The Green Bay Packers used an overwhelming advantage at quarterback and timely plays on defense to race past the Chicago Bears and clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 35-16 win at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ win over the Bears.
Studs
S Adrian Amos: The former Bear plays his best games in Chicago. An offside penalty on Preston Smith prevented what should have been a two-takeaway day for Amos. Late in the first half, he wrestled the ball away from David Montgomery in the flat and then recovered the fumble, but the penalty negated the play. Later, he essentially sealed the game by ranging to his left and intercepting a misthrow from Mitchell Trubisky down the seam in the fourth quarter. The Packers had the route covered perfectly and Amos was right there to grab the forced throw. Twice, Amos made nearly perfect tackles. He smacked Darnell Mooney along the sideline short of the sticks, and his diving stop of Trubisky in the open field prevented a potential touchdown on the final drive.
QB Aaron Rodgers: He has made playing the hardest position in sports look so effortless at times this season. His accuracy and decision-making in the offense are as good right now as ever in his career. On Sunday, he completed nearly 80 percent of his passes, averaged 10 yards per attempt and threw four touchdown passes on just 24 attempts. One of his five incompletions was a disappointing drop on what likely would have resulted in a 53-yard touchdown to open the second half. He did have three near interceptions, an unusually high number for him in a single game. But his execution throughout the contest and the offense’s efficiency overall were big reasons why the Packers won the game by three scores despite running 30 fewer plays than the Bears. Another MVP performance.
RB Aaron Jones: The boxscore numbers might not pop off the screen, but the Packers running back produced winning plays with commendable effort and skill. Maybe no play better describes Jones as a player than the catch and run for 15 yards on the opening drive. He caught the pass eight yards short of the first down, stiff-armed his way past two tacklers, including linebacker Roquan Smith, and then spun through another tackler just for good measure. A play that looked dead in the water turned into a drive-extending chunk gain. Jones is elusive and far tougher than most running backs his size. Of his 85 total yards, 82 came after first contact or after the catch. He was also a go-to player (five touches, 36 yards) for Matt LaFleur on the Packers’ game-changing touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
CB Jaire Alexander: An All-Pro caliber regular season received a fitting conclusion. Alexander helped smother Allen Robinson, who didn’t have a target in the first half, and his smart and crafty strip of rookie tight end Cole Kmet created a turnover and eventually led to a Packers touchdown. In the second half, he wisely broke off vertical coverage by spinning back to his left at full speed and disrupting a throw to Javon Wims, who would have been wide open otherwise. Later, he blanketed Wims down the sideline for another deep incompletion. According to Pro Football Focus, Alexander allowed three catches for all of seven yards against his coverage.
DL Kenny Clark: Few players at his position have the ability to reset the line of scrimmage off the ball and then find the ball-carrier after shedding blocks as consistently as he does. The Bears had some early success running the football but it dried up quickly, and Clark and the edge rushers deserve a lot of the credit. His production hasn’t been as impressive as last season, but he’s still impacting the game. His thankless work over the last month has been a big reason for the defensive improvement.
TE Dominique Dafney: How does a role player land in the “studs” section? Catch a touchdown pass and make a crunching tackle on special teams. Dafney did both on back-to-back plays in the first half. On offense, the rookie looks like an ideal fit for Matt LaFleur’s H-back role. He can run and catch, and he’s a capable blocker in space. The Packers also like him covering and blocking on kicks.
Duds
LB Kamal Martin: The rookie linebacker is nothing if not aggressive. He plays the game fast and puts himself into disruptive areas. Now, he must learn to finish. Twice, he was in a position to make plays at or near the line and missed the tackle, including on David Montgomery’s touchdown run on the opening drive. When he gains some control, he’ll be a quality linebacker.
KR Malik Taylor: He’s athletic enough to be returning kicks, but his hesitancy with the ball in his hands negates any athletic advantage he could otherwise muster as a returner. He averaged just 19.8 yards per return on four returns Sunday. Twice, he appeared to have trouble with the footing. The Packers can probably find a better, safer option. Taylor looks like a turnover waiting to happen on kickoff return.
PR Tavon Austin: He continues to look solid in his jet motion role. His speed and vision in the open field create value. However, the Packers can’t afford turnovers on special teams. Austin fumbled for the 23rd time in his NFL career on Sunday. The giveaway resulted in three points for the Bears. The veteran must be stronger with the football.
OLB Preston Smith: Penalties negating takeaways can be back-breaking mistakes. Smith, with seven offsides penalties over the last two seasons, relies on jumping the snap too often. His latest infraction eliminated a fumble recovery and eventually led to the Bears scoring three points.
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