Packers: Five standout performances from Week 1 win vs. Vikings

1. Aaron Rodgers

Stat line: 32/44, 364 yards, 4 TDs

Aaron Rodgers looked downright dominant. He threw in rhythm, made plays when needed to and looked much more comfortable in the system than he did last year.

Rodgers’ first touchdown to Davante Adams was vintage Rodgers. Rodgers could not find anyone open early in the play so he slid to his right, bought a little more time and threw a pinpoint dime to the front corner of the end zone on the run. Adams snagged the ball out of the air and got his feet and toes in bounds for the score.

Rodgers was also able to use his hard count to get the defense to give the team a couple easy first downs in a road stadium. Granted, there were no fans in attendance, but the Vikings had to have prepared for Rodgers’ hard count and still bit on his cadence to help the team out.

The stats say 11 incompletions but that doesn’t tell the story. At least half of those 11 were throwaways as well as two big drops by Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

It’s not just that Rodgers had a great game, it’s who he did it against as well. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has always given Rodgers problems going all the way back to his days with the Cincinnati Bengals. Yet in this game, Rodgers made a big statement and put the league on notice that he is fired up and motivated to regain his dominance.