2023 NFL Power Rankings: Green Bay Packers

Best debut performance: K Anders Carlson
Week 1 stats: 5-for-5 on PATs, 1-for-1 on FGs

For all the angst over Carlson -- from drafting him in the sixth round to moving on from franchise scoring leader Mason Crosby to an inconsistent preseason and training camp -- he delivered in a big way with a 52-yard field goal to close out the first half vs. the Bears. The Packers mismanaged the clock after Jordan Love got sacked and had to use their last timeout. "Thank God Carlson made it, so it kind of covers up that mistake a little bit," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. -- Rob Demovsky

When you drill down on Jordan Love's performance in the 38-20 win at Chicago, certain things need refinement. The Packers didn't mount a true drive until the second half, having been gifted twice with short fields early. But once Love settled in, he was pretty terrific, all things considered. He had to know how big a test this game would be and how much Packers and Bears fans weigh this rivalry. Love (with help from Aaron Jones) delivered time and time again in the second half. The victory was also a celebration of some of the Packers' young defenders. Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker, often disappointing as rookies last season, had big moments. Rookies Lukas Van Ness and Karl Brooks also showed up. This game checked a lot of boxes.

So much for the idea that this team would fall way off with Jordan Love. He played well in beating the Bears, but the defense also shined.

The offense was balanced, the young receivers made plays, and the defense rose up to its talent quotient. Not clear why a quarterback would want to leave this situation, but highly effective Jordan Love (3 TD passes) is understandably psyched for his opportunity.

The Packers shouldn't be allowed to do this again. The team that has had only two starting quarterbacks since 1992 (Brett Favre from 1992 to 2007 and Aaron Rodgers from 2008 to 2022) may be completing the trilogy with Jordan Love, who had the league's best passer rating (123.2) and third-best yards per attempt (9.1) Sunday.

Sunday was Jordan Love's second career start and Justin Fields' 26th, and it's fair if the 38-20 scoreline makes you wonder if the Bears will ever win in this rivalry again. The most impressive thing Love did was keep the offense on track on third and fourth down, converting 56% of the time. If he consistently makes good decisions in those spots, the Packers will be a tough out.

The Packers looked great, and that was without top receiver Christian Watson. Jordan Love will get a lot of the attention, and rightfully so (the possibility that he could be an above-average quarterback right away was criminally ignored for most of the offseason), but the strong play of the defense shouldn't be overlooked. Everyone loved the Packers defense before last season, and while they were very disappointing, the talent was still there. The performance in Week 1 was promising. I could see this team rising up the rankings very fast.

So much for the Packers being done.

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