Green Bay Packers 26, Chicago Bears 10
Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players for Green Bay's 26-10 win over Chicago:
Quarterback grade: Aaron Rodgers, 79.5
Rodgers bounces back after poor performance
This was the type of performance the Packers needed from Rodgers following another poor outing in Week 6. It wasn’t a perfect performance. He did fumble for the sixth time this year, which led to the Bears recovering it in the end zone for the only touchdown. But he was considerably more accurate this week. Even though the wide receivers were still struggling to get open downfield at times, the Packers' short, quick passing game was pretty in-sync and looked more like the offense we’ve seen in recent seasons. On dropbacks that that lasted 2.5 second or less, Rodgers completed nearly 80 percent of his 34 attempts for a 117.4 passer rating.
Top offensive grades:
LG Lane Taylor, 83.7
RT Bryan Bulaga, 79.7
WR Davante Adams, 79.6
QB Aaron Rodgers, 79.5
RG T.J. Lang, 78.6
Wide receivers find success lining up everywhere
With the Packers short on running back depth, WR Ty Montgomery had 47 snaps lined up in the backfield and slot WR Randall Cobb had another nine. Even though Green Bay didn’t run the ball often, those two had success when handed the ball with a combined 81 rushing yards (66 after contact) and three missed tackles on just 14 carries. In the passing game, Jordy Nelson had a quiet night, but it didn’t matter. Montgomery, Cobb, and Davante Adams each had double-digit receptions, with Adams earning the highest grade of his three-year career.
Top defensive grades:
ILB Blake Martinez, 86.3
OLB Clay Matthews, 83.7
CB Ladarius Gunter, 82.8
OLB Nick Perry, 82.5
NT Kenny Clark, 79.6
Maligned corner rewards Packers faith
Less than a week ago Ladarius Gunter put up the lowest-graded game of any cornerback this season. If the Packers had everyone healthy in their secondary, Gunter may not have made it through the week. He looked like a completely different player on Thursday night though, even though he was tasked with handling Alshon Jeffrey the majority of the night. The former undrafted free agent allowed three catches for 33 yards on nine targets and had a pass defensed. His play was crucial in shutting down the Bears offense before the wheels fell off when QB Brian Hoyer went down.
Quarterback grades: Brian Hoyer, 56.4; Matt Barkley, 43.4
Bears' chances end with Hoyer’s departure
Early in the game, Hoyer was erratic and erred on the Bears' best scoring opportunities. He missed a wide-open deep post to Josh Bellamy on third down of Chicago’s second drive of the game after the Packers messed up a coverage in Cover-2. After he went down with a broken arm, the passing offense completely went down the drain. Barkley forced multiple balls into tight coverage and had two picks on only 12 targeted passes.
Top offensive grades:
TE Zach Miller, 76.4
C Cody Whitehair, 75.4
WR Josh Bellamy, 72.3
WR Alshon Jeffery, 65.5
RB Ka’Deem Carey, 65.2
Frustrating night for Alshon Jeffery
The frustration that boiled over earlier this month from Alshon Jeffery seems to be affecting his play on the field. He struggled to gain separation against a Packers defense missing its top three cornerbacks and even had a lazy offsides penalty. Jeffery hauled in only three of his nine targets for 33 yards, with one coming in garbage time. Unfortunately for the Bears, no one was able to fill his wake, as no other receiver had more than three targets.
Top defensive grades:
ILB Jerrell Freeman, 81.8
CB Tracy Porter, 79.0
S Harold Jones-Quartey, 76.7
OLB Leonard Floyd, 76.4
ILB Danny Trevathan, 75.3
Pass rush and coverage fail to slow Packers’ offense
The Bears’ pressure numbers won’t look terrible at first glance, but the front seven really struggled to get pressure on Rodgers for the most part. Much of their pressure came either well into the play after Rodgers had to hold onto the ball when receivers couldn’t separate, or came after Rodgers left the pocket on his own accord trying to improvise. Leonard Floyd was the only defender to finish with an above-average pass=rush grade, largely due to his strip-sack fumble and recovery for touchdown. In the secondary, a lot of the receptions given up were short of the sticks, but as the game rolled on the Packers were able to get into a rhythm and Chicago had more issues slowing them down. De’Vante Bausby was the biggest culprit, allowing 10 catches for 85 yards on 13 targets, all of where were team-highs.
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Packers wide receiver Davante Adams
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