Adam’s view
At least it was close.
The Packers covered the spread in a somewhat closely contested game on Sunday. Rodgers was efficient, Lacy was beasting, and the Packers’ defense made enough plays to get the W. We all saw the game and we don’t care about the recap. What I’m sure you all care about is what I was right or more importantly wrong about in my game preview.
Packers O-line vs Bears D-line/OLBs
What I said: I said that the Packers would have the edge across the board, but that Bak may struggle early and the Bears’ new OLB McPhee may have some early success.
What happened: The Packers dominated the Bears up front. Before garbage time took his average down a tick Lacy took it to the Bears averaging 6 ypc through the third quarter. He ended with an average of 4.5 ypc but what was even more impressive was the pass protection. Rodgers was under pressure on only 29% of his drop backs and the Bears were credited with 0 QB hits or sacks.
Packers weapons vs Bears ILBs/Secondary
What I said: I said the passing edge would go to GB while the run game would be close to a push.
What happened: Well I was half right. Rodgers through only 5 incompletions and had a passer rating of 140. The Packers weapons dominated the Bears secondary through the air.
The Bears’ new look on defense looked very solid in the preseason so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought it would be a push. I was dead wrong. Lacy was trucking fools and Chicago couldn’t do a thing to stop him. He ended the day with 48 yards after contact, a 4.5 ypc average, and a TD.
Chicagos O-line vs Packers D-line/OLBs
What I said: I thought the Packers would have the edge in pass blocking while the Bears would have the run blocking edge. I also said that Matthews/Perry would own Bushrod while Daniels/Slausen and Long/Peppers may be pushes.
What happened: The Packers got after Cutler early and often. He was sacked twice and saw pressure on 46% of his drop backs. The pressure didn’t come from the LT spot as I had suspected it would though. Bushrod held up well and didn’t allow a single QB disruption.
Kyle Long experienced some growing pains at his new position allowing a sack, as well as 3 other pressures to Peppers who had a beastly game. Slauson held up very well allowing 0 QB disruptions but Daniels was credited with 3 hurries, which must have come against Ducasse.
Chicagos weapons vs Packers ILBs/Secondary
What I said: I gave the edge to the Bears if Jeffery were to play at near to 100%, which he appeared to be having seen 11 targets.
What happened: Cutler’s numbers weren’t very good as he only posted a 51% completion percentage with 1 TD and 1 INT. One could certainly argue that the lone TD came in garbage time while the INT came at a big moment. Alshon had the best day of the targets with 5 receptions for 78 yards on 11 targets while Bennett and Forte both had 5 receptions for 55 and 25 yards and a TD respectively.
Shields disappointed having allowed a few big passes while missing some tackles. He seemed to struggle with his footing all day and that spells trouble for a player who is so reliant on his speed.
The rookie Randall, however, had a great outing. He was targeted 5 times and allowed 0 receptions with 2 passes defended. Micah Hyde stepped in for the injured Burnett and was targeted 4 times allowing 3 receptions for 45 yards and a TD.
Get well soon Burnett. Matthews made the big play that sealed the victory for the Packers as he jumped the route made by Bennett making a big interception/return.
Overall, I would say that this group ended up being a push. I was leaning towards crediting the Packers secondary/ILBs with the win but their inability to get off of the field on third down forced my hand in giving the grade of ‘push’.
John’s view
Thank god it was close!
Actually, this turned out to be one of the better and most entertaining games of the weekend.
In the end, it came down to simple math. The Bears scored three field goals and two touchdowns on eight possessions, while the Packers score four touchdowns and one field goal on nine possessions (this includes having possession of the ball at the end of both halves).
What we knew
With Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Packers are amongst the top tier teams in the league. His mobility, accuracy, and decision making ability make him the best quarterback in the league. While their defense may struggle at times, they have a knack for tightening up in the red zone, and a knack for making big plays when needed.
The Bears are in a state of flux. Their offense, while it has plenty of weapons, is learning a new scheme, and Jay Cutler is not Aaron Rodgers. The Bears defense is in rebuilding mode while they convert from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base. They have many players either playing out of position, or playing a new position for the first time.
What we learned
The Packers are who we thought they were. They have their holes, and they played less than their best game, but they have plenty of talent. The stability in their coaching staff, and strategy of drafting and developing their own players, has lead to consistency. They just know how to win. As long as they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers, they will be a contender.
The Bears have talented coaches. The game plan (keeping Aaron Rodgers off the field) may be obvious, but to take a team from the complete dysfunction the Bears had last year, to a team who could execute that game plan was more than most thought was possible. Considering the mountain the Bears need to climb, and the growing pains they will have to endure. The team performed well, and they will be a tougher out they most had expected coming into the season.
Final thought
Fuck you, Packers.
Respectfully, Bears fans