Capping Defensive Struggle, Green Bay Packers Steal One from Chicago Bears

Make no mistake about it.

It is a one way street.

Either the Packers offense is that bad, or the Bears defense is that good.

Granted, it could be a simple case of jitters and miscues for a unit that spent most of the offseason  watching the second and third teams compete for roster spots, but tonight neither team looked on track when taking offensive snaps.

In a game billed as a duel between star QB’s Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, this contest did not flop, but it did not wow fans in the manner intended.

Both signal callers were bullied for much of the game, rarely able to get into a rhythm due in large part to revamped schemes by both organizations that set out to emphasize pressure.

The gameplan for both teams was to get to the quarterback, so the sacks and hurried throws had to impress most defensive enthusiasts.

Luckily for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers proved to be a much more patient leader all game long, most of all when it counted, once the game was on the line late in the fourth quarter.

Coming off a promising 2008 campaign, Rodgers had led the Packers to all of two (2) comeback victories, both of which came against the winless Lions, one of the worst teams in league history.

So even if most fans and perhaps Rodgers himself had wished for a blowout win over a hated rival, it was nice to see the young QB deliver a knockout punch after listening to critics say he had no chops for crunch time.

Green Bay lost seven games last year by four points or fewer, and much of that blame was placed on the shoulders of their new franchise QB, even though he put his team in position to win late during several of those contests.

The issue last year was not Rodgers, who finished in the top 10 in overall ratings. The issue was not with the offense, which averaged 350 yards and 26 points per game. The issue was defense, and their general inability to close out opponents.

Such was not the case this fine evening.

The Packers redesigned their schemes to fit new defensive coordinator Dom Capers, one of the most well respected defensive minds in all of football. Capers 3-4 alignment was key to the Packers improving on a near bottom ranking and enabled them to be a lot more aggressive towards an opposing offense.

They showed flashes of brilliance during the preseason, and looked like they had been playing in the 3-4 for 10 plus years after a drubbing of Arizona in preseason week three.

The preseason is still the preseason, and this is the regular season.

Not much difference in the stats however.

The Packers frustrated and battered Jay Cutler, forcing four interceptions, three of which occurred in the first half alone.

Though they only had two sacks, the Pack showed plenty of poise getting around blockers and disrupting most anything the Bears tried to get past them. Chicago’s two top receivers from a year ago, Matt Forte and Greg Olsen, combined for one reception and eight yards.
Matt Forte accounted for 32 percent of Chicago’s total yards last season.
The Packers rejuvenated D held him to 55 total yards.

Utter dominance on defense did not translate into momentum on offense, as Green Bay faced similar struggles.

Aaron Rodgers had very little time to throw, was sacked five times, and barely completed half of his passes.

Usually one of the more accurate young passers in the game today, Rodgers was held to 17/28 for 184 yards and a score. While that score came on a late pass to Greg Jennings for the go ahead touchdown, many of his stats were accumulated on drives ending in punts or long field goals.

Dropped passes also hampered the Packers O, as Donald Driver seemed to forget how clutch his hands have been for the last decade. Jordy Nelson as lost a pair of seemingly catchable  balls, leaving Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy scratching their heads.

Ryan Grant showed flashes, but for the most part was unimpressive with a 3.8 yards per carry average. He has still yet to live up to the final eight games of the 2007 season, wherein he rushed for nearly 1000 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

For most of the first three quarters, very little offense ensued for either team. Jay Cutler threw three interceptions, and probably could have thrown five if not for drops by the Packers defense.

Aaron Rodgers and co. were very ineffective, really only accounting for three points on offense.

After the Bears gained a safety and the Pack scored following an interception returned to the goal line, the halftime s

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