The Bears were doomed from the moment that Robert Quinn mocked the belt in the first half of Sunday's Week 14 game. After a first half scare, the Packers roared back in the second with 24 unanswered points in the second, notching their tenth win of the season.
The 45-30 victory that kept the Matt LaFleur-led Packers perfect after Thanksgiving came with some ugliness.
While the Packers fixed core issues on offense and defense over the half, problems on special teams persisted all four quarters. Early on, the punt and kick coverage units allowed several long returns, including one punt return that Jakeem Grant took 95 yards for a touchdown.
Then, there were pure execution breakdowns.
They began with what an errant kickoff that Malik Taylor chose to field at the Green Bay 5-yard line instead of allowing to go out of bounds. Mason Crosby then followed it up with an illegal procedure penalty of his own. In the second half, Amari Rodgers muffed a punt, but was bailed out by a Chicago penalty. Finally, late in the game, Marquez Valdes-Scantling failed to jump on an onside kick, allowing the Bears to cling to life for at least another game minute.
But, even with self-destructive play on special teams, Green Bay eeked out a win over a fundamentally inferior opponent. With the victory, LaFleur remains perfect versus Chicago as Packers head coach, now having swept Matt Nagy and the Bears in three straight seasons. Equally as important, he ended a post-bye week losing streak that dates back to 2017.
On Offense
For yet another week, the Packers had to lean on their "next man up" mentality, this time on the O-line after tackle Billy Turner left the game early. With Turner's exit, the Packers were forced to contend with Chicago's front seven without their top four offensive linemen. Partially for this reason, the Packers struggled to establish the run. Paired with Jaylon Johnson's air-tight coverage on Davante Adams, the offense looked lost most of the first half.
But the offense made the necessary adjustments to put the game out of reach in the second half.
While Yosh Nijman and Jon Runyan were tested on a handful of occasions, a makeshift O-line that included veteran Dennis Kenny never quit, allowing only one sack in the second half. The unit's continuity helped the offense find a rhythm just before halftime as Rodgers hooked up with Adams to keep the game within one score. That momentum very much carried into the second half: A.J. Dillon found a groove in between the tackles and Rodgers strung together some of his best ball distribution of the season to help build his case for league MVP.
On Defense
Credit Bill Lazor and the Bears offense for what they accomplished early on. On controlled play by Justin Fields, the Bears had the Green Bay defense on its heels early, scoring 20 points before halftime and keeping its defense resting on the sideline for elongated periods of time. Despite strong pressure up front and overall disciplined play led by De'Vondre Campbell, the defense had one of their worst starts of the season, stats-wise.
But, beginning in the second quarter, Joe Barry's defense came through where they've been great all season: turnovers.
It's safe to say that a Rasul Douglas pick six and Preston Smith strip-sack saved the Packers, making up for the many special teams deficiencies and slow start on offense. Those turnovers translated into 14 points that ultimately tilted the game in the Packers' favor by the mid-third quarter.
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