Does GB's Week 2 win put them back with NFC elite?
Peter King and Mike Florio explain what the Packers' Week 2 win over the Lions says about how Green Bay stacks up to the rest of their conference.
Video Transcript
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MIKE FLORIO: Time now for "PFT" on Yahoo Sports. Peter King, Mike Florio reviewing all the biggest news in the National Football League. The Packers looked putrid week one in the 38 to 3 loss to the Saints. They turn it around Monday night home opener, Lambeau Field 35-17 win over the Lions. Peter King, does that win put the Packers back among the NFL elite?
PETER KING: You mean the win that they trailed the putrid Detroit Lions at halftime at home? I mean, that one. Why would that-- why would beating the Detroit Lions at home, which was a little bit of a struggle, prove anything about anything? I mean, I never thought the Packers weren't among the elite, because look, it's a 17-game season. And sometimes you stink.
That's all there is to it. They stunk week one. They were almost disinterested in week one. The only thing that I take out of the Monday Night game is this. They saw that their house was on fire. And they needed to put it out. And they did. Big deal. I don't view what happened on Monday night as particularly telling other than it showed that they still can be a powerhouse offensive team.
Now Mike, what would worry me a little bit is the fact that, you know, for a good portion of that game, the Lions were able to get chunks of yards on that Za'Darius Smith-less defense. So to me, I'm not overly impressed with what happened on Monday night, nor do I think it really matters in the grand scheme of things.
MIKE FLORIO: I agree with you completely. Last night was avoiding the five-alarm fire. That's all it was. The issues are still there. The defense is a work in progress under new coordinator, Joe Berry. Mike Pettine was fired after the 2020 season. And now what they have to do is go to San Francisco and beat the 49ers and then come home and beat the Steelers.
That's how you reassert yourself as among the NFL's elite. Beating on your punching bag-- your annual punching bag at home-- that doesn't prove anything other than you still know how to punch your punching bag. OK, fine. Now go to San Francisco and beat the 49ers. A 49ers team that isn't in the same precarious position it was in when the Packers beat them last year.
PETER KING: So Mike, you know, this will be the fourth time in 22 months the Packers have played a game at Levi's Stadium. The entire NFC West, the other three teams in the NFC West, have played a total of four games in San Francisco in the last 22 months. What does that mean? I don't know. I just like the stat.
But here's what I think happens with San Francisco, OK? When you look at the 49ers, you see a team, basically, that is more like the 2019 team that killed the Packers twice than the 2020 team which was all beat up, hurt, and lame when the Packers showed up.
So now, this is the measuring stick game for the Green Bay Packers. In my opinion, if the Packers go out there, they play a competitive game, 35-31 either way, that's an encouraging sign. The Packers are winning this division. They just are. But the problem with trying to project anything based on beating the Detroit Lions, as you say, it's just-- it's meaningless. This is the week that matters.
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah, you are absolutely right. And it's a short week from one prime time game to another prime time game. And I remember after they got blown out in the regular season in 2019, I went back and watched all the game. And I identified like, three little moments where if this just goes the other way, if they don't get caught in a bad coverage with George Kittle or whatever the case may be, they could win this.
And I convinced myself that they could beat the 49ers. And they still gave up 37 points in the rematch. 37 in the regular season. 37 in the rematch. If they give up 37 on Sunday night, they are not going to beat the San Francisco 49ers. The only good news is they do have a bunch of injuries at running back in San Francisco. But they still have most of their key players. They didn't have them last year.
So Peter, I agree with you. It doesn't prove anything. All it proves is it's not a full blown disaster in Green Bay yet. We'll see what happens on Sunday night at San Francisco. He's Peter King. I'm Mike Florio. We'll see you all season long for more "PFT" on Yahoo Sports video.
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