Packers: 6 things we learned from win over Lions in Week 2

What did we learn from the Packers’ win over the Lions?

The Green Bay Packers were able to rebound on Monday night with a 35-17 victory over Detroit. And while it was great to see the Packers end up with the W, it’s important to understand the Lions are among the least talented teams they’ll face this season.

We learned a little more about this team in week two — these are my takeaways after a re-watch of the game.

The Packers prioritized getting Aaron Jones involved

The Packers’ offensive line still didn’t look fantastic, which is to be expected given the absence of all-world left tackle David Bakhtiari and two rookies still adapting to life in the NFL.

Aaron Jones didn’t have a ton of running room when given the opportunity – but the Packers made sure to manufacture him some touches in space. This proved to be a great decision — Jones caught six passes for 48 yards and had three of his four touchdowns come through the air.

The Packers paid Jones the big bucks to be a focal point of their offense. Expect similar usage moving forward.

Jon Runyan won himself a starting gig

Lucas Patrick missed the game against Detroit. The old adage is that you don’t lose your spot due to injury, however I would be surprised to see Patrick starting at left guard when he’s healthy.

Jon Runyan looked good in his first NFL start, making some noteworthy blocks in space. He held up decent in protection and never looked outmatched. I think it’s safe to assume Runyan is going to earn another start based off his performance, the question is will Patrick or the struggling Royce Newman end up on the bench?

Aaron Rodgers is a magician

After an uncharacteristic week one, 12 returned to form and threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers made several vintage throws last night and silenced the doubters.

Eric Stokes has earned more snaps

Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan continued to struggle, so rookie corner Eric Stokes was given more playing time. The results were encouraging — Stokes ended two separate drives with pass deflections on fourth down. It does have to be mentioned that he was going against arguably the worst receiving corps in the NFL, but he did his job and looked the part of a boundary corner with some serious upside.

Kenny Clark looked great

Kenny Clark was quick off the ball and consistently won at the point of attack. Clark was disruptive and turned in one of his best performances in recent memory — if only the same could be said about his teammates on the defensive line (they were terrible). He’s going to need someone to step up so he has the opportunity to be a real difference maker on this defense.

Side note: Kingsley Keke offered nothing for the second week in a row.

De’Vondre Campbell looked better

De’Vondre Campbell filled up the stat sheet against the Lions with 13 tackles and an interception. It wasn’t as dominating of a performance as the box score would dictate though, considering a fair amount of those tackles happened 5+ yards downfield. Regardless, the free-agent signing made an impact.