The Green Bay Packers overcame a red-zone turnover and the defense’s second-worst performance by overall grade this season in a dramatic but frustrating 20-19 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
It took a miraculous special teams play from Karl Brooks to save the day.
By overall grade at Pro Football Focus, Sunday’s performance was the Packers’ best performance on offense this season. But the defense struggled across the board against a rookie quarterback and a reeling Bears offense.
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 11 win over the Bears:
Top 5 offense
1. WR Christian Watson: 93.0
2. RT Zach Tom: 73.8
3. QB Jordan Love: 73.7
4. WR Jayden Reed: 73.6
5. RB Josh Jacobs: 71.5
Watson caught all four of his targets, including two contested catches, and produced a career-high 150 receiving yards. He averaged 10.0 yards per route run, an incredible number. Tom allowed only two hurries and had the team’s highest run-blocking grade along the offensive line. Love had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5 and hit all six throws over 10 yards in the air and all eight throws under pressure. Reed caught two passes for 23 yards and a score while running only 12 routes. Jacobs forced three missed tackles, created four plays of 10 or more yards and produced a season-high 58 receiving yards.
Top 5 defense
1. DE Rashan Gary: 79.0
2. LB Eric Wilson: 69.5
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 65.9
4. LB Quay Walker: 62.6
5. LB Isaiah McDuffie: 61.0
Gary produced a team-high five pressures, including a sack and quarterback hit, plus a team-high four run stops. Wilson made a run stop and earned a solid run defense grade overall. Alexander didn’t allow a completion into his coverage over 10 snaps before exiting with an injury. Walker had two stops and a pass breakup but also missed two tackles and wasn’t effective as a blitzer or against the run. McDuffie tackled well over 21 snaps.
Bottom 5 offense
1. LG Elgton Jenkins: 48.4
2. TE Ben Sims: 50.3
3. WR Dontayvion Wicks: 53.1
4. TE Tucker Kraft: 54.4
5. WR Romeo Doubs: 56.5
Jenkins allowed two pressures, had a poor run-blocking grade and was penalized for being illegally downfield. Sims was only average as a run-blocker and didn’t have a catch over 17 snaps. Wicks ran only six routes and didn’t have a catch. Kraft ran a team-high 18 routes but didn’t have a catch. Doubs had a drop on third down.
Bottom 5 defense
1. DE Lukas Van Ness: 33.1
2. CB Keisean Nixon: 45.8
3. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 49.4
4. DL Devonte Wyatt: 49.6
5. DL Kenny Clark: 50.3
Van Ness played 25 snaps, including 10 as a pass-rusher, but didn’t have a tackle and managed just one hurry while also committing a penalty. Nixon allowed three catches for 39 yards and missed a tackle. Enagbare had three pressures, but he also missed a sack and struggled against the run. Wyatt missed a tackle and didn’t have a pressure over 35 mostly impactless snaps. Clark didn’t have a pressure for the third straight game.
Special teams
Karl Brooks blocked the field goal to win the game and earned an elite 93.5 special teams grade. Edgerrin Cooper and Corey Ballentine both had tackles covering kicks. The Packers didn’t have a special teams penalty. Brandon McManus made two extra points. Daniel Whelan’s lone punt was a 47-yarder inside the 10-yard line.
Quarterback play
Jordan Love: 73.7
Love sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft for a turnover, but he also hit both of his attempt over 20 yards and all six of his passes over 10 yards, completed 8-of-8 passes under pressure, scrambled three times, averaged 15.4 yards per attempt and had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5. He threw one pass away and had one pass dropped. The turnover was bad. The rest was really good. Love’s general accuracy and mobility were great signs moving forward.
Stat to know
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 20 of 26 passes when kept clean, and 22 of his 31 attempts came on passes under 10 yards. The Bears threw quick and short effectively, and the Packers struggled to find answers. When kept clean, Williams averaged only 2.35 seconds to throw the football.