Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers’ numbers weren’t stellar. He did not throw a TD pass and finished with a QB Rating of just 87.0. Part of the reason for that was certainly dropped passed by Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. The cold didn’t help and neither did Rodgers’ injured calf. What really matters, however, is how Rodgers made plays when it mattered most. He may have been a bit out of sorts earlier in the season, but Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the NFL.
Can we talk about this @aaronrodgers12 throw?
Goodness. #GoPackGo https://t.co/euguBL9537
— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2016
Ty Montgomery
Boy, oh boy, can Ty Montgomery run the football. Finishing with 162 yards on 16 carries, Montgomery averaged a whopping 10.1 yards per carry on his way to scoring 2 TDs. Monty is an offensive terror. As a receiver, he can catch the ball coming out of the backfield better than any running back in the league, but he is also a legitimate threat as a runner. He isn’t the fastest or strongest back but he has great vision and hits even the smallest of holes quickly (see below). He runs hard, as well. He was moving scrums yesterday, forcing the Bears to get three or four defenders on him before he’d go down.
A negative into a positive. https://t.co/1yzBpuOXwU
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) December 19, 2016
Haha Clinton-Dix
Clinton-Dix continues to be a playmaker in the defensive secondary. He picked off Matt Barkley twice and also had two passes defensed. When you add Morgan Burnett into the mix, the Packers have a very solid set of starting safeties.
Julius Peppers
Amidst strange boos from fans of his old team (the Bears cut him), Peppers continued to make impact plays for the Packers. He’s not racking up sacks in the same way that he used to, but Peppers still has a knack for showing up and turning a game around right when the Packers need a spark. Peppers made a strip sack of Barkley and then recovered his own forced fumble.
Old man Playmaker https://t.co/hJ4Qe24OZT
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) December 19, 2016
Honorable Mentions
Christine Michael, Jared Cook, Joe Thomas, and Mason Crosby.
Davante Adams
Davante was back to his old bad habits, dropping several perfect throws from Rodgers, two of which would have resulted in TDs. The good news is that Adams is continuing to get open. He’s proven that he has all of the skills necessary to be an elite wide receiver in the NFL, but the Packers will need him to dust this one off and come into the game on Christmas Eve with a clear head.
Brutal. https://t.co/0svnsJfqGV
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) December 19, 2016
Cornerback Play
Matt Barkley might have thrown three interceptions, but he was also slinging the ball to the tune of 363 yards and 2 TDs. The Chicago wide receivers were wide open over the middle against Green Bay’s soft coverage all day. Dom Capers and company will need to get that taken care of if the Packers want to continue their push into the playoffs, especially when they face a very potent Detroit Lions passing attack.
Damarious Randall
While the entire cornerback corps was ugly yesterday, Randall was especially bad. He missed several tackles and was benched in the 4th quarter. The Packers really need Randall to step up his game as they continue to make a push toward the playoffs.
——————Barkley…
Bellamy…
Beautiful.#GBvsCHI #FeedDaBears https://t.co/GqbJWW5obi— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 18, 2016
Taylor O\'Neill is a Packer fan born and raised in Oshkosh, WI. He currently lives in Florida and is pursuing his PhD. Taylor is a writer with PackersTalk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @TaylorONeill87 for more Packer news.
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5 responses to “The Best and the Wurst: Packers at Bears”
The wurst: An inability to convert to first downs. The Pack can’t win against Detroit unless they keep Stafford on the bench, especially with the soft secondary. I can see winning against the Vikings but Detroit will be a bird of a different feather.
These Bears are no longer “Monsters of the Midway”, they don’t resemble any of Ditka’s teams either. I don’t see Montgomery’s production as anything but good performance against bad team–when opponent’s 3-11 and hasn’t had good team in years, it’s nothing to brag on. SHOW ME consistency–run game, offense and DEFENSE! DUMB Capers defense does what it’s done for SIX CONSECUTIVE SEASONS–give up leads and allow teams chance to win in 4th qtr. after GB gets leads. They’ve been so bad over past six seasons in middle of field pass defense, it’s pathetic. NO lead is impossible to overtake with a DUMB Capers defense on field. And worse–his ‘prevent defense’ PREVENTS Packers from winning. In the playoff game vs. Cards last season–Capers pass defense dominated while playing man to man–in middle of third qtr. he went to soft zones and GB got outscored, out-coached and LOST. His defense rarely plays man on man anymore, they’ve allowed QB’s like Cousins, Mariotta and Barkley look like MVP’s, they outlasted Barkley by Rodgers’ 60 yd pass to Jordy and Crosby’s winning FG. That’s the BEARS, Pack fans–3 wins all season, Packers make’em look like playoff caliber.
Actually I agree with most of what you said. The Bears Defense isn’t great by any means but they were ranked 7th in total defense coming into Sundays game.
Capers needs to go, no doubt about it but HOW LONG has TT been rebuilding the defense?? The Defense had been playing better, lets hope it was more of a letdown than being just horrible….
Here’s to hope!
Nick–Packers average 25.9 points per game, DEFENSE is giving up 24.2 points per game–that’s difference of only 1.7, barely enough to win consistently when your defense can’t stop the opponents. Ted Thompson has drafted or signed at least 66 NEW defensive players over past six seasons–that’s enough to BUILD SIX COMPLETE DEFENSES and Capers ain’t got it done yet. I don’t think personnel is problem, the HC is more attuned to creating schemes and NOT coaching defense–and it reflects in how bad this defense continues to play. All I want FOR CHRISTMAS IS A NEW DC for Green Bay!!
First it was Wade Phillips who was available in 2012 or 13. Jim Schwartz was the DC in Buffalo one season (2014), had them ranked 4th overall that season before he was let go when Rex Ryan came in. Vic Fangio was available for a time before Fox nabbed him as was Mike Smith, the Ex Falcons HC. All of these guys are better DC’s than Capers.
I’ve been right there with you. Is it Capers or Thompson with the players he drafts. Is it a combination of both?
It’s a combination without a doubt. Thompson has hit on a few players but for the most part has been riding Rodgers Jock for years. The great drafts left with Schneider, McKinzie, and Dorsey.
Defense wins Championships. From Lombardi’s Packers, to the Steelers of the 70’s, the 49ers and Cowboys of the 80’s and 90’s, and the first Patriot teams under Belichick to win the SB. The Packers looked so bad in the middle of the season it was possible Thompson could be asked to step down. Now with Rodgers playing out of his mind the “In Ted We Trust” supporters will be out in full force at the end of the season. Capers, McCarthy, and Thompson will all be here in 2017 riding that distant SB win 6 years ago and counting.