Da Bears are coming… Da Bears are coming.
It is the annual umpteenth meeting between these two now bitter rivals, and the Bears are certainly well aware that the Packers march to the Super Bowl came through Chicago not once, but twice within 3 weeks last season. A season ending squeaker at the Bears expense landed the Pack in the playoffs, a feat the Bears would come to rue as Green Bay chased Jay Cutler and every other QB the Bears rolled out right off the field in the NFC Championship Game last year while Jay Cutler stood helplessly and forlornly on the sidelines.
The Packers are off to a 2-0 start while Chicago sports a record of 1 -1. Green Bay looked impressive offensively against the Saints, but the Bears did not as New Orleans chased, harassed and sacked Cutler enough times to elicit a Cutler tantrum on the Bears sideline. The Packers looked less than impressive in a win over the Panthers while the Bears spanked Atlanta in their opener. Go figure.
Call it rock, paper, scissors.
As this rivalry takes off in week #3 the clichés will roll like a veritable flood. Call this one a case of what happens when a resistible force (the Packers defense) meets a moveable object (the Bears pass blocking). Neither has looked worldly or impressive at this early stage, and the question of who will make the plays holds the answers to this game. In direct comparisons, however, Chicago’s offensive line is looking positively putrid already.
The Packers offense against the Bears defense on the other hand is an entirely different matter. While everyone has been quick to jump on the Lions bandwagon and declare the Bears as bums at second glance maybe Chicago is worthy of a closer look. Maybe. This is a defense that is tougher than a $2 steak.
The Bears were, are, and always will be a defense led team. One could almost picture MLB Brian Urlacher passing Cutler and the offense as they take the field and snarling “Try and hold ‘em this time, will ya?”. The passing of the proud Urlachers’ mother has made for a difficult time for Urlacher. He is the Bears unquestioned leader and successor at MLB from Butkus to Singletary and now to Urlacher and his teammates have rallied round him. What the Bears lack in pass coverage in their secondary they make up for in the raw ferocity of their front 7. Julius Peppers and Lance Briggs swarm, attack, and delight in wreaking havoc on an opponent. Against Atlanta they repeatedly shut down Matt Ryan and the Falcons passing game by harassing Ryan and staying on top of the Falcons WR’s.
But the Saints may have exposed the Bears Achilles Heel – their weak as tissue paper offensive line. New Orleans was able to get to Cutler and sack him 6 times, hit him, rough him up, and force hurried throws. While Matt Forte is still a considerable threat as a runner the key to stifling the Bears is to hurry Cutler into a mistake. WR Roy Williams (FA/ Dallas) is one of Cutler’s big targets but getting time to throw comfortably has been and will continue to be a problem for Cutler, who is averaging a paltry 5.1 yards/ completion. And with the loss of rookie 1st round T Gabe Carimi to a knee injury the Bears line suddenly went from bad to awful. After being sacked 11 times in the first 2 games Cutler is currently on a pace to be downed a mind numbing 88 times, a trend that the Bears are not likely to buck when Clay and the boys come calling.
It will be up to Dom Capers and the rest of the Packer defense to ramp up the intensity and urgency of the pass rush. Green Bay had the luxury of a stellar defensive backfield to offset the early lack of a pass rush. The loss of DE Cullen Jenkins may be bigger than first thought, and now the inevitable and dreaded injuries are beginning to pile up. First DE Mike Neal bangs up his knee in camp and is now out for an unspecified period of time after he required surgery to repair it. The Pack had a stellar defensive backfield as CB Tramon Williams missed the Carolina game with an unknown injury to his shoulder, and now S Nick Collins is lost for the year after he sustained a frightening neck injury after colliding with Jonathan Stewart of the Panthers. Having been down this road last year there is an ambivalent sense of “Hey, we know how to do this” they may be comforting but is also unnerving at the same time. Just how many times TT and MM can go to the well and keep pulling up buckets of gold is the $64,000 question.
There is little doubt that the Bears have a need to atone for their embarrassment last year to the Packers. By all rights they should come in sky high and pissed. Witness the Ravens utter dismantling of the Steelers in their opener for a reference, and then the Ravens laid an egg at the feet of the Titans last week. This game easily qualifies as a true test for the Packers as getting past the Bears and then the vastly improved Lions in their own division is not a lock anymore.
The Packers got away with a less-than-their-best effort last week against the Panthers.
Da Bears are another story. This game will demand far more of Green Bay, a team that has displayed a remarkable penchant for playing up to – and in the case of teams like the Panthers down to – the level of their opponents. During last year’s playoff run NFL Network’s Sound FX captured Greg Jennings on the sidelines of another nail biter saying “…Man, I LOVE our defense but why do we (the offense) keep doing this to them?” Good question, Greg.
The Packers have the clear advantage in offense vs. offense while the Bears may be much closer in the D vs. D comparisons. Green Bay has given up almost 900 yards passing in two games. Yes, they are a ball hawking unit and have the turnovers to show for it. Morgan Burnett has 21 tackles already. But this is a unit that must at some point set the tone by hurrying their opponents QB into sacks and more mistakes. Drew Brees made precious few mistakes while Cam Newton made rookie mistakes the Pack exploited, Charles Woodson in particular. This is a game where the Packers can right themselves and set the bar for the season. Even at this point this will be a statement game for both teams.
Chicago needs to prove, a la the Baltimore Ravens, that they can beat the hell out of their hated enemy. Green Bay needs to prove they can get to a QB. Against the Bears Dom Capers will be able to test the Bears O line and resolve and will do that often. Clay Matthews has seen more double a triple coverage blocking and somewhere another Packer will have to take advantage of the opportunities these mismatches create. And while Collins’ loss will be felt veteran S Charlie Peprah might be the best insurance policy in the league. Peprah’s agent needs to strike a deal with Nationwide or State Farm Insurance on his behalf. He proved last year that even when a starting safety goes out he can come in immediately and provide excellent coverage.
TT and MM are loathe to offer up any details on the injuries to Collins and Williams. Neither has been officially placed on the IR list offering up some wee semblance of hope for their return. But the reality is TT has probably already started shopping, looking at Anthony Levine who was a late cut as was CB/S/ Problem Child Brandon Underwood, and even the name of former Packer Darren Sharper has surfaced as a potential invitee for a look see. Keeping rookie S UDFA M.D. Jennings looks almost prescient now, but how much time will he actually see? Will Jarrett Bush become a coverage liability? The Packers season has already become a story line straight out of a Saturday morning serial cliff hanger. Can the Pack sack Cutler and force him into another pouting sulk fest?
The answer is the same as it will be all season. The Pack is so loaded with talent on offense that they are almost robotic in how and when they turn it on and deploy it. It gives the Carolina’s of the league hope but instills fear and its cousin respect into better teams – like the Bears.
IF the Pack just mails it in and takes their own sweet time in getting down to business the Bears are primed to take advantage of it. This has all the makings of an early upset, one the Packers can avoid. They must pound the ball and James Starks is showing signs he is ready to burst out. RB Matt Forte of the Bears has already shown that and keeping him in check while getting to Cutler is the basic formula to defeating Chicago. The Bears have masked their Olines ineffectiveness by having Cutler dump the ball off to Forte out of the backfield. This is a matchup that the Pack cannot afford to have A.J. Hawk caught in a 1 on 1 situation as Hawk is just not swift enough to keep pace. Containing Forte’s forays as an outlet option is priority 1 in establishing a rush. Cutler’s downfield passing has been stilted by his lack of time to find an open receiver.
The old adage of “Ya can’t lose if you keep the ball and score” applies here. The Packers have favorable matchups in their WR’s vs. the Bears corners, especially Jermichael Finley who is becoming a serious weapon. The Bears front 7 will be a great test for Green Bay’s line. The Packers can win a time of possession battle and doing so will not only tire the Bears D but keep Cutler off the field.
The biggest tell will be in Green Bay’s front 7 vs. the Bears very shaky line. If the Pack cannot generate or sustain a rush it could be a long day. The Packers are now a veteran team, albeit a young veteran team. They know both how and what they have to do. This a statement game, and the defense will speak by getting to Cutler. Again.
And again and again.
We’re calling it
GREEN BAY 31
Chicago 17
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