Packers at Bears: Three Reasons to Worry

The Green Bay Packers are 7-0 against the Chicago Bears under coach Matt LaFleur. Bears quarterback Justin Fields could stop that streak by himself.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 3, 2022 10:20 PM EST

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Nov. 22, 1992, a young quarterback named Brett Favre fired a 49-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe to give the Green Bay Packers a 10-3 lead over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. In the fourth quarter, Favre added a 5-yard touchdown run to cap a 17-3 win.

It was that win that set the stage for one of the greatest turning of the tables in NFL history. Before that game, Chicago led the all-time series 80-57-6. Thanks to Favre and Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are 46-14 in the last 60 meetings. Green Bay leads the series 103-94-6 entering Sunday’s game in Chicago.

Matt LaFleur is 7-0 against Chicago, but here are three reasons why the Packers’ dominance – at least for one day – will end on Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers’ Injuries

Aaron Rodgers’ dominance over the Bears is real and it’s spectacular. In 13 career games at Soldier Field, he’s had a passer rating of at least 110 six times. No quarterback in Bears history has more than seven.

Chicago’s defense is in dire straits because of trades and injuries. However, Rodgers’ injured ribs and broken thumb could level the playing field. It’s perhaps worth noting that Rodgers lit up the Cowboys on a 33-degree day with a wind chill of 26. Five days later against Tennessee, Rodgers was terrible on a 26-degree night with a wind chill of 16. Rodgers threw it well last week against Philadelphia, when it was 61 at kickoff.

With a predicted high of about 40, the temperature isn’t going to be awful in Chicago. The wind could be a factor, though, with Weather.com calling for gusts of 20 mph. If Rodgers is having trouble throwing his typical spirals because of the thumb, the wind is going to be a major problem.

And that’s not even considering the potential of Rodgers taking a big shot in the midsection.

Justin Fields’ Feet

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts embarrassed the Packers last week. He had 100 rushing yards in the first quarter alone and might have broken the single-game rushing record by a quarterback had coach Nick Sirianni continued to cut him loose.

That record was set four weeks ago by Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who carried 15 times for 178 yards with a 61-yard touchdown against Miami. The next week, he carried 13 times for 147 yards with a 67-yard touchdown against Detroit. Fields is a 227-pound man with 4.46 speed in the 40. That means he has the power to break tackles and the speed to outrun everyone.

Fields leads the NFL with 6.84 yards per carry – 2.14 yards better than Hurts, it should be noted. According to Sports Info Solutions, he’s broken a tackle on 30.3 percent of his carries. That also leads the NFL. He’s fourth in the NFL with 26 runs of 10-plus yards. That’s four more than Green Bay’s explosive Aaron Jones. In the Super Bowl era, Fields is hoping to become the first quarterback with a rushing touchdown in six consecutive games and the first quarterback with 75-plus rushing yards in four consecutive games.

Defensively, Green Bay ranks 29th with 4.97 yards allowed per carry. That’s the second-worst mark in franchise history. If the Packers can’t contend with Fields and powerful David Montgomery, who rushed for 122 yards (8.1 average) and forced a season-high eight missed tackles against Green Bay in Week 2, it’s going to be a long day for Green Bay.

“As a unit, you can’t just rely on just one guy, because they’re going to make you miss a tackle,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “And that’s where the population to the ball, the strain, the effort, the relentless pursuit to the ball, for the whole game.”

Defensive Players’ Ears

It’s fair to wonder, with playoff hopes resting on unrealistically thin ice, if Green Bay’s beleaguered defense is going to play for embattled coordinator Joe Barry. As the saying goes, you can’t fire all the players but you can fire the coach. Given how the defense has underperformed this season, it would be a shock if Barry is retained for next season.

Will there be “independent contractors,” as quarterback Aaron Rodgers put it – players who do what’s asked of them at the stadium and nothing more? Will there be stats-chasing freelancing in the secondary? Will there be the type of pursuit to the ball that’s required to bring down Justin Fields and David Montgomery, whose combined 71 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, isn’t too far off the combined total of 84 by every member of the Packers, run or pass?

“I would never say that with our guys,” Barry said when asked if players had quit. “I definitely don’t think it was a lack of effort. That’s something we look pretty hard at all the time. I just think it was an unfortunate night. I wish I could put it on one specific thing or one specific guy. I think for the most part we’ve tackled fairly well this year. I think we had a great tackling year last year. So, that’s the thing that’s unfortunate.”