Packers Start Slow, Hold Off Vick And Eagles in Season Opener

We didn't see the high flying offense we are used to but the Green Bay Packers still left Philadelphia Sunday with a 27-20 win over the Eagles.

The highly-touted Packers offense started slow, and besides a couple drives spanning the second and third quarters, Green Bay's offense was out of sync and unproductive. The Packers were only able to muster 299 yards, an underwhelming number for a team many have dubbed as the best in the NFL.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who admitted he played "as bad as I can play", finished the game completing 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two interceptions. He was sacked three times in the first half and struggled with his accuracy for most of the game.

The Packers knocked Eagles' quarterback Kevin Kolb out of the game in the second quarter, but former Pro Bowler Michael Vick added a spark to the Philadelphia offense and nearly lead them back from a 27-10 deficit.

Vick ended the game with 175 yards passing and 103 rushing as Philly scored the last ten points of the game and were in Packers' territory before coming up short on a fourth-and-one play.

Quick reaction

Grant's Injury

It will be interesting to see how long Packers running back Ryan Grant is out. Early reports are a right ankle sprain, and he was seen on the sidelines in a walking boot. Brandon Jackson played well in his absence (75 total yards), but Grant is a key member to the offense and owner of back-to-back 1200 yard seasons.

Improved Special Teams

The Packers special teams was fantastic. It was an area I thought the Eagles would exploit, but Green Bay clearly won that battle today. Jordy Nelson had kick returns of 50 and 41 yards, and Tramon Williams had no mistakes fielding punts.

Even better, kicker Mason Crosby was two for two on field goals (including a Packers record 56 yarder before the half), and punter Tim Masthay was effective in limiting the Eagles Desean Jackson on punt returns. Overall, you have to be impressed with the improvement that unit has made.

Rookie Bumps

I thought both rookies in the Packers secondary, Morgan Burnett and Sam Shields, played poorly.

It took a half for the Eagles to begin picking on Shields, the nickel corner, but once they did it was obvious he was overmatched. On the touchdown throw from Vick to Jeremy Maclin, Shields got turned around and was completely out of position.

And I wasn't keeping track, but there were several tackles missed by Burnett, and a few times he was a step or two late in coverage. I think Burnett will be a very good safety and an upgrade over Atari Bigby, but today you could tell he was playing in his first NFL game. Disappointing start for the two rookies.

Physical Play of Defense

The Packers defense played a physical game for the full 60 minutes. Linebacker Clay Matthews (two sacks and a forced fumble) was seemingly unblockable for much of the game, and Green Bay was able to tally five sacks and six other quarterback hits. 

There were a handful of times that both Eagles' quarterbacks Kolb and Vick were shaky getting up from big hits, and Kolb was actually knocked out of the game on a violent tackle from Matthews.

And to be perfectly honest, the Packers never ceased getting pressure on the quarterback. The fast and elusive Vick bailed out the Eagles numerous times as the Packers consistently collapsed the pocket.

Offensive Inconsistency

The offense was a source of a lot of disappointment in my mind. Rodgers was about as inaccurate as I've ever seen him, and turning the ball over twice on bad interceptions is typically a rarity.

I might be able to give him an excuse on the second pick, as it looked like the ball might have slipped out of his hand, but he clearly forced the first.

While Rodgers was wildly inaccurate for much of the first half, he got no favors from his offensive line as they allowed three sacks and looked very 2009-esque. It looked like they made the necessary adjustments, however, and Rodgers wasn't sacked in the second half.

Everyone expecting to see the preseason version of the Packers offense had to of been frustrated with their performance.

Far From Perfect

The Packers can take comfort knowing they played far from their best game and still came out with a win on the road against a 2009 playoff team.

The defense put together a solid performance, and they made the stop they needed to when the game was on the line.

If the Packers can get their offense in sync, they undoubtedly will be a tough team to beat this season.