Packers ready to face reeling Bears

Packers Have Been Dominant on Road vs the Bears

Since Brett Favre became the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback in 1992, Chicago has basically been a home away from home for the Packers. In the last 33 games played in Illinois between the Packers and the rival Chicago Bears, the Packers are an astonishing 27-6. This dominance includes winning streaks of 11 (1994-2004), 8 (2010-17) and 5 (2019-2023). Matt LaFleur has yet to lose to the Bears and his road winning streak of five games at Soldier Field is tied with both Mike Holmgren and Mike Sherman for the same amount. Mike McCarthy won eight straight games at Soldier Field, which includes the 2010 NFC Championship game victory.

A year ago Green Bay continued this dominance in Jordan Love’s second career start with a 38-20 win in Week 1. It was the current signal caller’s first start since taking over for Aaron Rodgers as the team’s primary starting quarterback. Love threw for 245 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Yes, so far in 2024, Love has struggled with interceptions, currently tied for the league-lead with 10 of them. However, in the two 2023 contests with the Bears, Love threw for five touchdowns to no interceptions. In those two games Love also did not have Christian Watson. The third-year wide receiver had two touchdowns in his last game against the Bears, including a 46-yard end around which clinched the 2022 win at Soldier Field. Watson was in the middle of his historic rookie-year stretch of eight touchdowns in four games.

For Green Bay to bounce back from its defeat the Detroit Lions, the offense will likely need both Love and Watson to have performances similar to their first ones at Soldier Field. This game will also be a chance for the defense and its pass rush to find its groove back, as it goes against an offense that allowed eight sacks a week ago against the New England Patriots. The Packers defense has been looking to generate consistent pass rush for most of the season. If the defense can duplicate the performance it had against Tennessee's poor offensive line, a 6th straight win at Soldier Field will be even more likely. In that Titans game, the Packers defense had eight sacks of its own.

The Script Is Simple vs. Toothless Bears

The Bears have become too easy to overlook. The franchise that used to be a thorn in the Packers’ side from 1984-1990 when they won the division six out of seven seasons has turned into dumpster fire yet again. After getting out to a 4-2 start, the Bears have lost three straight and are gasping for breath.

Just how bad are things in Chicago?

The Bears were missing five offensive linemen and the Patriots capitalized by tying a franchise record with nine sacks. The Bears had a promising offensive line unit at the beginning of the season, but they don’t have much depth and the rest of the NFL knows it. The Bears picked Caleb Williams No. 1 overall last spring thanks to the gift from the Carolina Panthers. But he has been sacked a league-high 37 times and has been pressured 129 times. Williams also leads the league with 22 throw aways.

The Packers have won the last 10 in this series and thanks to a Bears offensive line that has been held together with masking tape and Elmer’s glue, No. 11 is right in front of them.

Packer Transplants 288: Chicago Business Trip

Corey and Aaron return after the Packers bye week as the team prepares to travel to Chicago and take on the reeling Bears.

Unlocking Jordan Love With Play-Action

A successful play-action game doesn't just benefit the pass. It can also benefit the run game. When you look at the majority of Jordan Love's snaps on offense in the last few games, they come out of the shotgun or pistol formation. This benefits a Quarterback who may be struggling with mobility, giving him a head start on the pass rush. Also handing off the ball on a running play from a shotgun or pistol formation, minimizes the QB's need to be mobile. All he has to do is turn and hand the ball off with little footwork. Unfortunately, though, this takes away some of the power for the running back. A running back like Josh Jacobs, who's a downhill runner in between the tackles loses a bit of his burst when handed the ball from the shotgun. If Jordan Love is under center and Jacobs is a few yards back, he's able to get a head start of a few steps before he's taking the ball and hitting the line of scrimmage. This increases his burst to the line and decreases the defense's reaction time.

The Packers utilizing play action all depends on Jordan Love's mobility. Following the Bye, we're hopeful that mobility has gotten better. If so,look for Matt LaFleur to utilize play-action to help out his QB and his running game moving forward.

These Two Packers Need to Step Up in the Second Half of the Season

The Green Bay Packers are 6-3 at the bye week. They are preparing for a challenging second half schedule that will determine whether they make the playoffs. The Packers have yet to play their best football but have still found ways to win football games. To reach their full potential, the Pack will need better performances from these two players who have talent but continue to struggle with certain aspects of their game.

While these two are not the only players who fit this description, they are players with undeniable talent that the team wants to play a bigger role.

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The Lass Word: The Unsung Heroes

Okay, quick trivia question for you: Can you name one member of the Green Bay Packers scouting staff? If the answer is no, don’t feel bad. Only the most ardent of fans would know those names. Yet they are, collectively, the most important element of the franchise. They ultimately determine who will wear the green and gold. If they don’t get it right, the team cannot succeed. Even the best coaches in the game can’t overcome bad personnel decisions. Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls, but when the talent level on his New England Patriots team dwindled, mostly due to his own personnel decisions, the Pats sank to the bottom. Joe Gibbs won three Lombardi trophies with Washington, but when he returned to coach the same franchise twelve years later, he struggled to even make the playoffs because of a depleted roster.

The Packers find themselves annually in the middle of the playoff picture largely because of a scouting staff that not only hits regular home runs in the draft, but consistently uncovers the little diamonds in the rough. The players who seldom make headlines, but who always seem to come up with key contributions at the right time.

Get to know two of the more unsung heroes of this year’s Packers team.

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