Rodgers gives game ball to victorious LaFleur

CHICAGO – With the victory not clinched until the final moments, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur didn’t have much time to enjoy his first NFL win from the sideline.

At least he’s got a souvenir to remember it forever.

“After that last kneel-down, I held onto that ball because I wanted to give that to Matt,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after a 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears to open the NFL’s 100th season on Thursday night. “It’s a big deal winning your first NFL game as a head coach and I’m happy for him. Obviously, it’s a lot of fun working with him. And I told him I’m going to be a lot better moving forward. But I’m excited about the season, I’m excited about these guys. I turned to (security director) Doug Collins and then (defensive coordinator) Mike Pettine were standing kind of behind the locker room and just made a remark to them about just kind of how special that moment was in the locker room, celebrating with the guys after the win.”

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LaFleur did what Mike Holmgren, Mike Sherman and Mike McCarthy were unable to do by winning his first game as Green Bay’s coach. McCarthy lost his debut 26-0 at home to Chicago; afterward, he wondered if he’d ever win a game.

There will be no such worries for LaFleur – though he has plenty of other concerns after his offense was demolished by the mighty Bears defense for most of the game.

The only thing that matters is the final score, though. And with it, he’ll have a memento to cherish forever.

“It was a cool moment,” linebacker Blake Martinez said. “Aaron was like, ‘Hey, I know it should probably go to the defense but I’m giving it to the head ball coach who won his first game.’ It was a special moment. We were all patting him on his head and stuff like that. It was awesome.”

The Bears were driving toward a potential tying touchdown when safety Adrian Amos made an end-zone interception. Green Bay couldn’t run out the clock, giving the Bears one last chance. But JK Scott’s booming punt put the Bears in a hole, and Preston Smith clinched the game with a fourth-down sack.

“There was a lot that was going through my mind at the time,” LaFleur said, “so I probably didn’t savor the moment too much because I know it’s one game and we’ve got a really tough opponent coming up next week. You’ve just got to take it week by week in this league.”

It’s been a hectic several months for LaFleur, from taking the job in January to building his staff and crafting his playbook, and then teaching that playbook to the players. After 20 training camp practices and four preseason games, the Packers cut their roster to 53 players on Saturday and hit the practice field on Sunday.

Now, he can catch his breath for a moment before next Sunday’s home opener against another rival, the Minnesota Vikings.

“It’s extremely special, but I’m just so happy for the guys in that locker room,” LaFleur said. “I’m more happy for them. Again, the effort. I really love this team and what they’re about, the men in that room. Not only the players but the coaches, as well.”