Aaron Rodgers presented Matt LaFleur with the game ball

GREEN BAY Trace McSorley Jersey , Wis. — Thursday night after the Green Bay Packers‘ 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears. It was LaFleur’s first regular-season victory as an NFL head coach.“I’ve got such a high regard for him, not only as a football player but as a person,” LaFleur said Friday. “I can sit up here and talk all day about how much fun I enjoy working with him. But I think that really shows our relationship, how it is. I told him I need to be better for him, too. And not only him, but for all our guys.”Packers CoverageBucks Wes Matthews loves Wisconsin, is a Vikings fanPreview: Packers look to slow Vikings’ revitalized run gameTop Tweets: Yelich thanks fans for support after season-ending injuryAmos sparks rebuilt Packers defense in debutPackers to be tested again by familiar foe in Zimmer Kyler Murray Jersey , VikingsPackers’ new-look defense carries offense in season openerPackers Snap Counts: New coach LaFleur gets TEs involvedUpon Further Review: Packers at BearsPHOTOS: Packers at BearsDefense leads the way as Packers top Bears in openerThe Packers’ offense �? LaFleur’s offense �? has to be better. The unit had minus-12 yards in the first quarter before finally opening things up at the start of the second. LaFleur needed to use some post-snap misdirection/deception on his first play call of the quarter to move the chains.Even still, the 10 points the Packers mustered tied for the fewest Green Bay has scored against the Bears since Rodgers became quarterback.LaFleur said the ability of the Chicago defense is no excuse for how poorly Green Bay executed offensively.“That defense is legit. There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “… Even if you’re going against a good defense like that, your standards from an offensive perspective don’t change. I think we all have higher expectations and higher standards for our offense to operate.”WHAT’S WORKINGPackers general manager Brian Gutekunst spent a lot of money over the offseason retooling and reshaping defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s side of the ball, and it’s paying off.Gutekunst acquired safety Adrian Amos and linebackers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith in March through free agency. Za’Darius Smith had three tackles for loss on Thursday, Preston Smith had the game-sealing sack, and Amos http://www.cardinalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-byron-murphy-jersey , who signed a four-year contract with Green Bay after spending his first four seasons in Chicago, picked off former teammate Mitch Trubisky in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.“We have a lot of confidence,” linebacker Blake Martinez said about the defense. “I think for us it’s just being consistent. I think going from here, every single day we gotta keep bringing it at practice, walkthroughs, in the meeting room to make sure we don’t get complacent.”WHAT’S NOT WORKINGLaFleur has stressed from day one the importance of establishing the run. Green Bay had just 47 yards on the ground in the win. Aaron Jones had 39 of those on 13 carries.“I thought in the second half there were some moments where it felt like we were starting to get the run game going,” LaFleur said. “We just gotta be a little more consistent with it.”STOCK UPPunter JK Scott booted the ball nine times for 428 yards and pinned the Bears inside their own 15-yard line on three separate occasions. Two of Scott’s punts traveled 63 yards Andy Isabella Jersey , including a clutch kick in the final two minutes that sailed from his own 16 to the Bears 13.STOCK DOWNGeronimo Allison was seen as the guy who could step up and be Rodgers’ No. 2 option behind fellow receiver Davante Adams. But Thursday night’s opener was not encouraging for Allison, who only played in 50 percent of the offensive snaps (32 of 64). He finished with zero catches and wasn’t targeted once.INJUREDLinebacker Oren Burks (pec) and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd (hamstring) are both sidelined with injuries. Their respective statuses for Week 2 are to be determined.KEY NUMBER5. The Packers play five of their next six games at home at Lambeau Field.NEXT STEPSGreen Bay has 10 days to get ready for another division foe in Minnesota. The Packers went 0-1-1 against the Vikings last season, playing Minnesota to a 29-29 tie Sept. 16, 2018, at Lambeau. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Injuries already are mounting for an Atlanta Falcons‘ defense hoping to avoid a repeat of its 2018 health woes.Coach Dan Quinn confirmed Tuesday that safety J.J. Wilcox will miss the season with a right knee injury. Also, defensive tackle Michael Bennett has suffered a broken ankle and will miss the start of the season. Both were hurt on Monday’s opening day of training camp.The injuries follow defensive end Steven Means‘ season-ending Achilles tendon injury in organized team activities in May. Means started four games in 2018.Wilcox worked with the first-team defense this offseason while Keanu Neal continued his rehabilitation from a knee injury. When Wilcox was hurt on Monday while covering wide receiver Christian Blake Brian Burns Jersey , Neal was one of the first players to offer comfort.“I’ve been through it,” Neal said Tuesday. “I knew what it’s like to get that news. It sucks.”The loss of Wilcox is significant. Even though Neal is on track to reclaiming his starting job, Wilcox was expected to serve as the team’s third safety.Neal and safety Damontae Kazee helped Wilcox off the field after the injury. Quinn said Neal had a message for the defense after practice.“As we went to the team Keanu said, ‘You just can’t take it for granted. You never know when these opportunities can be taken from you,” ” Quinn said. “It was so fresh in his memory that he shared that with the other defensive guys.”Atlanta lost linebacker Deion Jones and both safeties, Neal and Ricardo Allen, to injured reserve last season. The Falcons also lost running back Devonta Freeman and both starting offensive guards on the way to a 7-9 finish.The injuries at the start of training camp were quickly followed on Tuesday by a move to bolster the defense. The Falcons and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey agreed to a two-year http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com/greg-little-jersey-authentic , $10.5 million contract.Bailey, 30, had a career-high six sacks for the Chiefs in 2018. He could join practice on Wednesday.Quinn said the team began talking with Bailey at the start of free agency. The team placed an emphasis on finalizing new contracts for Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett before completing the deal with Bailey.“I’m really glad he wanted to be a part of this because we really wanted him to be here,” Quinn said.Bailey played college football at Miami and spent eight years with Kansas City. He has 19.5 career sacks.