Three things Packers fans want to see in Week 3 vs. Broncos

Three things Green Bay Packers fans want to see in Week 3.

Thus far through two weeks of the NFL season, both the Packers and their fans should be feeling good. Heading into Week 3, Green Bay stands at 2-0, with the Denver Broncos coming into Lambeau on Sunday.

En route to their 2-0 start, Green Bay has defeated two NFC North opponents in the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Although the Packers are undefeated, they haven’t played flawless football thus far.

Despite being favorites this week, the Packers cannot play down to their opponent.

“This league is extremely humbling, as soon as you start reading what people are writing about you and feeling good about that, you get humbled quickly,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “So we’re focused on going 1-0 this week.”

The previous two weeks have produced things that fans either want to see more often, or never want to see again.

1. Offense be explosive for longer periods of time

With LaFleur introduced as head coach this offseason, we knew the Packers offense was in for a change. LaFleur, who is an offensive-minded coach, was bringing in a style of offense that is trendy in the NFL today.

It’s been clear in the first two weeks that the new offense is challenging to say the least. For example, Aaron Rodgers last week wore a quarterback sleeve with plays on it for the first time in his career.

The inconsistency of the offense is the biggest indicator of how challenging it has been thus far. In Week 1, the Packers had one touchdown drive. The one TD was all they needed to win the game, but outside that one drive the offense looked horrible.

An extra week to learn the offense clearly helped in the Vikings game the following week, considering they came out and scored 21 points in the first quarter. Nonetheless, the Packers would end up going scoreless the rest of the game.

Rodgers’ performance and numbers have been below his standards through two weeks. However, expect him look like his old self again as he gets more used to the concepts in this new offense.

On the bright side, the running game showed up big time in Week 2. A big part of the offseason talk was that the Packers would have balance in their offense this season. Aaron Jones supplied that balance in Week 2 with 23 carries for 116 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Another dominant performance on the ground will hinder Denver from using their elite pass rush. In addition, Packers fans would love to see the offense be able to put together a complete game this week.

2. Continued excellence from the defense

There are not enough positive things to say about how the defense has before through two weeks. The 19 points allowed through two weeks is the lowest the Packers have given up since 2001.

Also, in back-to-back weeks, the defense has had game-sealing interceptions. First, it was Adrian Amos‘ interception of Mitch Trubisky. Then, Kevin King‘s interception of Kirk Cousins. Green Bay is currently tied for number one in the league in takeaways.

Yet, the defense still has room to improve as they gave up 154 rushing yards to Dalvin Cook last week. Not to mention, the defense gave up multiple big plays to the Vikings. Green Bay will need to fix that against Joe Flacco, who likes to throw it deep.

3. Avoid an upset loss at home

Many Packers fans are aware of the fact that sometimes the Packers play down to their opponents. In doing so, Green Bay either is upset by the opposing team or in a closer game than expected. Just see the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets or San Francisco 49ers games from last season.

The betting odds have the Packers listed as a seven-point favorites entering the game. Denver, who is 0-2, will be desperate for a win, as 0-3 teams only make the playoffs about three percent of the time.

A win is necessary for many reasons. First, Green Bay needs to be 3-0 as they face NFC elites in the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in the subsequent weeks. Additionally, in the competitive NFC North, the Packers need to stay atop the division as long as possible.

With a win this week, Packers fans would be treated with a 2-0 home record and an overall record of 3-0 to start the season.