The greatest rivalry in football ended Sunday night with the Packers clinching the one seed in the NFC and the Bears limping into the playoffs. The game took place at an empty Soldier Field in frigid temperatures that would feature light snowfall as the game progressed. The atmosphere had the intensity of a playoff game as the two-bitter rivals prepared for battle. The Packers would be fighting for the number one seed in the NFC, which they would lock with a win, and the Bears needed to win in order to secure the 7th seed in the playoffs. In a game that would feature four passing touchdowns by Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would go on to win by a score of 41-25. Luckily, despite losing, the Bears would get into the playoffs as the Cardinals would fall to the Rams, giving the Bears the 7th seed.
The game got off to a hot start. We saw the fastest challenge flag ever by coach Matt LaFleur on the opening kickoff. The play featured kickoff returner extraordinaire Cordarell Patterson, who made a heads up, but close play of being out of bounds as he fielded the ball, giving the Bears excellent field position on an opening drive that led to a touchdown. The Bears offense, which has been inconsistent at best this season, played well for the majority of the game. Mitch Trubisky was able to move his way down the field in a dink and dunk fashion, and at one point even hit a deep ball over the top. In the first half, Trubisky was 13/15 and was very accurate with his short-yardage throws. Which is kind of how you beat this Packers team, right? You keep long drives going, which the Bears did 5/6 on fourth downs, and you keep the ball out of Aaron Rodgers hands. I think the problem the Bears ran into is Rodgers was just too hot to start the game.
Aaron Rodgers started the game 15/15 for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns in just the first half. The low point of the game for the Packers was in the 3rd quarter. They started the quarter with the ball, and if it weren’t for an MVS dropped touchdown bomb, the Packers seemed like they would have kept rolling. Football is a game of momentum, and after that dropped ball, the 3rd quarter belonged to the Bears. They held the ball for almost the entire quarter, forcing another three and out when the Packers got the ball back, but they just could not find the endzone to capitalize on the long drives they put together. Eventually, the Packers offense rebounded and regained their footing. They started putting up touchdowns and forced the Bears offense into a situation they don’t want to be in, having the quarterback have to make plays.
Mitch Trubisky would throw an interception to former Bear Adrian Amos that led to another Packers score, and the game was lost. It just seems like throughout Aaron Rodgers career, the Bears have never been able to get over the hump. Rodgers holds a record of 21-5 over his career. With the win on Sunday, it propelled Green Bay to the number one seed and cemented another MVP for the King of the NFC North.
A Few Gripes
Once again, this week, the Packers had a special teams mistake that kept the opposing team in the game. Tavon Austin fumbled a punt return and gave the Bears the ball in scoring position right after the defense had gotten them off the field. There has been a trend of special teams mistakes this year. If it’s not a fumble, it’s letting up a huge return, or even just missing an extra point in a close game adds up to keep opposing teams in games they shouldn’t be. Luckily for the Packers, most of these mistakes have been against teams they are better than. But now it’s the playoffs. There are no more bad teams, and a game-changing play on special teams could send you packing in a year that feels like it’s your year.
Dropped balls have killed drives this year. Aaron Rodgers, who led the league last year in yards lost to drops, was leading the stat once again this year halfway through the season. With another massive drop this week from MVS, which would have been a 70-yard touchdown, it’s concerning to know this could happen in a playoff game. If the Packers are going to win the Super Bowl, this year, guys are going to need to make plays. Not just Rodgers and Adams. Guys like Lazard, MVS, AJ Dillion, and more are going to need to step up.
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