Green Bay Packers Week 2 Stud: Eric Stokes and Jon Runyan
Dealing with an assortment of injuries coming into this game and trying to figure out some new combinations, second-year offensive lineman Jon Runyan and rookie first-round pick at cornerback Eric Stokes got plenty of work against the Lions. And both players performed quite well.
For Runyan, he was the epitome of an offensive lineman’s best asset is not being noticed. He consistently did his job at left guard and was one of the more impressive players in the trenches. As for Stokes, he wasn’t perfect but the youngster flashed his playmaking with two key pass defenses in the second half.
Suffice it to say, both players earned the opportunity to see the field more — if not start — moving forward.
Green Bay Packers Week 2 Dud: Pass Rushers
With Za’Darius Smith out of the lineup, the Packers were certainly relying on guys to step up in getting after the quarterback. Unfortunately, though Rashan Gary and Preston Smith have been fine players, no one was able to make a consistent impact in getting after Jared Goff on the night.
Green Bay finished the night with just one sack as a team, a gang tackle that was credited literally to the team on the box score and the eye test bore that out. The Packers were stonewalled often in trying to get after Goff and, frankly, the only pressure they got was when the coverage allowed the to have enough time to push into the pocket.
It’s hard to say whether this is a player issue or defensive coordinator Joe Barry issue. In either case, though, it’s something the Packers must fix immediately.