Packers: Top five performers in Week 1 victory vs. Bears
By Jesse Fry
4. Blake Martinez
Blake Martinez doesn’t make this list because of his stats (six total tackles), he makes this list because of the heads-up call he made on the Bears’ crucial fourth quarter drive.
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With the Bears driving for what could have been the dagger in the Packers’ comeback plan, Martinez read the formation and knew exactly what play was coming.
Inside the red zone and facing a third down, the Bears thought they had the perfect play called. But just before the snap, Martinez recognized the route and let outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert know what was coming. Martinez saw the wheel route by Bears running back Tarik Cohen coming and alerted Gilbert.
Gilbert’s coverage was perfect and gave Mitchell Trubisky nowhere to throw. Gilbert played a good game himself. But taking into account all the communication problems that plagued the Packers all 2017, this was a welcome sight and deserves a spot on this list.
The Bears made the Packers defense look bad in the first half and the run defense still needs work. I feel this unit will come together. More heads-up plays by Blake Martinez will go a long way to ensure the problems of 2017 are a thing of the past.