Mission Accomplished

The checklist for the Green Bay Packers’ season opener was simple. Start fast, check. Put points on the board early, check. Shut down the Detroit Lions’ vaunted running game, check. Make Jared Goff uncomfortable, check. Unleash Micah Parsons, check.

It’s just one game in a long season, but the Packers made the kind of opening statement fans dreamed of. Jordan Love was in midseason form from the opening snap, and Parsons showed the dramatic impact he will have in Jeff Hafley’s defense, despite playing less than half of the defensive snaps.

Green Bay's opener was important on so many levels. Much was made of the Packers’ inability to beat the elite teams they faced last season. Here was an opportunity to immediately quash that narrative. The Packers were the better team in all three phases and sent a crystal-clear message to the rest of the North and NFC contenders: This defense is going to be a problem.

Imagine I told you Jahmyr Gibbs was going to get 19 touches for a grand total of 50 yards, or that the Lions would average 2.1 yards per carry, or that Amon-Ra St. Brown would be a complete non-factor.

This defense is fast, physical, and relentless. No more Kenny Clark? Well, here comes Colby Wooden stepping into that spot and looking like a younger version of Clark. Here’s Edgerrin Cooper flying all over the field en route to 12 tackles. Here are Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness harassing Jared Goff all afternoon.

Of course, they were all lifted by Parsons' presence, whose excellence was on display for all 30 of his snaps. He authored perhaps the most critical play of the day, hurrying Goff into throwing an interception to Evan Williams, which prevented the Lions from cutting into the Pack's two-touchdown lead late in the first half.

For a moment, it looked like Detroit could score to end the half, get the ball to start the third quarter, and maybe it’s a brand new ballgame. Parsons put an end to that.

And then there was the chase-down sack, where he was clocked at 18½ miles per hour. I’m not sure how many times I’ve watched that play, but it’s in the double digits for sure. Interested to see how his body recovers after missing most of training camp; I expect the team will continue the deliberate ramp-up and unleash him 100% in Week 4 in Dallas.

Time will tell whether this Lions offense is a shell of its former self without Ben Johnson or whether the Packers just made them look pedestrian, but to hold that unit to just 246 yards is remarkable. Maybe the run defense won’t miss a beat without Clark, or maybe the new look interior of Detroit’s offensive line is a disaster. I’d like to believe the former is true.

After a training camp that saw Love and his receivers spend very little time together due to injuries everywhere, there was a level of concern about whether the offense would need some more runway to take off. Love quieted those fears immediately. He converted three third downs on the opening drive, the last a laser to Tucker Kraft for a touchdown, then kept his foot on the pedal throughout the first half, chucking the ball downfield and spreading the love around.

He found eight different targets in the first half alone and 10 for the game. Nobody caught more than three balls, which will frustrate the fantasy football world (and maybe a few of the receivers down the road). Love consistently made the right reads and found the open guy. And the receivers showed they could get open when facing tight man coverage, something they struggled with last season.

The Lions made it a priority to shut down Josh Jacobs and see if the passing game could beat them. The answer was: yes, indeed it could. Jacobs found his footing in the second half and kept his touchdown streak alive with his ninth-straight game with a score.

The only concern coming out of the game is injuries to two starting offensive linemen. Zach Tom landed hard on his hip trying to avoid colliding with Love, and Aaron Banks exited late with an ankle injury. With a game coming up fast on Thursday night, the Pack’s depth might be tested early. Late addition Darian Kinnard, acquired via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, looked right at home stepping in for Tom -- a very encouraging sign.

It's just one game, but it felt like a performance that announced that, while the Packers might still be the youngest team in football, they’re ready to step into the NFC contender status many believe they deserve.