Studs and duds from Packers’ 42-21 win over Lions in Week 2

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur improved to 8-0 against the NFC North to start his coaching career when his team came back from 14-3 first quarter deficit to beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field, with 31 straight points between the second and third quarters helping the Packers score a decisive 42-21 win over the visiting Lions in the home opener.

Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

Studs

RB Aaron Jones: Three big plays highlighted Jones’ star performance. He broke the game open when he burst through a hole and split the safeties with speed and balance for a 75-yard score to open the second half. He showed his receiving chops when he skied for a 30-yard catch against a cornerback on a go-route. He put the game away when he ran through an arm tackle in the hole and beat the safety to the end zone for the Packers’ final score. Jones, who had four runs over 10 yards and four catches gaining a first down or scoring a touchdown, can do it all. He finished with a career-high 168 rushing yards and 236 total yards, plus three scores.

CB Jaire Alexander: No. 23 always brings the juice. His energy kept the Packers from crumbling on defense, and his sticky coverage all but took Marvin Jones – the Lions’ best active receiver on Sunday – out of the game. The Lions targeted Alexander six times but he gave up four catches for just 19 yards. He broke up a deep ball to Jones and was a second away from delivering a pick-six. He also sliced in and dropped Jamal Agnew for no gain on a short throw underneath.

QB Aaron Rodgers: He was sharp again, with both decisiveness in the pocket and the right amount of aggressiveness attacking downfield. With help from Matt LaFleur and a well-crafted plan, Rodgers peppered the middle of the field for big plays against the Lions’ heavy man coverage looks. A handful of bad drops ruined what could have been another dominant statistical performance. He probably should have finished with over 300 yards passing and three scores but had to settle for 240 and two. He scrambled twice for 12 yards and even tallied his second career catch on a batted ball, although the reception lost six yards.

C Corey Linsley: He eventually left the game with a hand injury, but Linsley was nothing short of dominant during his 65 snaps. His work in the run game has been impressive through the first two weeks. He’s quick off the ball, great moving laterally on reach blocks and good at finding the second level defender with the right timing on combo blocks. The Packers destroyed the Lions on inside runs because Linsley and left guard Elgton Jenkins were so good moving people on Sunday. The offense had six runs of 10 or more yards and over 170 total rushing yards when running between the left and right guard.

OLB Rashan Gary: His 33 snaps were productive and often disruptive. He finished with 1.5 sacks, a career-high, and his quick pressure on Matthew Stafford early in the second half set up Chandon Sullivan’s pick-six. On his solo sack, Gary beat the chip of a running back and the right tackle on his way to Stafford. He also combined with Preston Smith for another second-half sack. On Sullivan’s pick, Gary was able to burst off the ball, avoid the cut block from the running back and force Stafford to throw outside, where Sullivan was waiting.

P JK Scott: He wasn’t put in high-pressure situations, but the third-year punter did his job effectively, placing all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line. In fact, all three punts pinned the Lions at or inside their own 10-yard line. The Packers delivered delivered stops after all three punts, including a pick-six from Chandon Sullivan.

CB Chandon Sullivan: He gave up an early third-down conversion to Danny Amendola, but he was lights out the rest of the way. Sullivan not only delivered the game-changing pick-six, but he also broke up a pass on third down to force a punt and held Amendola to just two catches.

Duds

TE Jace Sternberger: Two bad drops on two easy targets is a sure-fire way to land in the duds. Sternberger had a chance for a big play in the first half on a well-designed rollout play but tried to turn upfield before securing the catch and dropped it. Later, he let another easy catch goes right through his hands as he neared the sideline. Sternberger is still looking for his first career regular-season catch.

DL Dean Lowry: Down Kenny Clark, the Packers needed a veteran like Lowry or Tyler Lancaster to step up and help control gaps along the defensive line. Neither could do it consistently on Sunday. Since signing an extension ahead of the 2019 season, Lowry hasn’t looked like a starting-caliber player. He rarely gets off blocks in the run game or pushes the pocket as a rusher.

LB Christian Kirksey: His 12 tackles led the Packers for a second straight week, but he also gave up eight catches in coverage, including four for first downs and a touchdown. There are times he can look dynamic – like when he sifted through traffic moving to his right and stopped T.J. Hockenson after a short catch. But through two games, he hasn’t been a consistent positive against the run and he’s been mostly a clean-up player in coverage.