Packers 2019 awards: Best player, best performance and more

Best Quote

“We got a defense.”

After the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears on the opening night of the NFL’s 100th season, Aaron Rodgers confirmed what many were hoping for. With a defense made up of a lot of new faces, Packers fans were hoping for some improvement.

In their first game of the season, against the NFC North favorite and a preseason Super Bowl-contender Chicago Bears, the Packers defense showed up. They held the Bears offense to just 46 rushing yards and just three points and added on five sacks. To top it all off, former-Bear safety Adrian Amos picked off a pass from Mitch Trubisky to seal the game.

With Rodgers at quarterback, we all figured the offense would get rolling at some point. With a defense that can get after the quarterback and limit points, there was an optimistic feeling in Green Bay to start the season.

Others: “All gas, no f*cking brakes.”

Best Player

Za’Darius Smith

Za’Darius Smith quickly became a fan favorite and a team leader. He’s the kind of guy the Packers haven’t really had since Charles Woodson. You could argue Mike Daniels was that guy, but I’d argue he was more of a vocal presence rather than a leader. Since he got here, Smith has been helping change the culture of this team and the team has responded in a positive way. He has also been a mentor to a lot of the younger guys on the team, even though he is only 27 years old himself.

Besides being a leader off the field, he has been the most productive member on the field, making big plays when the defense really needed them. He led the league in QB pressures (98) and tied for the lead in QB hits (37). Oh, and he also added on 13.5 sacks.

All in all, he was virtually unblockable.

But even with all that production, Smith got snubbed from multiple awards. He was left out of the Pro Bowl, and that’s okay because the Pro Bowl is a joke now and is nothing more than a popularity contest. The Associated Press had to put him on the All-Pro team, he seemed like a shoo-in. Nope. He was snubbed from that list too, not even making the second-team.

But I don’t think Smith cares all that much. The personal accolades aren’t what he’s after. He wants a ring, and I think that’s something all Packer fans can get behind.

Others: Aaron Jones, Jaire Alexander, David Bakhtiari