The Packers killed themselves last night with penalties as they were flagged 18 times for 152 yards!  But, it was a fumble by WR James Jones late in the 4th quarter that put the Bears final, game winning drive in motion.  Aaron Rodgers was very effective in this game as he completed 34 of 45 passes for 316 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 20 yards (10.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  John Kuhn led the way on the ground for the Packers last night with 31 yards rushing on 6 carries (5.2 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 20 yards (10.0 avg).  Brandon Jackson didn’t add much to the offense last night as he carried the ball 7 times for 12 yards (1.7 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg).  TE Jermichael Finley (9 rec, 115 yards) and WRs Donald Driver (9 rec, 61 yards), James Jones (5 rec, 55 yards) and Greg Jennings (2 rec, 18 yards, TD) were all busy in the game.  The Packers finished up with 63 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 34 of 45 passes for 316 yards.

The Packers’ D played pretty well overall in this game.  CB Tramon Williams led the way for the Packers in this game with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  LB A.J. Hawk (5 tackles) and CB Charles Woodson (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) also helped out on D last night.  The Bears finished up with 77 yards rushing on 18 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 27 passes for 199 yards.  The Packers are now 2-1 on the year.

It just doesn’t get any better than this on Monday Night Football.  A bitter rivalry between two 2-0 football teams.  The Packers swept the Bears by a combined score of 42-29 last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers have been balanced so far this season running the ball 60 times and passing the ball 60 times.  That won’t be the case this Monday Night though as the Bears are only allowing 28.0 yards rushing per game and 1.4 yards per carry so far this year.  That means the Packers will be going to the air early and often in this football game.  To have success throwing the ball they are going to have to keep DE Julius Peppers out of Aaron Rodgers’ face which is where fullback John Kuhn and TE Brandon Manumaleuna come in.  If Rodgers has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game against a Bears’ D allowing 261.0 yards passing per game this year.  Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley and David Lee give Rodgers a lot of big time targets to attack the Bears with.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears’ O-Line is not the best around so look for the Packers to turn loose OLB Clay Matthews (6 sacks this year) on Jay Cutler.  Cutler is off to a great start this year but he did not play well at all against the Packers last year.  He completed 40 of 72 passes (55.6%) for 486 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 INTs against the Packers.  The key for the Packers will be stopping RB Matt Forte who already has 267 yards combined rushing and receiving this year.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, BEARS 20

24-year old outside linebacker Clay Matthews was outstanding as a rookie for the Packers last year.  He played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he had 51 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 10 sacks and 1 forced fumble.  But this year Matthews is taking his game to a whole new level.  Matthews has 12 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 forced fumble in the Packers first two games this year.  A lot of teams are kicking themselves in the head for passing on Clay Matthews who is already one of the best defensive players in all of football following in his father’s footsteps.

The Packers destroyed the Bills yesterday in the home opener.  Aaron Rodgers was very efficient in completing 19 of 29 passes for 255 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 20 yards (4.0 ypc) with a TD run.  FB John Kuhn led the way on the ground for the Packers in this game with 9 carries for 36 yards (4.0 ypc).  Brandon Jackson couldn’t get much going on the ground in this game for the Pack as he carried the ball 11 times for 29 yards (2.6 ypc) with a TD run.  Jermichael Finley led the way in the air for the Packers yesterday as he caught 4 passes for 103 yards (25.8 avg).  WRs Donald Driver (4 rec, 38 yards, TD) and James Jones (3 rec, 32 yards, TD) both made some nice grabs in this game.  The Packers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.4 ypc) and they completed 19 of 29 passes for 255 yards yesterday.

Safety Nick Collins (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Nick Barnett (9 tackles) and LB A.J. Hawk (9 tackles, 2 QB hits) all had solid games for the Pack D yesterday.  But, it was OLB Clay Matthews who was a monster again in this game with 5 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks and 5 QB hits!  He has been simply incredible this year for the Packers.  ILB Brandon Chillar and safety Morgan Burnett each pitched in with an interception apiece in this game.  The Packers are now 2-0 on the year.

The Packers have to be licking their wounds a bit after a brutal battle with the Eagles over the weekend that caused both teams to lose a few players.  They won’t have to worry about getting hit that hard by the Bills who are a pretty soft team.  Here is a look at the match-ups in the home opener at Lambeau Field:

When the Packers have the football:  I look for the Packers to throw the ball all day long against the Bills.  If the Packers’ O-Line gives Rodgers time to throw the ball (and I have little doubt they will), I look for Rodgers to have a field day.  The Bills do have decent safeties but the Packers will likely have three receivers and Jermichael Finley on the field at the same time spreading out the D and letting Rodgers throw to the guy with the best match-up.  Don’t be shocked if the Packers have at least two guys go for 100+ yards receiving this weekend against the Bills.  After the air raid, look for the Packers to attack the smallish linebacker corps of the Bills with Brandon Jackson.

When the Bills have the ball:  I look for the Packers to gang up to stop the Bills’ running game.  Despite having a talented bunch of backs the Packers should be able to handle them as they aren’t too worried about the Bills’ passing attack.  Look for the Packers to sick CB Charles Woodson on Lee Evans all day long with them turning Clay Matthews loose on Trent Edwards whenever he drops back to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, BILLS 6

The Packers have signed undrafted rookie running back Dimitri Nance off the Falcons’ practice squad.  Nance played in all 4 pre-season games for the Falcons in which he carried the ball 21 times for 51 yards (2.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 44 yards (6.3 avg) with a TD grab in the pre-season.  Nance goes from #4 on the depth chart in Atlanta to #2 in Green Bay behind Brandon Jackson.

The Packers have lost 26-year old DT Justin Harrell for the season as he tore an ACL in the season opener against the Eagles.  Harrell has now played in 14 games in his three years with the Packers and he has a whopping 28 tackles.  He was the 16th overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft and he has been a complete bust to this point in his career.  B.J. Raji will likely see a huge bump in playing time with Harrell out of action.  He played against the Eagles and he had 2 tackles and 1 sack.  As a rookie last season he played in 14 games in which he had 25 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 sack.  He was also a first round pick so the Packers hope he picks up the pace.

With Ryan Grant done for the season the Packers need 24-year old Brandon Jackson to step up and be the featured back of the offense.  Jackson carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards (3.5 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) in the season opener against the Eagles.  He came into this season having played in 36 games in his three years with the Packers.  Jackson came into this season with 626 yards rushing on 157 carries (4.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 67 passes for 502 yards (7.5 avg) with 1 TD grab in his first three years with the Pack.  This is Jackson’s big chance to shine and the Packers hope he takes advantage of it.

The Packers have lost starting RB Ryan Grant for the season due to severe ankle and leg injuries.  Grant had 8 carries for 45 yards (5.6 ypc) before getting injured against the Eagles in the season opener.  This is a huge loss for the Packers as Grant allowed the offense to have some semblence of balance.  He played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he carried the ball 282 times for 1,253 yards (4.4 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  Grant also caught 25 passes for 197 yards (7.9 avg) last year.  This is a big blow to the Packers.

The Packers raced out to a 20-3 lead in this game in the third quarter.  Then Clay Matthews knocked out Eagles’ starting QB Kevin Kolb and they Packers had to hold on for dear life as Michael Vick almost brought them all the way back.  Aaron Rodgers was so-so as he completed 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Ryan Grant was looking good as he carried the ball 8 times for 45 yards (5.6 ypc) before he injured his ankle.  Brandon Jackson replaced Grant as he carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards (3.5 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 12 yards.  FB John Kuhn got a couple of scraps from the table as he carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) including a TD run.  WRs Greg Jennings (5 rec, 82 yards) and Donald Driver (5 rec, 30 yards) each caught 1 TD apiece to lead the way for the Packers’ passing game yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 132 yards rushing on 33 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 31 passes for 167 yards yesterday.

Defensively OLB Clay Matthews was an absolute beast for the Packers yesterday.  He had 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits.  LB Brandon Chillar (7 tackles) and CB Tramon Williams (3 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery) also helped out the D big time yesterday.  The Eagles finished up with 150 yards rushing on 21 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 34 passes for 171 yards.  The Packers got a hard fought win on the road yesterday as they start the 2010 season with a 1-0 record.