Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers Game Review
Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 3, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears, having already clinched the second seed and a home divisional round game in the NFC playoffs, faced division rival Green Bay yesterday, who needed a win to make the playoffs.
When it was all said and done, the Bears lost 10-3. The game was scoreless for a better part of the first half before the Bears finally got on the board, but they couldn’t score any more. The Packers managed to get some points off a couple of nice opportunities handed to them by the Bears, and that ended up being the difference.
It was a hard-fought game, and Chicago wanted to win because it left its starters in for the entire game and fought very hard, but the Packers were able to take advantage of what the Bears couldn’t do on offense and win the game.
So how did the Packers win? Will this affect the Bears heading into the playoffs? Let’s find out in this extended review of the Bears vs. Packers game this Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Scoring Summary
The Bears got the only score of the first half when kicker Robbie Gould booted a 30-yard field goal to make it 3-0. The Packers tied the game in the third quarter when kicker Mason Crosby kicked a 23-yard field goal.
Green Bay got the go-ahead (and winning score) in the fourth quarter after quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Donald Lee for a one-yard touchdown. Crosby’s PAT gave the Packers a 10-3 lead, which proved to be the final score.
The Bears didn’t have too many players stand out in this game, but they did get nice production out of running back Matt Forte, who had a few nice runs and caught some nice passes to help the Bears move the ball down the field. He ended the season with over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and proved that he is a very valuable asset on offense.
Dud of the Game
This was a tough one, but the Bears did suffer some problems protecting Cutler, so the offensive line gets the honor this week. Cutler was sacked six times on Sunday and was pressured numerous times, showing that the offensive line wasn’t doing its job. Hopefully, the offensive line will get better in the playoffs, or there could be trouble.
Analysis
There was a ton of speculation going into this game as to whether or not the Bears would end up playing their starters. As it turned out, Head Coach Lovie Smith kept his starters in for the entire game even though the Bears had already won the division and there was no more positioning that they could do for the postseason.
So why keep the starters in the whole game? Smith and company wanted to beat the Packers not only to sweep their division, but to also beat a hated division rival. In the end, it didn’t work out, but the Bears put up a good fight, stayed fresh and tuned up for the postseason.
If there is one glaring concern that came out of this game, it’s that the offensive line continues to struggle in pass protection. This team won’t win in the playoffs if Cutler is allowed to be sacked, knocked down and pressured like he was on Sunday, so the offensive staff needs to start working on a plan to protect Cutler, help him pass the ball better and thus win games.
Chicago’s rushing attack looked pretty solid, but the Bears didn’t stick with it long enough to make a big difference in the game. The Bears need to stick with the running game more often in the playoffs to help ensure that they control the ball and the clock and gain yards on a consistent basis.
The defense stepped it up on Sunday after allowing the Jets to pick them apart last week. The front four got some good pressure on Rodgers and the secondary covered the Packers wide receivers pretty well. Both Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije looked good in the game and the linebackers played very well, especially against the run.
Heading into the postseason, the Bears shouldn’t have to worry about their run defense, as it looks like they are very solid there.
Their pass defense was good and kept the Packers at bay in that department for most of the game. They seemed to keep Rodgers off balance and covered his wide receivers well enough to not allow them to catch some critical passes during the game. Hopefully, they can play this well throughout the playoffs.
Special teams weren’t that much of a factor for the Bears in their return game, but their coverage units did slip and allowed a big return by the Packers. The Bear special teams coverage units have to get better, or else they could cost Chicago in the playoffs.
Next Up
If the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round on Sunday at 4:30 p.m., the Bears will host the Eagles in the NFC Divisional round.
If the Packers win, the Bears will face the winner of the New Orleans Saints/Seattle Seahawks game that will take place on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Regardless of the opponent, the Bears’ next game will be on Sunday, January 16 at 1:00 p.m. in the NFC Divisional round at Soldier Field. A full preview of that game will be posted at the end of next week.
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