Bears vs. Packers: Bears Have Work To Do To Get Ready for the Playoffs
Published by Bob Warja on January 2, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Lovie Smith decided to play his regulars the entire game, taking a huge chance that an injury to a critical player wouldn’t occur and harm the Bears’ ability to win in the playoffs.
Look, as a Bears fan, I dislike the Packers as much as anyone, but don’t tell me that beating the Packers would have been worth an injury to Jay Cutler or Brian Urlacher.
As it turned out, the Packers were simply better on Sunday as they beat Chicago 10-3. Cutler finished with zero TDs, two interceptions and a QB rating of 43.5. Of his 21 completions (not counting the two to the wrong color jersey), there were only two receivers who caught passes, with Rashied Davis coming out of hiding with seven catches and one going to Devin Hester.
Well, that has to get better, or this Bears team will lose in the first round, no matter who they play. This offense was offensive today, with a dismal 31 percent third down conversion percentage.
Meanwhile, Green Bay wasn’t that much better and couldn’t run the ball at all. They had only 60 yards rushing, with 21 of those yards coming from Aaron Rodgers. They averaged only 2.6 yards per carry on the day.
As for the decision to play his starters the whole game, Smith was damn lucky that a key player didn’t get hurt, although Chris Harris did leave the game with a shoulder injury, the extent of which is not yet known.
Prior to the start of the game, it was apparent that the number one seed was going to Atlanta, as the Falcons had a commanding lead. While some may commend Smith for going all out to try and beat the Packers, the risk was not equal to the reward in my opinion.
Despite taking that risk, the Packers are going to the playoffs. The Giants, who beat Washington, will stay home despite a 10-6 record. That may be a good thing for the Bears, as I still have nightmares about what they did to us in Week 4.
So let’s take a look at the highlights (and lowlights) of the game.
