Packers Start Strong, Easily Defeat Bears

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Photo by Evan Siegle - packers.com

Quay Walker interception 9.10.23

Quay Walker's interception vs the Bears, Sept. 10, 2023

In Jordan Love’s first game as the established starter in Green Bay, he easily outdueled Justin Fields of the Bears while putting up one of the best rookie performances in Packer history. Love looked decisive and poised in the pocket as he completed 15 of 27 passes for three touchdowns, and importantly, no interceptions. While his accuracy was spotty on some of his shorter passes, he made the correct read on virtually every attempt, including two designed splash plays to Luke Musgrave and Aaron Jones, which led to short touchdowns. Love has some weaknesses to his game, but the Packers have harnessed the positives to great effect. Love was phenomenal. 

The Bears are in a similar position to the Packers with their third-year starter, and many in Chicago had high hopes for Fields entering this season. Unfortunately for the Bears, it was more of the same thing we’ve seen over the previous two seasons. Fields is slow to get through his reads, and to pull the trigger when players do get open. It’s an issue that is very difficult to fix at the NFL level and given his history as a bottom-tier quarterback, it’s likely that Fields is what he is: a phenomenal athlete who will always be limited as a passer. 

Fields was especially poor under pressure, coughing the ball up once, and throwing a pick six to linebacker Quay Walker in the fourth quarter to seal the game for Green Bay, highlighting an impressive turnaround for the Packer defense. Both Walker and Devonte Wyatt, both selected in the first round of last year’s draft, played the best games of their careers, with Walker excelling in coverage and as a tackler, while Wyatt was consistently in the backfield. Rookie edge rusher Lukas Van Ness also made an outstanding open field sack on Fields and was impressive when asked to contribute as a run-stopper. 

Play to Strength

More than anything, defensive coordinator Joe Barry seemed more willing to let his player play to their strengths, with Jaire Alexander blanketing Chicago’s excellent receiver DJ Moore for most of the game, holding him to just two catches. Much maligned safety Darnell Savage excelled with simplified responsibilities, making several key tackles. All Pro edge rusher Rashan Gary was on a snap count, but still managed to generate five pressures on just ten pass rushes and blew up several plays single-handedly. 

Barry used to call games from the sidelines, but has moved upstairs into the booth this year, and so far it’s paying huge dividends. It can make sense for a coordinator to operate from the field to offer in person coaching and corrections, and general leadership, but going upstairs conveys a clear strategic advantage as it’s easier to see the entirety of the play. More importantly, the Packer defense doesn’t lack for natural leaders, and the veterans are more than capable of fulfilling the leadership roles on their own. 

The Bears were the NFL’s worst team last season, and while they did make marginal improvements at key positions in the trenches and at wide receiver, they are likely to remain in the bottom third for now. While many in Chicago were optimistic for a quick turnaround, that was never particularly likely, and the Packers will face much tougher tests in the upcoming weeks. Still, the NFL’s elite usually take care of their lesser opponents like the Packers took care of the Bears, building a large lead and putting them away early. The Packers didn’t even play their best game, but they were well-prepared, executed on 3^rd and fourth down, and still managed to win by three scores going away. If they can clean up some penalties, and Love can slightly improve on some of the more basic throws, the Packers can be scary immediately. 

Finally, new kicker Anders Carlson was called on to attempt his first NFL field goal at the end of the first half, after a chaotic series where both Love and Matt LaFleur completely botched their clock management. Carlson calmly and easily knocked the 52-yarder right down the middle with plenty of distance, off one of the NFL’s worst surfaces. 

Carlson was perfect on the day, and seems to have overcome some of his training camp jitters. The only kicker in Packer history to make a longer kick in his debut was Mason Crosby himself, who nailed a 53-yarder on his first NFL kick. 

The End of the Rodgers Era

Many Packer fans tuned into Monday Night Football hoping to get a look at their former quarterback in his new environment. Instead, on just his third drop back of the night, Rodgers was sacked by former Chicago Bear Leonard Floyd, and suffered a lower leg injury. After the game, the Jets reported that they believe Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon. If that is the case, Rodgers will miss the remainder of the 2023 season, and there is a very good chance he will never play again as the rehab process for a torn Achilles is long and grueling, especially for a 40-year-old. 

The Packers received a conditional 2024 first round pick for Rodgers, but it only remains a first-round pick if he plays more than 65% of offensive snaps for the Jets. That pick will almost certainly be reverting to a second rounder at this point, but more importantly, it’s never good to see any player, let alone an all-time great, exit football due to injury. We always hope that the great players get something of a retirement tour with one more shot at a ring. Maybe Rodgers defies the odds and returns next year, but it's much more likely that the Rodgers era is truly over.