5 standouts from Packers’ win over Lions in Week 2

Monday night’s 35-17 victory over the Detroit Lions provided a nice bounce-back win for the Green Bay Packers, a team that showed few signs of mental or physical fatigue from a 35-point loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.

The Packers’ offense had no trouble moving the ball against the Lions, and the defense also turned in a much better performance in the second half. Aaron Rodgers looked like, well, Aaron Rodgers and the defense held the Lions to zero points after halftime.

The Packers saw some great performances coming out of their first win of the 2021 season, so let’s take a moment to highlight a few standouts.

OLB Preston Smith

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith (91).

Smith was the top-graded defender for the Packers in their Week 1 loss to the Saints, according to Pro Football Focus. He did a nice job setting the edge and finished the day with five tackles and a QB hit. On Tuesday, it will probably be revealed that Smith was a top performer once again. He forced an intentional grounding against Jared Goff that was nearly a fumble during the first half. It was the only defensive stop the Packers could muster on three attempts during the first 30 minutes of the game. Smith finished his day without a tackle but had a QB hit and multiple pressures. He has been the team’s best outside linebacker through the first two games.

RB Aaron Jones

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones scores a touchdown during first quarter Monday night.

Every time Jones touched the ball, it seemed like the play ended in a touchdown. Well, maybe not, but a four-touchdown performance is not something you can easily dismiss. Jones finished the night with three receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and 115 total yards from scrimmage. It was the second four-touchdown game of Jones’ career but also not the first time he has had a career-day against Detroit. Last year, he set a career-high of 239 total yards at the expense of the Lions in Week 2. Maybe this is a sign of things to come after Jones received only seven touches in Week 1.

WR Davante Adams

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17).

Adams wasn’t discouraged by his team’s opening performance. The All-Pro wideout said the team would “flush it and respond." That is exactly what they did with Adams leading all receivers with eight receptions totaling 121 yards. He was also on the receiving end of a 50-yard pass from Rodgers, which moved Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to 10th all-time on the career passing yards list.

CB Eric Stokes

Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK

The rookie corner was partly responsible for the first touchdown of the game. It looked like he and Kevin King got their signals crossed, and it resulted in an easy score for Detroit’s Quintez Cephus. However, Stokes came back later in the game made a huge play on a crucial fourth down. He had sticky coverage against Cephus to force an incompletion that would later set up a scoring drive. It marked the second consecutive week that the rookie made a nice play to get the defense off the field. During the fourth quarter, Stokes recorded his second pass break up a deep ball intended for wide receiver Trinity Benson. So far, the early returns have been good for the 29th overall pick.

LB De'Vondre Campbell

Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK

Campbell was consistently around the ball Monday night, as he led Green Bay’s defense with 13 combined tackles. The veteran linebacker looked more comfortable this week, flying sideline to sideline and making impactful plays. Thanks to pressure applied by edge rusher Jonathan Garvin, Campbell was on the receiving end of the Packers’ first interception of the year. Green Bay needs to see continued playmaking from their linebacker group for this defense to reach its full potential. A performance like the one from Campbell in Week 2 certainly helps.

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