Upon Further Review: Packers go airborne in beating Bears
The Green Bay Packers entered Thursday night's game with a multitude of players declared out and two -- cornerback Sam Shields and running back Eddie Lacy -- put on injured reserve this week, with Lacy going on IR just hours before the game.
Luckily for the Packers, they were playing the Chicago Bears, who entered with a 1-5 record and in disarray.
It took a while for Green Bay to get going, but a pass-happy strategy paid off for the Packers, which topped their division rival 26-10.
It wasn't pretty, especially early. Green Bay led just 6-3 at the half and found itself down 10-6 after the Bears scored early in the third quarter off a sack-fumble.
But Aaron Rodgers and the offense settled into a groove after that and the Bears, who were forced to use their third-string quarterback, were halted by the Packers defense.
Here's a recap of Thursday's game:
SUNDAY SCHOOL (on Thursday)
-- Rodgers turned in his best performance of the season, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
-- Jordy Nelson was a no-show despite Rodgers' resurgence. He had just one catch for nine yards.
-- Receiver Ty Montgomery got the bulk of the carries with Lacy and Starks out. The Packers mixed in Randall Cobb as well, but he picked up just 21 yards on five carries. The bulk of his yardage came on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter.
-- That above-mentioned run helped set up Cobb's second touchdown of the season. Bears corner Cre'Von Leblanc was in coverage after breaking up a pair of would-be Cobb touchdown grabs earlier in the game.
-- For all his passing heroics, Rodgers lost his second fumble of the season. The Bears' pass rush sacked Rodgers on the 5-yard line, before stripping the ball and scoring to make it 9-6 in the third quarter.
-- An All-American as a punt returner at Stanford, Montgomery was the Packers' most effective runner against Chicago. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards against the Bears, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, including a 30-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter that took the Packers from their own 15-yard line to midfield.
-- The Packers didn't bother with recently acquired running back Knile Davis until it was time to salt the game away in the fourth quarter. He netted just one yard on two carries.
-- Green Bay twice went for it on fourth down early in the game. On a fourth-and-3, Chicago had a nice bat-away of a pass in the end zone. Then with fourth-and-goal from the 1, the Packers inexplicably tried to draw Chicago offsides and when that failed called a timeout. Green Bay still went for it after the TO, handing the ball to Montgomery, who got stuff. It looked like he could have dove over the top for a touchdown, but not being a natural running back perhaps this was not a natural instinct. McCarthy said at halftime the Packers didn't execute the play properly, but this whole sequence was a mess.
-- What's going on with returning kicks which go into the end zone? Teams get the ball at the 25 on touchbacks, so why risk it? Green Bay tried it on two kickoffs against the Bears. Knile Davis took one 4 yards deep and made it to the 14. Jeff Janis made it to just the 15 after fielding a kick 2 yards in the end zone.
DULY NOTED
-- Adams came up just one catch short of Hall of Famer Don Hutson's single-game franchise receptions record, a mark that has stood since 1942.
-- Rookie running back Don Jackson was signed from the practice squad earlier in the day and figured to have some kind of impact on offense. But he got in on only seven plays -- gaining six yards on two carries -- before he got leveled on an incomplete pass. He never returned. Welcome to the NFL.
-- Rodgers had one second-half touchdown on the season heading into Thursday's game, but scored on three consecutive drives in the second half.
-- The Bears' quarterback situation has gone from questionable, to maybe not-so-questionable, to downright dismal over the course of just seven weeks. Brian Hoyer (himself starting in relief of injured starter Jay Culter) left the game with a broken arm in the second quarter, paving the way for Matt Barkley's fourth career appearance.
-- It's hard to believe Barkley was once tabbed as a franchise-changing quarterback. He looked lost filling in for Hoyer, completing just six passes on 15 attempts.
WHAT IT MEANT
At 4-2 the Packers are keeping pace with the Minnesota Vikings atop the NFC North, but their margin for error is pretty thin. Four of their next five games are on the road, including a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons and their top-ranked offense next week. The Detroit Lions host the Washington Redskins in a very winnable matchup at home this week, putting further pressure on Rodgers and co. to right the ship.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Adams was Rodgers' favorite target, turning in the best game of his young career against a Bears secondary that was surprisingly stout at times. He hauled in 13 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. It was just the second 100-yard game of his career, and his first multi-touchdown affair. Adams secured his own spot in the Packers' record books, becoming the first player to rack up 10 receptions, 100 yards, and two touchdowns at Lambeau Field.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME
Cobb's receiving woes have been well-documented this season, but he's come on strong over the last two weeks. He scored his second touchdown in as many games, finishing with 11 catches for 95 yards. Cobb's score iced the game with just over five minutes to go, putting the Packers up 26-10.
THAT MOMENT
Adams got the Packers' offense rolling after the fumble, outmuscling Bears rookie De'Vante Bausby, who was facing away from the ball. Adams reached through Bausby's outstretched arms, pinning the ball to the rookie's arm to put the Packers up 13-10.
THIS NUMBER
56, the number of Rodgers pass attempts. With Lacy and Starks sidelined the Packers opted to supplement their passing game with ... yet more passing. Rodgers was slinging the ball with abandon at Lambeau, firing off 56 passes and nearly matching his career-high of 61 pass attempts. He looked a bit more like his usual self in the second half, completing 39 of those passes on the night for a 69.6 completion percentage.
WHAT'S NEXT
The 4-2 Packers play on the road for the first time since Sept. 18 (Week 2) when they take on the Atlanta Falcons, who host the San Diego Chargers this Sunday. Atlanta has a high-powered offense fueled by quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman.
