Packers vs. Bears: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay
It was the best of times and it was the worst of times in the frigid air at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday, but ultimately, the Green Bay Packers eked out a win 30-27 over the Chicago Bears.
Because both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings lost on Sunday, the Packers moved to second place in the NFC North and one game back from the Lions, whom they will take on in Week 17.
Aaron Rodgers was clearly hobbled by his calf injury, but he hung on to make some clutch rushing plays and a stunning 60-yard bomb to Jordy Nelson in the final seconds to get the Packers into field-goal range for the win.
Rodgers was helped on the ground by Ty Montgomery, who rushed for an astounding 162 yards and two touchdowns to keep the Packers offense alive.
There were moments when it almost all slipped away, but the bend-but-don't-break defense managed to keep the Bears from the winning score. Let's take a closer look at their efforts, as well as those of all the position groups, and hand out grades for this classic NFC North matchup.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Aaron Rodgers was not even close to full health on Sunday when he took on the elements and the Bears in Chicago on Sunday, but he got the job done.
Rodgers didn't throw any touchdowns, but he didn't need to; running backs Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael found the end zone three times. What Rodgers did do was connect on huge plays with his receivers despite their costly drops, including a 27-yard bomb to Jared Cook and a 60-yard rainbow to Jordy Nelson to set up the walk-off, game-winning field goal.
Rodgers only went 19-of-31 on the day, but four of his incompletions were drops by Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams, two of which would have been touchdowns had Adams been able to bring them in.
Moreover, Rodgers scrambled often on his bad leg, something that may not have made head coach Mike McCarthy very happy but nevertheless showed his mettle and made a statement to his teammates—and his opponent.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
For the first time all season, the Packers get an A+ for the running back position.
Because of Ty Montgomery, they now have a backfield that can pose a legitimate threat to any opponent they might encounter on their way to the postseason and, hopefully, beyond.
Montgomery had a monster day against the Bears, rushing for 162 yards on 16 carries and finding the end zone twice. He averaged an insane 10.1 yards per carry and appeared to be impossible to tackle.
For good measure, Christine Michael joined in with 45 yards (averaging 11.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown of his own.
It took them a while to find a winning combo this season, but the Packers have a duo that can break games wide open for them now.
Grade: A+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Things were looking a little ugly there for Packers receivers early in the game, when Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams each had two drops to their name and the Packers couldn't manage anything more than a field goal in the second quarter.
But Aaron Rodgers kept the faith in his pass-catchers, going back to Adams on two consecutive attempts after his second dropped touchdown pass and keeping his teammates' confidence high.
And Nelson's statement 60-yard reception to set up the Packers' game-winning field goal takes some of the heat off him for his early drops, as well. Nelson finished the game with 124 yards on seven receptions.
The biggest and most positive surprise of the game was how involved Jared Cook got. Cook connected with Rodgers six times for a total of 85 yards, including a long catch of 27 yards. The Packers offense moves so much better when they can get a big, athletic tight end involved, and Cook proved that on Sunday.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Packers offensive line suffered from uncharacteristic penalties and injuries on Sunday, but ultimately, it held on to see the Packers through to the win.
The line allowed four sacks on Rodgers, the most he's taken in a game since Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans.
A holding penalty on Lane Taylor halfway through the third quarter brought up a 1st-and-20, which was even more egregious because Aaron Rodgers risked his calf to get the first down. Thankfully, the Packers were able to get three points out of the drive anyway, a margin that proved crucial to the final score.
It was an ill-timed slide for a line that has been dominant all season, but it didn't cost the Packers the game. But the line needs to get its act together against Minnesota in Week 16.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Up front, the Packers didn't have much of an answer for Chicago's Jordan Howard, who rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries and found the end zone for the Bears, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Neither Mike Daniels nor Letroy Guion did much that showed up on the stat sheet, though the Packers were in sub-packages most of the time on Sunday.
However, that's not the only indicator of success, and Daniels did have a nice day against his former teammate Josh Sitton. At one point, Daniels strung the run all the way to the sideline, an impressive feat for such a big player (6'0", 310 lbs).
In the coming weeks, hopefully the defensive line can get more pressure on the quarterback, because Matt Barkley's day was far too easy on Sunday.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Packers sure are going to miss Julius Peppers when he retires.
Without Nick Perry and with Clay Matthews on an apparent snap count, Peppers stepped in and did his job, getting the lone sack of the game on matt Barkley, which resulted in a fumble recovery.
Peppers' job was made even harder when Jayrone Elliott left the game with a hand injury, leaving the Packers dangerously thin at outside 'backer with two weeks left in the season.
They also struggled on the inside, where Blake Martinez, who was only available this week after a three-game absence, had to come in the game in place of Joe Thomas, who got hurt defending a short pass to Jordan Howard.
Jake Ryan was the only defensive player in the game to get a QB hit on Barkley, but he also had a costly roughing the passer play that put the Bears in the red zone.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
The Packers secondary was the definition of bend but don't break on Sunday, allowing Bears receivers 362 yards and two touchdowns but ultimately winning the turnover game.
Early in the second quarter, cornerback Damarious Randall made a huge play on Joshua Bellamy that saved a touchdown. But he couldn't get it done before halftime when Bellamy burned him for a touchdown that temporarily gave the Bears the lead. Ultimately, Randall got benched.
Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix did everything they could to atone for the mistakes of their teammates. Hyde intercepted Matt Barkley on an attempted Hail Mary pass just before halftime, and when the Bears were driving down the field in the third quarter with the Packers leading by three, Clinton-Dix was there with the pick to end the drive.
Just for good measure, Clinton-Dix came up with a second pick on the following drive.
Hyde and Clinton-Dix bring this unit's grade way up; for how they played the Bears pass-catchers, the Packers deserve a D. But because of their takeaways, that becomes a C+.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Mason Crosby got to be the hero on Sunday with his walk-off, game-winning field goal, though he owes some of his glory to Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson for getting him in position.
Crosby was a perfect 3-of-3 on both field-goal attempts and extra points.
Punter Jacob Schum has had better days; while he had a long of 52 yards, he also had one that went just 33 yards with a 3.85-second hang time, which, combined with a penalty, gave the Bears the ball at their own 45-yard line.
Jeff Janis made his weekly special teams splash with a 21-yard kick return.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Mike McCarthy couldn't win with Packers fans on Sunday.
First, the head coach opted to go for it on fourth down when the Packers were leading by just seven points.
Then, at the beginning of the third quarter, with the game tied up at 10, McCarthy decided to kick the field goal at 4th-and-goal on the 1-yard line.
Neither decision was particularly great, both at the time and in retrospect. And while in the last two weeks, the excellent game plan and in-game decision-making by McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers contributed directly to the Packers' wins, against the Bears, the team had to win in spite of its coaching.
McCarthy was aggressive at the wrong times and barely attempted any screen passes, and, though Ty Montgomery's success reflects well on him, it begs the question of what took McCarthy so long to feature him.
Meanwhile, Capers opting to go into prevent defense about five drives too early almost doomed the Packers late in the game, as the Bears just clawed their way back.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Quarterback | A- |
| Running Back | A+ |
| Wide Receiver/Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | C- |
| Defensive Line | B- |
| Linebacker | B- |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | D |
| Final Grade | B |
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