Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 12 Win

On a night in which the Green Bay Packers retired Brett Favre's iconic No. 4 at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving, the Chicago Bears came away with a surprising 17-13 victory in Week 12.

It was quarterback Jay Cutler's first career victory at Lambeau Field, and the Bears improved to 5-6 on the season as a result. Offensively, Chicago gained just 290 yards, but the unit took care of the football in wet conditions and finished the game with no turnovers.

On the other side of the ball, Chicago's defense allowed 365 total yards to Green Bay's offense but did come away with two takeaways.

"Tough, hard-fought victory," said head coach John Fox, per ChicagoBears.com's Larry Mayer. "It's a very difficult team to come up here and beat. I thought our guys played hard. They played their hearts out; just tough, gritty football."

The Bears will now have a couple of days off before they begin preparing for their Week 13 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field on December 6. 

What are the biggest takeaways from Chicago's Week 12 victory over Green Bay?

Tracy Porter Proved He Is the Team's No. 1 Cornerback

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Tracy Porter (21) recorded his first interception of the season against the Packers in Week 12.

Cornerback Tracy Porter was viewed as an afterthought when he signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason because the team had Kyle Fuller, Alan Ball and Tim Jennings, but the former Indiana University standout has quickly developed into the team's top cornerback.

Before the season began, the Bears released Jennings and named Fuller and Ball the starters on the outside at cornerback for Week 1. Porter did not make it onto the field until Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks because of an injury, and he took over for Ball as a starter on the outside in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders.

He has quietly been Chicago's best defensive back since entering the starting lineup in early October, and Thursday night against Green Bay was his coming-out party on national television. Porter finished the game with one tackle, four passes defended and one interception.

According to Pro Football Focus, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers targeted Porter 11 times in the passing game, and the cornerback allowed just two catches for 14 yards.

The veteran cornerback credited Chicago's front seven for making his interception of Rodgers in the fourth quarter possible.

"The front seven did a good job of putting pressure on [Rodgers]," Porter said, per Mayer. "I read the route that he was trying to make. They were trying to make a quick throw and I just beat him to the spot."

Porter has been Chicago's most physical cornerback this season, and he proved that once again in Week 12. He primarily lined up opposite Packers receivers James Jones and Davante Adams all night, and Porter's aggressiveness is what helped him come away with his first interception of the season.

Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei praised Porter after Chicago's victory over Green Bay.

"Tracy Porter should be in the Pro Bowl," tweeted Pompei. "He is playing with great confidence, anticipating and going for the ball with excellent timing."

Fuller was viewed as the team's top cornerback before the regular season began, but Porter's play in recent weeks has made him the Chicago's No. 1 corner. If the veteran defensive back continues to perform at this level, he could be in line for a big contract this offseason.

Unlikely Contributors Came Up Big on Both Sides of the Ball

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Marc Mariani (80) provided a spark in the passing game against the Packers.

On Thursday night against the Packers, a few unlikely contributors made big plays on both sides of the ball.

Veteran return man Marc Mariani lost his job on kick returns last week to Deonte Thompson, but the former Montana standout came up with some big catches in the passing game. Cutler targeted him three times, and Mariani finished the game with three catches for 35 yards with a long of 21 yards.

His 21-yard catch came early in the second half on a 3rd-and-10 from Chicago's 35-yard line, helping keep the team's drive alive. He returned two punts for a total of just seven yards, but he did a better job of securing the football after having issues in the punt-return game in previous weeks.

Thompson only returned one kickoff in Week 12, but his 37-yard return late in the second quarter helped set up running back Jeremy Langford's go-ahead touchdown late in the first half.

On the other side of the ball, strong safety Chris Prosinski played well in his second straight start. He finished with six tackles and knocked the ball out of running back Eddie Lacy's hands in the second quarter, which eventually led to a Bears touchdown.

"That's something we study," Prosinski said about his forced fumble, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "Those power runners, when they fight for extra yardage, sometimes the first thing that gets sloppy is the ball security."

Prosinski did a nice job of coming up in the box to slow down the run, and he also held his own in pass coverage. He has his flaws, but the veteran safety has played well in starter Antrel Rolle's absence.

According to Pro Football Focus, rookie cornerback Bryce Callahan played 76 of the team's 80 snaps on defense against the Packers, and he finished the game with three tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defended. He was targeted seven times in the passing game and allowed five catches for 61 yards, but he held his own against Green Bay's Randall Cobb.

Without the performances of Mariani, Thompson, Prosinski and Callahan, the Bears would not have come away with their fifth victory of the season.

Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford Split Time in the Backfield

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Matt Forte saw the field in Week 12 for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 8.

For the first time since injuring his knee in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings, running back Matt Forte returned to the field on Thanksgiving night.

The former Tulane standout started against the Packers, but he and Langford split carries in Week 12. Forte led the team with 15 carries, while Langford finished the game with 12. According to Pro Football Focus, Forte played 38 snaps on offense, while Langford played 31.

Langford led the team with 48 rushing yards, while Forte finished with 44 yards on the ground. Neither back played a great game against the Packers, but Forte admitted it was nice to get back on the field after missing the last three games, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com:

"

I don’t know if I had any extra adrenaline being back out there. I mean, I always have adrenaline, but it felt good to be on the field again. This was a big-time win. It’s hard to win out here at Lambeau Field. I’ve played here a lot and haven’t won much. It feels great to get a full team win. The defense played great, obviously, and as an offense we moved the ball sometimes and capitalized in the red zone when we got turnovers from the defense.

"

Forte's longest run of the night was for just seven yards, but the offensive line struggled to get much of a push up front. Langford did break off a 14-yard run and scored one touchdown, but he struggled to haul in a couple of passes from Cutler. He was targeted three times in the passing game but recorded just one catch for five yards.

The Bears have two capable running backs in Forte and Langford, and it looks like the team will do its best to get both backs involved in the running game on a weekly basis moving forward.

Run Defense Is Still an Issue

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Chicago's defense allowed 6.3 yards per carry to the Packers in Week 12.

After allowing 170 yards on the ground against the Denver Broncos in Week 11, the Bears struggled to contain the running game Thursday night against the Packers.

Green Bay gained 177 rushing yards on 28 carries, and Lacy led the way with 105 yards on 17 touches. James Starks finished the game with 39 yards on seven carries, while Rodgers ran the ball four times for 33 yards. 

Chicago's defense struggled to get much of a push up front against Green Bay's stout offensive line, but Pompei thinks the team's struggles against the run could be attributed to the fact that the team was focused on stopping the pass.

"Inability to stop the run remained a problem," Pompei tweeted. "Should be pointed out though, that the Bears defense was more geared to stop the pass."

Linebacker Shea McClellin led the team in tackles with 10 and did most of his damage against the run, but the team's inability to gain leverage along the line of scrimmage opened up lanes for the Packers to make big runs.

Luckily for the Bears, the Packers opted to get away from the running game as the contest wore on, despite all the success they were having on the ground.

Teams know the Bears have struggled to slow down the run this season, and if Chicago wants to stay afloat in the playoff race, it will need to do a better job of controlling the ground game at the line of scrimmage in the coming weeks.

Jay Cutler Finally Got the Monkey off His Back

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Jay Cutler (6) played mistake-free football against the Packers and recorded his first career victory at Lambeau Field Thursday night.

Cutler entered Week 12 with an 0-4 career record at Lambeau Field, but the veteran quarterback was able to get the monkey off his back following the team's impressive victory on the road.

He completed just nine of his 17 passing attempts in the first quarter for 78 yards with one touchdown, but he finished with 200 yards passing and did not turn the ball over.

Cutler admitted after the game it had been an eventful week for him.

“It’s huge,” he said about the victory, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley. “It’s been a fun week for me—a Sunday game, and then having a baby on a Monday, and then turning around and playing on a Thursday."

In the veteran signal-caller's previous four games at Lambeau Field, he had completed just 51.1 percent of his passes and had thrown 12 interceptions. Cutler did a great job of sidestepping pressure and climbing the ladder in the pocket, and he did not force any throws into tight coverage. Even though his numbers were not off the charts, he played one of his best games of the season on Thanksgiving night.

Right tackle Kyle Long praised Cutler for his poise and toughness after the game, per Dickerson:

"

That's what I'm used to with Jay. That crowd was super crazy, super loud at the beginning of the game. If you noticed the decibel level kind of went down as the night wore on. But to be able to stay poised through that and mentally tough as the leader of the offense, that's a testament to Jay's mental toughness and his leadership abilities.

"

Cutler's performance against the Packers does not mean he has completely turned the corner as a quarterback under offensive coordinator Adam Gase, but it does prove he has the ability to lead his team to a much-needed victory in a hostile environment.

Barring any significant setbacks in the coming weeks, it looks like Cutler is on track to be the starting quarterback once again in 2016.

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.