a dominant second half.
The team’s young offense looked like a well-oiled machine throughout the afternoon. The offensive line got the job done, creating clean pockets consistently for Jordan Love to operate from. While he had some inaccuracy issues completing 15-of-27 passes, he threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Romeo Doubs did a big chunk of the damage. Jones had 127 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns, while Doubs caught four passes for 26 yards and two touchdowns while being limited by a hamstring injury.
Jones suffered a hamstring injury of his own on his 35-yard catch and run for a touchdown, which opened the door for AJ Dillon to assume the lead role in the final quarter and a half of the game.
Disappointingly, he didn’t do much with the opportunity. In the opinion of Rob Demovsky of ESPN, that is a big reason why Dillon was selected as the Packers player whose stock is down the most after Week 1.
“They didn’t need much from him considering Jones went off before his third-quarter hamstring injury, but at some point they’re going to need more than the 19 yards on 13 carries and 17 yards on two catches that Dillon got Sunday.”
Dillon could not have gotten off to much worse of a start in the 2023 season. The Packers received more of an impact from third-string running back Patrick Taylor, who carried the ball five times for 22 yards.
Alas, he could have a big opportunity to turn things around in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons if Jones is unable to play. Dillon would have the chance to operate as the lead back, a golden opportunity to get back into the good graces of the coaching staff.
If he comes up short again, they could consider making some changes to the backfield pecking order. Undrafted free agent Emanuel Wilson was a star in the preseason, earning a spot on the initial 53-man roster. Taylor is on the team more for his special teams prowess but showed he can handle some work in Week 1 against the Bears.
