Last Sunday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he’d be fine if his team won ugly all the way to the Super Bowl.
For much of Sunday’s visit from the Chicago Bears, it didn’t look like an ugly win would be required.
Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to Davante Adams in the first quarter and Aaron Jones ran in touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to open the second half, helping the Packers build an 18-point lead with under eight minutes to go in the third quarter.
No matter. Even at 21-3, an ugly finish was still required.
The Bears scored 10 straight points and had three different opportunities to score the game-tying points in the fourth quarter, but the Packers held on all three possessions – once with an interception, another with a turnover on downs and a third and final stop inside the 10-yard line as the Bears attempted to lateral the ball into the end zone with a wild final play.
The Packers offense just couldn’t finish the game. They punted on five straight possessions after going up 21-3, gaining just nine yards over 18 plays despite having favorable field position on several of the series.
After Dean Lowry’s interception with 6:40 to go set up the offense at Chicago’s 40-yard line, the Packers lost five yards – with 11 coming on a sack of Rodgers on third down – and punted the ball away.
The Bears threatened on each of their final two series, but Trubisky threw incomplete on 4th-and-10 from the 49-yard line, and then the Bears failed to complete the miracle play on the final snap of the game from the 34-yard line.
Maybe this is the Packers’ identity. Win ugly. Find ways to win late. Avoid ways of losing games.
Once again, the Packers didn’t have a turnover. The Bears turned it over three times and were stopped on fourth down three times. The Packers were 1-for-1 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, while the Bears were 1-for-3.
The offense remains maddening, with flashes of dominance mixed in with long, frustrating lulls of inactivity. The defense controlled the game for long stretches but a tired group helped make it interesting late.
Maybe the Packers aren’t capable of winning pretty. And who knows if winning ugly will be sustainable in the postseason. But Matt LaFleur’s team keeps figuring out ways to win, and it’s hard to argue with the win-loss results, regardless of the aesthetics or style of victory.
The Packers have mastered winning ugly. It must be their path forward. But can they win at least five more ugly games?