The Packers look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive as they head to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Packers are 5-7-1 after their 34-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday while the Bears are 9-4 after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 15-6 at home last Sunday night.
Aaron Rodgers provided a thrilling moment when he rallied the team back to win 24-23 on opening night, but not a whole lot has gone their way since then. With a lot of injuries to their offensive line, Rodgers will need to use his scrambling ability and make quick decisions with the ball. It is possible to run on the Bears. The Dolphins and Giants proved that, and it helped both of them to overtime wins. The Bears lead the league in total interceptions (25) and turnover margin (+13). Kyle Fuller is tied for the league lead with 7 interceptions, but one interception that he didn’t make cost the Bears on opening night as Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for the winning touchdown two plays later. Of course, they have to account for Khalil Mack at all times, but they have guys at every position who are capable of making big plays.
Mitch Trubisky is having a decent season, but if you pressure him, he is prone to make mistakes. If their defense is dominating, they just have to be efficient and turnover-free on offense. The Packers cannot allow this offense to get into a rhythm. Multiple sacks and turnovers would go a long way in getting the upset win on Sunday.
The Packers have had a crazy amount of success over the Bears since 1992. Last season, the Packers took over the lead in the series and are now +3 over the Bears in total wins head-to-head. Despite any success the Bears enjoyed this season, they won’t be taken seriously in the playoffs if they can’t beat Green Bay.
This is a game that the Packers can win, and if they execute and finish drives with touchdowns and get turnovers on defense, they have a great shot at getting the victory. In recent memory, the Packers have come into Soldier Field with either the Bears wrapping up a disappointing season or clinging to their playoff lives by a thread. This year will be different. Soldier Field will be rocking on Sunday. It’s up to the Packers to silence the fans and put some doubt into them as they head into January. Let’s get it done on Sunday!
The Packers face another early Sunday game on the road, this time a trip to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears.
The Packers are 4-1 after their 25-22 overtime win at Cincinnati while the Bears are 3-2 after winning 20-9 on the road vs the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Packers get their first look at Justin Fields up close. He brings a lot of hype with him but he is still a rookie. The Cleveland Browns provided a great blueprint by pressuring him all game long. The Packers have been doing a decent job lately of getting after the quarterback. Keep it up, especially in a game like this one.
Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams keep finding ways to get it done on the field. Their patchwork offensive line will need to hold up in this game. The Bears aren’t very good on offense so they thrive on getting turnovers and shifting field position. It’s important for the Packers to finish drives with touchdowns. They didn’t do enough of that against the Bengals and it almost came back to bite them.
Mason Crosby will look to rebound after missing three field goals and an XP last week. He made his final field goal to win it so hopefully that will put positive thoughts in his head. He had a game back in 2018 where he missed a lot of kicks at Detroit, but I remember that he was sent out there late in the game to try a field goal to hopefully get his mind right again. It worked and he carried that positive momentum into future games. Let’s just hope last Sunday was a fluke.
The Bears have two wins against teams currently with winning records in the Bengals and Raiders, so the Packers can’t overlook this team. You could argue that they faced the Raiders at the right time with LV coming off a short week after playing on a Monday night and also dealing with the Jon Gruden email scandal, but they still found a way to win just like they did against the Bengals.
Coach Matt Nagy is on the hot seat, and that got red hot after their disaster of a performance at Cleveland. They rebounded to win two straight however. They aren’t out of the woods yet, but a win over Green Bay would put another jolt of energy into the organization and the fanbase, especially since wins over the Packers have been few and far between lately. They have not had consecutive wins over the Packers since 2007. The Bears also have a tough stretch of games coming up, so if they don’t win this game, their chances of winning the division may take a big hit.
It’s possible the Packers won’t be making too many more trips to Soldier Field. The Bears are making plans to move out and into a new stadium elsewhere. Perhaps they should have done that all along instead of renovating Soldier Field in the early 2000s.
The winner of this game will be in first place in the NFC North for at least a week. This is a golden opportunity for the Packers to put a bit of distance between themselves and the rest of the division. The Packers also have some tough games (at least on paper) coming up soon, so in addition to the rivalry, they need to win games like this one.
I look for the Bears to play ball control and keep away from Rodgers. It’s important for the defense to get off the field. The Bears know they can’t get in a shootout with the Packers and expect to win. I expect the Bears to put up a pretty good fight but the Packers to ultimately take control and get this win. Wherever you are, have a great time as we cheer the team to victory this weekend.
The 2018-19 season finally ended, and whether you like them or not, the New England Patriots are once again on top. I am sure that the majority of you cannot stand New England, but they know how to get it done, and every other team, including our beloved Green Bay Packers, are looking up at them and trying to find ways to be the team that will be the last one standing in February.
The Packers had quite a season, although the negatives outweigh the positives. They finished the season 6-9-1 and out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Let’s go back and look at some of the highlights and lowlights of their 100th season.
Win of the Year:
With only six wins the whole year, unfortunately it is not a big sample size, but what else could it be? The Packers kicked off the season on a Sunday night at Lambeau Field vs the Chicago Bears. After the Bears jumped out to an early lead, it looked like the Packers were in big trouble during the game itself and possibly for the rest of the season as Aaron Rodgers went down with a knee injury that appeared that it could possibly be season-ending. Amazingly, Rodgers came out and played the second half and delivered one of the most thrilling comeback wins in Packer history, at least for the regular season as they overcame a 20-0 deficit to win 24-23 and start their season 1-0.
Honorable Mention:
On a Monday night in October, the Packers hosted the San Francisco 49ers, who were playing without their star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Instead of a comfortable win for the Packers, they were in for a battle on this night. The 49ers had a 30-23 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Rodgers started to get hot and found Davante Adams in the endzone late in the game to tie the score. Quarterback C. J. Beathard, possibly wanting to go for it all late in the game, threw an ill-advised pass into coverage that was intercepted by Kevin King. Rodgers, given new life after a SF penalty on third down, scrambled up the middle for 21 yards before spiking the ball and then delivering three clutch completions, all on sideline passes before Mason Crosby kicked the game-winner for a 33-30 final score.
I picked the above game over the thrilling 44-38 overtime road win over the New York Jets because the Packers were already out of playoff contention by then.
Most Deflating Loss of the Year:
All Packer losses are deflating, but some hurt more than others. In my opinion, the most deflating loss had to have been the 29-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Coming off a bye week, the Packers were trying to get some huge confidence-boosting wins after that win on Monday night vs the 49ers the week before the bye. After the Rams kicked a go-ahead field goal with under two minutes remaining, the Packers had a timeout in their possession and needed only a field goal to win it and stun the eventual NFC Champions. Instead, Ty Montgomery, who ran the ball out on the ensuing kickoff instead of taking a knee when he was two yards deep in the endzone, fumbled the ball away and ended any hope of a comeback. I really think that this was the beginning of the end of the Packers’ season. It’s quite possible that they would have missed the playoffs anyway, but you never know what could have happened had they defeated the Rams, who were undefeated at the time. Instead, they lost in such heartbreaking fashion and went 3-6 the rest of the way. Ty Montgomery was traded to the Baltimore Ravens during the week of this loss.
(Dis)Honorable Mention:
The Packers completed a stretch of four road games in five weeks, going 1-4 and losing all four of their road games during this period. They returned home to face the lowly Arizona Cardinals, who were ranked dead last in both rushing and passing offense coming into this game. The Packers were having their own struggles at times, but surely they would handle a team like Arizona and keep their fading playoff hopes alive, right? What happened instead was the nail in the coffin to their season as they lost 20-17 after Mason Crosby missed a field goal at the end that would have tied the game. The offense was just pathetic and the defense couldn’t get off the field at critical times during the game. Mike McCarthy was finally let go a few hours after the game. Joe Philbin would take over and coach the remaining four games, where he would go 2-2.
When the Packers began the season, they were coming off a 7-9 campaign where Aaron Rodgers missed a huge chunk of the season with a broken collarbone. Dom Capers was finally shown the door and Ted Thompson was reassigned. With a new general manager and defensive coordinator in place, and with Rodgers finally ready to go for the season, there were high hopes that the team would contend once again. We instead were treated to a flawed roster, greatly weakened by mediocre (at best) drafting and bad free agent additions during the few times Ted Thompson actually went that route. Also, it was clear that Mike McCarthy had overstayed his welcome in Green Bay. It was time for a change.
A little more than a week after their season ended, they found their next head coach in Matt LaFleur, who was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. He worked under Sean McVay, the Rams’ head coach, and once coached under Mike Shanahan. He hired Nathaniel Hackett to be his offensive coordinator and kept Mike Pettine, who had just finished his first season as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
The coaching staff is in place, but what about the roster? Davante Adams has proven his worth as a receiver, but there are a lot of question marks at that position. Will Randall Cobb be back? Can Geronimo Allison return from his injury and be a solid #2 receiver? Will the young rookies take a huge step in their second year? Will TE Jimmy Graham be back, and if he is back, will he finally play like the guy we thought we would be getting? I think Aaron Jones is one of the most explosive running backs in the league. Jamaal Williams is a great compliment to him. We could always use a solid #3 running back. The offensive line is decent when everyone is healthy, but we need depth in that area. We also need pass rushers. The young secondary showed promise at times, but we need to find a safety or two. We need a defense that will force turnovers, something that was severely lacking in 2018.
Finally, we need Aaron Rodgers to bounce back in 2019. He has played through injuries and has produced a few thrilling moments, but his reputation has taken a huge hit last season. His accuracy seemed to be way off, and his inability to make plays at crucial moments in games cost the Packers dearly. Not too many people are calling Rodgers the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time) anymore. Tom Brady just won his sixth Super Bowl, Drew Brees is still getting it done, Patrick Mahomes just won his first MVP Award, and others like Jared Goff are just getting warmed up. For the Packers to contend in 2019, Rodgers has to at least be in the conversation for the League MVP Award. It has been eight years since Rodgers and the Packers won Super Bowl XLV. At the time, it looked like they were just getting started, but they haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since then. Since 1992, we have had either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers but have only two Super Bowl Titles to show for it. We know that this opportunity will not last forever. We want more Vince Lombardi Trophies added to the collection.
We will have to wait and see. Hopefully Matt LaFleur is the coach that we need and Brian Gutekunst is the GM who will rebuild this roster and get the players we need to capture more championships. Davante Adams was named to the Pro Bowl and said that he cannot wait to go back there next year. Aaron Rodgers talked to him and said that he will be busy instead, implying that they will be playing in the Super Bowl next year. Can we realistically expect that? Teams have overcome longer odds in recent memory. All I know is that you should bet against Aaron Rodgers at your own risk. He has proven people wrong so many times in the past. He can do it again.
I am excited for next season. There is still a lot of work left to be done, but I really believe that it will be our year again very soon. Take care Packer fans! Next season will be here before you know it.
The Packers ended their season with a thud as they were blanked 31-0 to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
To make matters worse, Aaron Rodgers had to leave the game with a concussion. It’s the third concussion for Rodgers that we know about, the other two coming in 2010, the season where they went on to win the Super Bowl. Concussions can never be minimized as the more you have, the more likely you are to have your NFL career cut short, and it also jeopardizes your long-term health. Unfortunately, that’s the risk you take whenever you take the field in an NFL game, whether it’s in the preseason, regular season, playoffs, or even in a scrimmage.
As for the game, sloppy tackling, dropped passes, and other than a few runs here and there, DeShone Kizer did almost nothing to inspire confidence in any of us should he ever be called upon for extensive action in the future. It also should put to rest any talk about Joe Philbin returning as the head coach next season. It doesn’t matter how much Rodgers and Davante Adams want him back. They are great players, but they don’t make personnel decisions.
Speaking of which, Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst have a huge task ahead of them. For starters, they need to do their homework in their search for a new head coach. They need to make a great hire. They need to really evaluate this roster from top to bottom. I think that Rodgers has some MVP-caliber seasons left, but he needs playmakers around him on offense and a top-ten defense, not a mediocre D. Speaking of the defense, they have done a poor job of getting turnovers, and their tackling lately has been pathetic.
Gutekunst has said that he will be active in free agency this year. It’s time for him to put his money where his mouth is. The Draft is still important, but we don’t have the time to wait for the players to develop in three years. The time is now. We have seen how teams can go from last place to first place in just a year. Even though the Packers aren’t in last place, they have just finished their second losing season in a row. We need some significant changes during these next several months or else it will be three in a row at this time next season.
After last season ended, we fired Dom Capers, demoted Ted Thompson, and looked forward to the return of Rodgers after he had his collarbone injury. Many of us thought that we would be in the running in the NFC. As it turns out, we finished with an even worse record this year. This situation won’t be fixed with a few band-aids and some duct tape. We need a thorough evaluation of this entire organization from the front office to the waterboy.
The Packers have the 12th overall pick in the Draft. They also have the Saints’ first-round pick, and all we know is that it will be late in the first round. How far they advance will determine how late it will be. Free agency begins in March, so many of us will be glued to our TV screens and electronic devices around that time to see what they do. They have decisions to make with players such as Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews. Do they bring back Jimmy Graham despite a disappointing year? Do they stick with the young receivers and bank on them to improve significantly in their second year? These are some of the questions that the team must address.
The 100th season for the Green Bay Packers started out with a bang as they defeated the Bears 24-23 on opening night, a game many of us will not forget anytime soon. Not much went right after that. Even the wins seemed less than inspiring. The Cardinals will pick #1 in the Draft, the team that won in Green Bay, leading to the firing of Mike McCarthy. The 49ers (#2) and Jets (#3) are teams that the Packers barely beat, winning both games on the final play. Getting swept by the lowly Detroit Lions is just sad, especially when you end the season with a 31-0 loss at home. I’m ready to put this season in the rearview mirror and look forward to the offseason.
It will take a lot of work, but I think this team can make some noise next season. A lot of it depends on the health of Aaron Rodgers. He also needs to improve his mechanics and get back to putting up MVP numbers. The jury is still out on Brian Gutekunst. The team took a step back last year and we need something to give us a dose of confidence. Perhaps we will get that when they name a new head coach.
I remain optimistic that they will get this thing turned around. I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, but perhaps they can study what the Bears did to turn their franchise around. The Packers need to think outside the box a little bit. The league is constantly changing and they cannot afford to be two steps behind all of the time.
We will wait and see. There will be much to talk about in the coming weeks and months ahead. Take care as we remain loyal to the Green and Gold through thick and thin.
