Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
Relax.
That's the message Aaron Rodgers had earlier this week, referring to "everybody out there in Packer-land" worried about the team's offensive struggles.
He was right.
The Packers (2-2) scored on six of seven offensive possessions, pouring it on against the Bears (2-2) in a 38-17 win on Sunday at Soldier Field. It's the most points scored by Green Bay since last season's 44-31 Week 8 victory at Minnesota.
It was an uninspiring start for Dom Caper's defense, allowing two touchdowns and a field goal on Chicago's first three offensive possessions. But the Packers caught a break when time expired at the end of the first half with the Bears at Green Bay's 1-yard line, and two big-play interceptions helped the cause as well. Chicago went scoreless in the second half.
The defense purged yards, however, as Chicago racked up 33 first downs and 496 yards of total offense, including an eye-popping 235 on the round. Green Bay, conversely, could only muster 56 yards rushing on 3.1 yards per carry.
Flags flew aplenty for both teams, and the officiating left much to be desired, though it did not ultimately affect the game's final outcome.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Today was one of those days for Aaron Rodgers. A day when you simply marvel at a quarterback's ability to be in complete command, making the challenging throws look so effortless.
The stat sheet does not properly illustrate the high level at which Rodgers played. Kept upright thanks to superior pass blocking, Rodgers sliced and diced the depleted Bears secondary, rolling up 302 yards passing and four touchdowns. His 151.2 passer rating is the second-best mark of his career, bested only by a 155.4 rating in a 2009 win at Cleveland, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.
That's not including his most impressive play, a touchdown pass to rookie Davante Adams that was wiped out due to a holding penalty. Buying time in the pocket with his nimble feet, Rodgers fired a dime at least 40 yards in the air—while taking a shot from a Bears defender—into Adams' waiting arms. But it was all for naught, though it will resonate in the minds of fans for quite some time.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
We're still waiting to see the Eddie Lacy of yesteryear.
It was another subpar performance from the second-year back, unable to develop any sort of a rhythm. He ran for just 48 yards on 17 carries, though he did tally his first touchdown on a two-yard plunge in the first quarter and had a one-yard touchdown called back in the fourth quarter due to a holding penalty.
But it's scary to think that Lacy's 48 yards are his highest rushing output so far this season. He looked hesitant again today, unable to hit the hole with a head of steam. His long of the day was just 10 yards, and the play-by-play is littered with gains of two yards or fewer.
Surprisingly, Lacy was the only running back to carry the ball, leaving backups James Starks and DuJuan Harris on the sideline.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Randall Cobb was embarrassed with the way he and the rest of the offense played in Week 3's 19-7 loss to the Lions.
He should be equally as proud with their performance against the Bears.
Cobb and fellow wideout Jordy Nelson each racked up two touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving, Richard Rodgers set the tone with two big gains to start the day, and Aaron Rodgers' targets had an excellent overall day in the win.
"Randall Cobb & Jordy Nelson are 1st @Packers w/ 100+ rec yds & 2+ rec TDs in same game since Dec 21, 1969
— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) September 28, 2014"
Davante Adams looked to have his first NFL touchdown on a 34-yard pass from Rodgers, but the play was nullified due to a holding penalty.
Jeff Janis was active for the first time but was not targeted and only played a handful of offensive snaps.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
On a designated day during game weeks, Aaron Rodgers takes his offensive linemen to dinner. With the way they played for him today, he should take them car shopping, too.
Rodgers was not hit in the midst of his electrifying performance.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Though the stat sheet shows one sack, it was due to Rodgers running out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. From left to right, David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga pass blocked about as well as you can against a common opponent in a hostile environment.
The run blocking was not great, however, with Eddie Lacy running into the backs of his linemen on numerous occasions. Penalties were a problem, too. Linsley was flagged for holding twice, both on the same possession, the latter of which nullified a touchdown. Bakhtiari was also called for holding.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line and Edge Players
5 of 10
I think Matt Forte just rushed for another first down.
Blown off the ball time and time again, this was a disappointing performance for the defensive line. The Bears totaled 235 yards rushing on 41 attempts, a 5.7-yard average.
Even plays that should have been wins for the defensive line turned into wins for the Bears offense. Jay Cutler twice fumbled the snap but turned them into a 15-yard rush and 13-yard completion thanks to absolutely no push up front.
Datone Jones and Clay Matthews were the lone bright spots, with Jones tallying the lone Packers sack and Matthews returning a Cutler interception 40 yards and setting up a Green Bay touchdown.
Grade: D+
Linebacker
6 of 10
A nondescript day for this group.
Inside linebackers A.J. Hawk and Jamari Lattimore totaled 19 tackles, the majority of them after Matt Forte or Ka'Deem Carey had ripped off chunk yardage.
Forte also caught five passes (on six targets) for 49 yards, getting on track after a slow start to the season. Forte is far too good out of the backfield for any Packers linebacker to cover.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
You're going to win more games than you lose against the Bears when their leading receivers are Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett and not Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.
Green Bay's defensive backs held up after a rough start. Davon House slipped on Soldier Field's atrocious turf on the game's first drive, giving Marshall one of the easiest touchdown catches of his career. Two drives later, a well-designed play fooled Sam Shields and gave Jeffery an easy stroll into the end zone.
Micah Hyde was thoroughly abused by Bennett throughout the game, with the tight end going off for nine catches and 134 yards. Hyde's greatest contribution came when he obscured the camera angle during a replay review at the end of the first half.
Shields returned an interception 62 yards in the third quarter after Marshall ran the wrong route, setting up a Rodgers touchdown pass. He also tallied three passes defensed, holding up well guarding Jeffery.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Tim Masthay saw the field on field goals and extra points, but that was the extent of his duties.
Neither team's punt squads were called upon for just the second time in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Mason Crosby's streak of 19 straight made field goals was ended on Green Bay's final possession, with defensive end Willie Young getting a hand on the 38-yard attempt.
Micah Hyde and DuJuan Harris didn't do much on their kick returns, in large part because Green Bay's blocking is among the worst in the league.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
For all the talk about adjustments after last week's debacle, it seems that Mike McCarthy made all the right ones.
Against the Lions, Green Bay's offense scored on one of nine drives and averaged 4.4 yards per play.
Against the Bears, Green Bay's offense scored on six of seven drives and averaged 7.6 yards per play.
The no-huddle was ran to perfection, and the Packers' formations were more diversified than we've seen in recent weeks. Randall Cobb lined up more on the outside, and we saw the team work the middle of the field with great success.
Defensively, it finished better than it started, the opposite of Week 3's loss. But it does feel like today's NFL offenses have passed Dom Capers by.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | A- |
| DL | D+ |
| LB | C |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
The last three years, the Packers have rallied to win their fourth game after starting the season 1-2. The team showed a tremendous amount of urgency, though the first half was beyond disappointing on defense. But going into your biggest rival's house and beating them by 21 points is a notable feat regardless of the defense's performance.
Now on a short week, we'll see if the Packers can carry this momentum into Thursday night's battle with another division rival, the Minnesota Vikings.
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