No need for a fancy introduction for this week’s Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears 5 reasons column. All you need is this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj5aW0tj3mE
If, for some reason, you need additional reasons why the Packers will beat the Bears later tonight, here are five:
The hammy
Before tweaking his hamstring against the Saints, Aaron Rodgers was rolling and in the conversation for first-half NFL MVP. Funny how a little injury, along with consecutive six touchdown games from Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady’s re-emergence, can shift an entire storyline. The Packers fell to pieces once Rodgers starting limping around and now they’ve returned to the large jumble of teams that may or may not be good instead of cementing themselves in the good category. When Rodgers has played well, it’s been clear that the Packers belong in the good category. I see no reason why Rodgers, with a healed hamstring, doesn’t pick up right where he left off before coming up gimpy.
Return of the screen
Shhhhh! What’s that sound? Do you hear it? I do. It’s the sound of Eddie Lacy rumbling into the secondary after catching another screen pass. Mike McCarthy finally found the page of his playbook that contained the screen pass against the Saints. The resurrection of the screen pass is a great development. Here’s hoping McCarthy doesn’t lose the screen pass page again and Lacy continues getting the ball in space with a head of steam and a blocker or two in front of him.
Health
The Packers might be without their two guards, and that’s not good, but Rodgers can cover up just about any injury on offense (except his own). Defense is a different story. Losing Sam Shields, Datone Jones and Morgan Burnett hurt the D, especially against the Saints. All three should return to face the Bears’ giant receivers and pick off three Jay Cutler passes apiece.
Randall Cobb
Who on the Bears’ defense is going to guard Randall Cobb? Nobody, because the Bears’ secondary is terrible. We’ll see if the Bears change things up and sit back with two deep safeties against Rodgers. If they don’t, look for another 100-yard game from Cobb as he continues marching toward a big pile of cash at the end of rainbow in the form or a contract extension.
History
The Packers have dominated the Bears so bad over the last 20 years that people are actually suggesting Bears/Packers is no longer much of a rivalry. Those people couldn’t be more wrong, but I at least see where they’re coming from. The Favre/Rodgers duo has carved up the Bears in the regular season, the postseason and games to qualify for the postseason. But that doesn’t mean this is no longer a rivalry. Rivalries are about more than who has more recent wins. Look for the non-rivalry narrative to rear it’s ugly head again after the Packers dispose of the Bears once again on Sunday.
**Bears fan voice. Scratch that, Ditka voice** History? You wanna talk about history? Fine. We’ll talk about history. The Bears have beat the Packers 92 times. How’s that for history? And the Bears will win another one tonight. Here’s why:
What if?
What if Cutler doesn’t Cutler? What if he doesn’t throw four interceptions? Or three interceptions? Or two interceptions? Or any interceptions? Fat chance, I know, but what if? Can the Packers defense hold Matt Forte under 200 yards rushing and contain Chicago’s 8-foot-tall WRs and TEs? I don’t know if they can….
——————
Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
——————
I agree, it’s all about Jay Cutler. He seems to have bugaboos about playing at home and about playing the Packers. At lerast he is on the road tonight. Bears got healthy over bye week too. M Bennett is hurt as our GBP’s two starting Gs. I’m guessing CHI goes conservative, striving to win TOP w Matt Forte and underneath stuff. Similarly I expect defense to go two deep S with very limited blitzing. Despite both Gs injured, MMM will counter w Eddie Lacy on the ground.
Dumb. Could be much less scoring than most think. Will come down to who scores last unless Cutler implodes but I think Trestaman will do everything in his powers to prevent that.
There’s an awful lot of Packers fans who agree beating the Bears is all dependent on Jay Cutler.
If the Packers chances of winning are decided by what Jay Cutler does or doesn’t do, we have a serious problem in the NFC North.
The truly better team needs only concern itself with their own play, not the play of their opponents. I fear that, as Packers fans, when we say that the game comes down to which Jay Cutler shows up, we’re saying that the Packers aren’t capable of winning by their own merit, or that they are not capable of winning if Cutler plays relatively mistake free football.
If that’s the case, we aren’t nearly as good as we like to think we are capable of being.
It’s not Jay Cutler that worries me. It’s Matt Forte. Every time Trestman calls a play that takes the ball out of #22’s hands tonight, he’s doing the Packers a favor.
Pretty much every game is decided on what a QB does or doesn’t do. It’s not just a Cutler thing.
IF both Lang and Sitton miss the game tonight,advantage goes to the Bears as both the Packers run/pass games will take a hit.Run blocking and passing routes(deep) become limited as pass protection may/can be/look non-existent.
If the above comes true with the loss of both Lang and Sitton,I hope our defense is ready to spend a lot of time on the field and are able to take advantage of the opportunities that have become a norm from the hands of Cutler…we’ll need those…unless of coarse Forte falls down a lot on his own and makes our DL look awesome….going under the total of 54. GO PACK GO 🙂