Packers Stay Alive After Thrilling Comeback Win

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Photo by Evan Siegle - packers.com

Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields Dec. 4, 2022

Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields

Green Bay kept their faint playoff hopes alive on Sunday with a fourth quarter, come-from-behind victory over their longtime rivals, the Chicago Bears. As exciting as the game was, the reason the Packers needed a late rally was primarily due to sloppiness on their part, as they repeatedly struggled to move the ball against a Bears team composed primarily of backups. While Bears’ quarterback Justin Fields was working an efficient 20/25, 254-yard performance, Aaron Rodgers was struggling with his thumb, and his accuracy, completing just 18 of 31 attempts for just 182 yards.

Rodgers seemed off from the start, missing several open Packer receivers, including a bizarre throw to longtime teammate Randall Cobb which sailed several feet over his head, and out of bounds. Rodgers also fell back into some bad habits, taking deep shots on 3rd and 4th downs when just a yard or two would have kept the chains moving. That lack of situational awareness is one of the big reasons the team is just 6 of 21 on 4th down conversions this year, the second lowest conversion rate in the league. Only the Cincinnati Bengals have been worse, but they have only gone for it on 4th down 10 times.

Solid Attack

A solid rushing attack, led by AJ Dillon’s 93 yards on 18 carries kept the Packers close, and his electric 21-yard 4th quarter touchdown brought the team to within two points. Dillon’s production has picked up of late, just as Aaron Jones has tapered off a bit. Jones is clearly suffering from nagging injuries and was forced to leave this game more than once after a few awkward tackles. If not for Dillon’s ascension, the offense would be in real trouble.

But the star, once again, was rookie receiver Christian Watson, who tallied the Packers’ first touchdown of the game, just before the end of the first half on a 14-yard strike from Rodgers. Watson would also complete the comeback on an incredible 46-yard jet sweep touchdown, which was opened up by a brilliant block from receiver Sammy Watkins. Watson tied Desean Jackson for the fastest speed achieved by any offensive player this year according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, at 21.72 MPH. Watson also has the highest percentage of plays reaching 20 mph of any player in the league.

twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1599508862532726785?s=20&t=sOF6R4TtQh58EWB8xAQBvQ

Now that Watson is fully integrated into the offense, he is among the most dangerous players in the NFL, and a threat to score any time he touches the ball. The Packers love to draft on ceiling and will frequently pass a safer player for a potential superstar. It occasionally burns them, to be sure, but when it works, as it did with Rashan Gary, the team can end up with a generational talent. Watson was expected to take some time to develop coming out of North Dakota State, but no other receiver in the draft had anything remotely close to his level of athleticism. Packer fans should be excited.

Bears fans should also be excited, as quarterback Justin Fields continues to develop as a runner and a passer. While Fields did throw two late interceptions trying to bring the Bears back, for most of the game he was phenomenal. His 55-yard touchdown run in the first quarter set the tone for the game, as Fields and running back David Montgomery dominated on the ground early.

Bears Still Rebuilding

Fields didn’t run as much after that score, and it’s worth remembering that the Bears, while plucky and well-coached, are still rebuilding. Fields still needs work as a passer, and I believe, in the second half, the coaching staff may have ordered him to tone down the running attack and work on passing in structure. Fields missed last week’s game with a fairly serious injury to his non-throwing shoulder, and he was likely on some running limitations to protect him from further damage as well.

The Packers should be happy they won, but given the state of the Bears’ roster, it was hardly a convincing victory. Even without their best receiver Darnell Mooney, former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown still repeatedly torched corner Jaire Alexander, and the Bears ran effectively even without their best back, Khalil Herbert. Fields’ single biggest issue so far in his young career has been sacks, but on Sunday he wasn’t sacked a single time, and his downfield passing flourished as a result.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears were even more banged up, having recently just lost safety Eddie Jackson for the season, and having traded away most of their productive edge rushers. Despite being severely undermanned, they covered and tackled extremely well. Undrafted free agent linebacker Jack Sanborn of Wisconsin was particularly impressive, leading the Bears in tackles, and rarely giving up yards after contact. Sanborn was much more impressive than his Packer counterpart, first round pick Quay Walker, who continues to struggle against the run against mobile quarterbacks.

While the Packers won the game, the Bears may have won the war. They ran a creative, effective offense, an aggressive defense, and remained competitive in the face of a severe talent mismatch. When they begin to add talent to the mix, the Bears may be a force.