For the first time in 30 years, the Green Bay Packers had someone start their home opener at quarterback whose name wasn’t Brett Favre or Aaron Rodges. With Jordan Love under center, Black sports news showed this new era of Packers football may see a smoother transition than many thought. Green Bay rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to score a one-point victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Love had to feel better after the Packers had lost a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter the week before. Love’s progression into a solid starter has to be annoying for the rest of the NFC North Division. Chicago can’t find a quarterback it can count on. Justin Fields struggled again during an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings also saw quarterback Kirk Cousins make a few tough passes in a turnover-plagued loss to the Chargers.
Detroit has played well this season and has established themselves as a challenge to the Packers for first place.
| Place | Team | W | L | T | Week 3 Result |
| 1. | Green Bay Packers | 2 | 1 | 0 | W, 18-17 vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 1. | Detroit Lions | 2 | 1 | 0 | W, 20-6 vs. Atlanta Falcons |
| 3. | Minnesota Vikings | 0 | 3 | 0 | L, 28-24 vs. Los Angeles Chargers |
| 3. | Chicago Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | L 41-10 at Kansas City Chiefs |
Injury Helps Turn the Tide for Packers
Love definitely played better in the fourth quarter than in the previous week. But one of the largest factors in Green Bay’s win may have been what happened on the other sidelines. Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr left the game with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.
While Green Bay didn’t capitalize right away, Love would end up keeping the Packers on a steady march. He cut the lead to six points when he ran for a 1-yard touchdown pass, then converted the two-point conversion with a pass to Samori Toure. Love threw the game-winning pass with 2:56 remaining on the clock to Romeo Doubs.
The Packers became the third team in the past 30 years after trailing 17-0 or greater after three quarters. Carolina rallied for a win against Philadelphia in 20218, while the Tennessee Titans pulled together to topple the Giants in 2017.
Lions Rookie Class is Bearing Fruit
Detroit finished with a lot of momentum during the 2022 season. Heading into the offseason full of optimism had the Lions focused on making the right picks in the draft. The early returns for Detroit have been good.
Sam LaPorta has made history from the tight end position. During the first three weeks, LaPorta has hauled in 18 catches, which passed the record set by Keith Jackson in 1988 for the most catches through three weeks for a rookie tight end.
LaPorta finished second on the team in receiving during the Lions’ win over Atlanta last Sunday. He caught eight passes for 84 yards and scored a touchdown. Detroit’s first-round pick, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards.
Vikings Has Luck Run Out
There was always a high probability that Minnesota was destined to regress to the mean this season. But the football Gods have been particularly cruel to the Vikings. After going 11-0 in one-score games last season, Minnesota has lost the first three games of this season all by one score.
Things have been so disappointing with the Vikings, and rumors are that a trade of quarterback Kirk Cousins may be considered. Minnesota’s loss to Los Angeles was particularly cruel. The Vikings had gotten the ball inside the Chargers 20 late in the game. But a Cousins pass that went to the endzone was batted around twice before being intercepted by Los Angeles defensive back Kenneth Murray Jr.
Fields Has Some Major Issues
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields may have the Bears in search of a time machine to redo this past spring draft. Instead of trying to reinvent the position by drafting one of the players available in what was touted as a talent-rich quarterback class, the Bears decided to trade down to acquire more picks instead. What Fields showed against Kansas City shows the organization may need a hard restart.
Current sports news shows Fields only completed 50 percent of his passes and didn’t even crack 100 yards against the Chiefs. While the Chiefs have a good defense and are a Super Bowl contender, Chicago also saw Fields struggle against Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Fields’ completion percentage has declined in all three of his starts, as have his passing yards.
With only 526 passing yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions, Fields will need to make major improvements to secure his career in the league.
Packers’ Running Game Needs Jones Back
Green Bay lost running back Aaron Jones to a hamstring injury during the second half of Week 1. The Packers’ running game has suffered ever since. Love led Green Bay with 39 rushing yards on nine carries last week. But Green Bay won’t want its franchise quarterback putting himself at risk frequently.
Packers running back A.J. Dillon hasn’t shown the ability to carry the load. He only averaged 3.0 yards per carry against the Saints and finished with 33 total yards. Dillon finished with 3.7 yards per carry and 55 yards against Atlanta. Green Bay’s running game has also been limited by missing several key players on the offensive line.
Up-to-date sports news still hasn’t revealed what Jones’ status will be for Detroit’s matchup with Green Bay.
Lions Off to the Right Start
Detroit opening the season with a 2-1 record is big for the Lions’ playoffs hopes. Top sports news today shows they have started 2-1 28 times in their history and made the playoffs in eight of those seasons. Detroit hasn’t opened the year with a 2-1 record since the 2017 season.
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