Packers: 3 players who must improve in Week 2 vs. Bears

1. Eric Stokes

Eric Stokes had a great rookie year with the Packers, and there’s no doubt he has Pro Bowl potential in the coming seasons. However, he also didn’t have his best game in the season opener at Minnesota.

According to Pro Football Reference, Stokes allowed all four targets in his coverage to be completed for 54 yards and a touchdown.

It was a rough afternoon for the entire Packers secondary, but Stokes was beaten too easily.

The good news is that Justin Jefferson won’t be lining up opposite Stokes this week. The Packers’ schedule goes from facing one of the best wide receiver corps to one of the worst. That sure helps.

But there’s also little doubt that Stokes will bounce back from a disappointing performance in the season opener.

Last year, he allowed fewer than half of the passes in his coverage to be completed, while making an impressive 14 pass defenses, per Pro Football Reference.

The secondary is one of Green Bay’s defensive strengths. With the trio of Stokes, Jaire Alexander, and Rasul Douglas, any offense could struggle to get open consistently against them.

However, the secondary was nowhere near its best against the Vikings. A bounce-back game from Stokes would go a long way to getting a different outcome in Week 2.