Thursday night's NFL opener between the Packers and Saints was a chance for football fans to watch two of the NFL's top five signal callers each lead two of the NFL's top five teams, when Aaron Rodgers' Packers outlasted Drew Brees' Saints, 42-34, in a dynamic offensive contest. Both Brees and Rodgers were in midseason form, showing tremendous accuracy and precision.
Rogers went 27/35 for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Brees completed 32/49 for 419 yards and 3 scores. What was nearly as impressive as Rodgers' performance was the stable of receiving weapons that the Packers possess. Greg Jennings continues to be one of the more unheralded stars in the League, and was again his consistent self with 7 catches for 89 yards and a score, while future opponents had to loathe the healthy return of TE Jermichael Finley, who seemed well on his way to the Pro Bowl last season before he went down in Week 5 with a season ending injury. Finley possesses rare speed and athleticism and is Cover 2 and matchup nightmare for defenses, as he can stretch the seam and be flexed out. Finley caught 3 balls for 53 yards and made an impact.
WR Jordy Nelson continues to improve, as well, and to make matters worse for the NFC North, Rookie Randall Cobb, a former QB at Kentucky, showed off his tremendous acceleration, quickness and open field ability with an electrifying 108-yard kickoff return and an exciting touchdown catch. Cobb is a very intelligent player who will only get better as he learns the nuances of the WR position from vets like Donald Driver and Jennings. He has game changing open field ability, and gives the Packers another weapon after the catch and on special teams -- a weapon they lacked in 2010.
Brees also showed off his stable of weapons, including WR's Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Marcus Colston and emerging TE Jimmy Graham, who also has the size and speed to be an elite difference maker at the TE position. Considering that he's only in his third season of football since high school, Graham will only get better and may earn a Pro Bowl trip as soon as this season. Underrated spark plug Darren Sproles was also a huge factor Thursday night, catching 7 balls for 75 yards and returning a punt 72 yards for a score. Sproles is one of the more dynamic players and matchup nightmares in the NFL and will have a major impact this year in New Orleans, as long as he can remain healthy. Rookie Mark Ingram will also make a splash at some point this season, though undervalued Pierre Thomas remains a fine player and the best overall back on the team. Moreover, Brees' arsenal will soon be further buoyed when WR Lance Moore returns from a groin injury.
After watching these two offensive juggernauts one can wonder if they have any weaknesses? While they each possess unique offensive talent, the Saints still have a question mark at RT with first year starter Zach Strief, and the Packers have a 35-year-old LT in Chad Clifton and a new starter at LG in T.J. Lang, while still lacking a difference maker at RB -- though Ryan Grant appears to be healthy and James Starks has flashed.
That said, the Packers are also blessed on defense with a great LB corp, which includes one of the League's top three pass rushers in Clay Mathews, and a deep secondary that includes three outstanding corners. They will miss DL Cullen Jenkins, but this team has great overall depth on defense, especially at LB and DB. They also have great depth at WR and even have one of the NFL's top three backup QB's in Matt Flynn.
The Saints, on the other hand, are a little thin at DE and lack impact OLB's. They also really missed suspended DE Will Smith on Thursday night. They will need young defenders like Martez Wilson, Patrick Robinson and Cameron Jordan to improve and increase their impact as the season progresses, if the Saints defense is going to consistently help out Brees and company. Moreover, the DT's, including the enigmatic Shaun Rogers, will need to play at a higher level than they did in the opener against the Pack.
The bottom line: Both teams will score a ton of points this season and will again be good bets to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
The NFL is back, and Rodgers and Brees made sure to remind us all just how much they've been missed.
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