Final Score: Packers 28 Bears 21
The Bears saw their 5-game winning streak snapped on Sunday in a tough loss at Lambeau Field to the Packers. In the aftermath, Green Bay catapulted to first in the NFC North, while Chicago fell to the 7th playoff spot in the NFC. Packers QB Jordan Love was phenomenal in the contest. The Bears turned in a terrible first half, but completely turned it around in the second. Despite losing on a Keisean Nixon interception in the endzone with less than 30 seconds remaining, the way the team played in the second half inspires confidence for the rematch on December 20th-which is now a must-win game for the Bears.
Glaring Issues
Very Slow First Half
Chicago looked sluggish in the first half, heading into halftime trailing 14-3. Williams went 6-14 for only 32 passing yards. Swift and Monangai only accumulated 48 rushing yards. They had nothing going on offense and got torched a few times on the other side of the ball, leading to a 207-71 total yardage comparison.
Secondary Had Disappointing Game
The secondary combined for a very bad showing this week. With nickelback Kyler Gordon going down in pregame warmups, players may have had to switch around at the last minute. Whatever led to it, several players nearly had career-worst performances. According to PFF, CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson had the second-worst game of his 83-game career despite snagging an interception. He allowed 8 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Safety Jaquan Brisker also had the second-worst game of his career (48 games). In addition, star CB Jaylon Johnson-still shaking off rust from missing 10 weeks due to injury-earned another low grade. It felt like every time Jordan Love unloaded on a ball (which was several times), there was certain to be a coverage bust and an easy touchdown. Love finished with 3 TDs and 234 passing yards.
Bright Spots
The Bears Were Close
The good news is: the Bears were in it. This was not a normal Bears-Packers game in which Chicago was completely outmatched. I think it’s clear that this isn’t the “same old Bears”. On the road at Lambeau in a highly-anticipated game, they had a real chance to tie it at the end. You could make a strong argument that they certainly would have done so if there was one or two more minutes on the clock. While a previous Bears team would have laid down after the bad first half and lost by multiple scores, this team fought back and dominated in the second. Here’s every drive in the second half:
Second half offense: touchdown, field goal, touchdown, interception (final drive)
Second half defense: forced 3-and-out, touchdown, forced 3-and-out, touchdown
Defense still needs to be better, but the offense found something in the second half. The Packers have turned into the Super Bowl team that they were supposed to be this year, and the Bears were right there with them.
The Offensive Line Flexed its Muscles
The Bears offensive line is legit and they further proved this on Sunday. It allowed 18 pressures-which isn’t great-but 7 of them came via Micah Parsons, who is inevitable. Parsons came into the game having snagged 3 sacks the week prior, and 2 sacks each of the weeks before that (7 sacks in only 3 weeks). The Bears held him to 0, and only allowed 1 sack in total. Several players graded out very well on PFF.
Standout Performers
Joe Thuney
Offseason signing left guard Joe Thuney was fantastic this week. The future hall-of-famer finished 1st in overall PFF grade among 166 offensive linemen this week, propelled by his 3rd place finish in run-blocking. He was the best offensive lineman in the entire NFL. Despite his pedigree, some criticized the signing before the season, claiming that Thuney is getting to old. Games like this are exactly what Ryan Poles and the Bears were betting on.
Ozzy Trapilo
Rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo also had a standout game up front. Despite a run-block grade that left much to be desired, Ozzy finished 1st in PFF pass-block grade. He also ranked very highly in this stat a couple of weeks ago. With only 3 NFL starts under his belt, Trapilo is in a fantastic position and I’m excited to see him improve throughout the next few seasons.
Jordan Love
Packers quarterback Jordan Love looked really good this week. He posted 3 touchdowns and finished 2nd in PFF passing grade this week. He had the second-highest ADOT (average-depth-of-target), which makes it markedly more impressive that I can’t recall many-if any-misfires. With the way he uncorks the football, birds in central Wisconsin better keep their heads on a swivel when the Packers have a home game. Love looked polished, especially with the deep ball.
Key Drive of the Game
The most important drive came just before halftime. The Packers took over possession nursing a 7-3 lead with only 1:14 left until halftime. Up to this point, it was a close, grinder-type game. Still well within striking range, I felt like the Bears could find their footing at halftime given their pedigree in close games this season. The 45-yard touchdown to Packers WR Bo Melton that shortly ensued changed things. This play blew the game open and sent the Bears to the locker room trailing 14-3. As we know now, the Chicago would go on to lose by 7 points.