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Packers First-Half Studs and Duds: Their Piss Was Hot Against Bears

The Green Bay Packers lead the Chicago Bears 14-7 at halftime. Here are some first-half studs and duds, highlighted by the team’s fast start.
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) carries a touchdown pass to start the game against Chicago.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) carries a touchdown pass to start the game against Chicago. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers need to make a statement after two late-season collapses to the Chicago Bears last year and a lackluster start to this season.

The game could hardly have started any better, with Jordan Love throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson and MarShawn Lloyd scoring on a thunderous touchdown run to give them a 14-0 lead barely 15 minutes into Sunday’s showdown at Lambeau Field.

With the Packers leading 14-7, here are some studs and duds from the first half at Lambeau Field.

Stud: The Defense’s Piss Was Hot

First, for reference for the first few subheads, here’s what Evan Williams said this week:

“Yeah, anytime it’s a division game, you kind of got to get your piss hot for the most part, understanding that these are going to have long-term effects on the standings for where we want to be at the end of the year. And also carrying over from last year, understanding we also have a bad taste in our mouth from what happened. You can understand a 12-round fight. It’s going to be a fistfight for sure. We wouldn’t want anything else.”

The Packers’ piss was boiling at the start.

The Packers won the toss and deferred. The Bears picked up one first down before punting – Tyson Bagent tripped his way into Devonte Wyatt’s sack for a loss of 11. The defense tackled physically, starting with Kamal Hadden’s big hit on the kickoff return and open-field tackles by Williams, Xavier McKinney and Zaire Franklin.

Stud: The Offense’s Piss Was Hot

Starting at their 9, the Packers ran a flea-flicker screen to start the game. Tight end Tucker Kraft “lost” the block to Montez Sweat, only to turn around and catch a screen for a catch-and-run gain of 13. Jordan Love converted a third-and-3 to Matthew Golden for one first down and Kraft took a “Tucky Sneak” for a first down on third-and-1.

On the next play, Love went deep to Christian Watson for a 42-yard touchdown. He was 5 yards beyond safety Xavier Woods.

Stud: Defense’s Piss Stayed Hot

On the second play of the ensuing possession, Tyson Bagent went to Luther Burden downfield. Javon Bullard made a leaping deflection, with Xavier McKinney making a diving interception. His second interception of the season – matching his total from last year – gave the offense the ball on Chicago’s 45.

Stud: RB MarShawn Lloyd

MarShawn Lloyd, finally, is off and running. He had a 10-yard run on the opening possession and scored his first career rushing touchdown on the second possession. On the first play of the second quarter, Anthony Belton had a good block at the point of attack, setting up a one-on-one confrontation between Lloyd vs. cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Lloyd put his head down and ran over the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback.

Dud: LB Zaire Franklin

The Bears finally got their offense going with a long drive that consumed most of the second quarter. On third-and-5, Tyson Bagent hit tight end Cole Kmet for a first down. Zaire Franklin missed the tackle, though it wouldn’t have prevented a first down. 

One play, on second-and-10, D’Andre Swift dodged Franklin in the backfield, turning a lost-yardage play into a gain of 9. Then, on third-and-8, with Bagent running around like a chicken with its head cut off, Franklin was flagged for defensive holding to give the Bears a first-and-goal at the 8.

Swift scored on fourth-and-goal to cap a 16-play scoring drive. Isaiah McDuffie was blocked at the line of scrimmage.

Studs: Special-Teams Coverage

Kamal Hadden had two physical hits in kickoff coverage and J. Michael Sturdivant made an excellent open-field tackle on a punt.

Then, late in the half after a feeble three-and-out by the offense, Daniel Whelan uncorked his best punt of the season, a field-flipping 69-yard bomb. Nick Niemann made the tackle and the Bears were flagged for holding, so they started at the 10. That’s a 65-yard change of field position.

Stud: CB Brandon Cisse

With the Bears in position to seize all the momentum going into halftime, Brandon Cisse had a sack on second down and broke up a pass on third down. On second down, Lukas Van Ness raced around tight end Colston Loveland to force Tyson Bagent to step up in the pocket. Cisse was there for the sack. Then, on third-and-10, Bagent’s pass was high; Rome Odunze almost made a circus catch but Cisse knocked the ball loose.

Loser: LT Jordan Morgan

The Packers got the ball at Chicago’s 49 with 39 seconds remaining, giving them a chance to double-up with a score to end the first half and get the ball to start the second half.

Instead, Jordan Morgan was beaten twice for sacks by nemesis Austin Booker.

Packers-Bears Notes

Green Bay’s 109 wins against Chicago are the most for any team against any division opponent. The Giants are right on Green Bay’s heels with their 108 wins over Washington.

In Jordan Love’s first seven starts against Chicago, he topped a 100 passer rating in five with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. His 113.2 passer rating is the second-highest against the Bears behind Carson Palmer’s 122.8 (minimum 100 passing attempts).

The Packers have defeated the Bears at least once in each of the last 18 seasons. That’s the third-longest streak in Packers history behind their 25-year run against Detroit from 1992 through 2016 and 19 in a row against Detroit from 1930 through 1949.

This is Matt LaFleur’s 122nd game as coach, which ties the legendary Vince Lombardi for the fourth-most in Packers history. He’s won 78 games, which trails Curly Lambeau (209), Mike McCarthy (125) and Lombardi (89).

It’s been a disappointing start for the Packers, but they are 2-2 or better through four games for the 20th consecutive year, the longest streak in NFL history.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.