Bears vs. Packers recap: Everything we know about Chicago’s Week 6 loss
The Chicago Bears snapped their two-game win streak with a loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. This marked Chicago’s fifth straight loss to Green Bay. It’s been 1,036 days since the Bears last beat the Packers on Dec. 16, 2018.
While the defense set the tone early with pressure on Aaron Rodgers and the offense seemed to find some momentum, things changed as the game progressed. The Packers weren’t especially impressive, but they did enough to improve to 20-3 against the Bears.
Final Score: Packers 24, Bears 14
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Keys to the Game
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Running the football: The story for the Bears this season has been running the football. Their identity as an offense is running the football. All but two of their offensive touchdowns have been running plays. Even after losing David Montgomery, both Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams have played well. With Williams on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Herbert got the workload against Green Bay, and he continued to impress. Herbert had 97 rushing yards on 19 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and a touchdown.
Penalties: The Bears found themselves making some mistakes, with the referees not missing a beat to throw the flag. Whether it’s jumping offsides or a block in the back on a key punt return, penalties hurt this team. The big one that hurt them was a no-call, where Justin Fields threw an interception. It was believed to be a free play for Fields, due to the Packers being offsides, but it wasn’t called. A lack of discipline changed the momentum of this game in favor of Green Bay.
Slowing down Aaron Rodgers: Though the Bears didn’t win this game, the Packers were pushed to their limits on offense. Chicago got to Aaron Rodgers, sacking him three times for a loss of 26 yards. Outside of a 41-yard pass to Davante Adams, Rodgers’ longest pass was 14 yards. The deep ball wasn’t much of an option on Sunday for Green Bay. The defense slowing down Rodgers is all they were asked to do. He was held under 200 passing yards. The offense simply couldn’t keep up. Once Fields improves as a player and the passing attack is more of a threat, the Bears will have a better chance to win games like the one we saw on Saturday.
It was over when...
Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
Though the Bears fought hard and made things interesting, the game was out of reach when Aaron Rodgers scored a rushing touchdown to make it a 10-point game in the fourth quarter. It was 24-14 at that point, which ended up being the final score.
Fields did bring the Bears down the field, but the Bears turned the ball over on downs. Rodgers and the Packers just ran the clock out, finishing their victory.
Rodgers is now 11-3 at Soldier Field and is 22-5 against the Bears, including the playoffs.
3 Stars of the Game
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
***Jakeem Grant: Jakeem Grant changed the field position for the Bears. He set the offense up with some good returns. Unfortunately, the offense stalled out too much in the passing game, where his hard work didn’t amount to much. Grant had 83 yards on three kick returns and 11 yards on two punt returns.
**Khalil Mack: Khalil Mack has played very well this season. Whether he’s making the tackle or not, he’s always causing havoc. Mack got to Rodgers early in the game, sacking him in the first quarter. Overall, he had four total tackles and one sack.
*Khalil Herbert: Khalil Herbert was the Bears’ offense on Sunday. He rushed for 97 yards on 19 carries (5.1 average), finding the end zone once. It’s rare that teams find success using their third-string running back. Herbert showed that Chicago can still find success while they await the return of David Montgomery and Damien Williams.
What's next
Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears will travel to Tampa to challenge the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers next Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.
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