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The Chicago Bears were hoping Mitchell Trubisky would start a tour back to his first start since Week 3 on Sunday night, but it turns out that even a quarterback change couldn’t save Windy City from its continued decline. The Green Bay Packers looked comfortable right out of the gate in the Week 12 NFC North showdown, and thanks to the near flawless performances of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones and Matt LaFleur on cruise, the local team ran away with her in prime time. A trio of Trubisky turnovers, coupled with a collapse in Chicago’s defense, helped seal the Packers’ big win, a 41-25 rout that keeps Green Bay firmly atop the division.
Sunday night’s decision confirmed that the two sides are heading in opposite directions. The Packers are now 8-3 and three games ahead of Chicago in the North, not to mention 4-1 at home. The Bears, who once stood atop the NFC after opening the season 5-1, have now lost five in a row and are at risk of falling behind the Minnesota Vikings.
Here are some immediate lessons from the Sunday Night Packers rout.
Why the Packers won
Their offense was fundamentally unstoppable. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Against a well regarded defense, Aaron Rodgers threw the ball with ease, lifting and sideways cocking wide open targets with the remarkable cushion of consistent ground play. Matt LaFleur composed a lot of singles races for Aaron Jones at the start, and Chicago had no answer for them, with Rodgers going on to finish the records by finding his Big Three in Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Robert Tonyan. Jamaal Williams was almost as effective in lifting his stomach once the score got out of hand, combining with Jones to gain over 160 yards against the Bears forward.
Defensively, the Pack looked vulnerable out of the gate, but quickly capitalized on Mitchell Trubisky’s stray deep shots (Darnell Savage was given a pair of picks) before freezing the game by feasting on Chicago’s maligned O-line. Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith were predictably productive when needed to keep the heat on Trubisky.
Why the bears lost
Two main reasons: # 1, they didn’t have a viable replacement for Akiem Hicks; and # 2, they haven’t even had a slight improvement in the quarterback. Let’s start with the latter: Mitchell Trubisky legitimately opened up the night, with two drops of the red zone softening an otherwise promising comeback below the cross. From there, however, he did more to hurt the Bears than to help them, maybe even more than the injured Nick Foles; his two INTs were incredibly off target in double coverage, his second quarter fumble gave Green Bay a 27-3 lead, and he repeated short balls several times down the home stretch. The play call didn’t always help, with the Bears nearly giving up David Montgomery despite an early 57-yard sprint.
The defense might have been more disappointing given Trubisky’s already uneven track record. Hicks’ absence left a gaping hole in the middle of the D-line, but the secondary fell victim to it early and often too, especially in the red zone where they had previously thrived.
Turning
First down Bears, at 38 for the Packers. Green Bay had just driven 75 yards for a touchdown to climb 6-3 in the first, but Chicago was poised to strike back with a promising second straight series. And then the old-fashioned Trubisky reared his ugly head, trying a deep shot on a well-covered Darnell Mooney and essentially sending the ball back to Green Bay. Although the game was still within three points at the time, that turnover unmasked Trubisky, wiped out a potential scorecard, and set up another TD streak for Green Bay. The game was never close from that point on.
Play the game
Give it to Preston Smith, the big man who not only managed to put pressure on Trubisky, but then recouped Mitch’s fumbling and outmaneuvered everyone for six, which put the Packers up to a 27-point lead. -3:
And after
The Packers (8-3) will return to Lambeau in Week 13, when they are expected to host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1), who will retire a short week after Monday’s game against Seattle. The Bears (5-6), meanwhile, will look to return to .500 when they return to Soldier Field to host rival Detroit Lions (4-7), who will play their first game since coach Matt’s dismissal. Patricia. .
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