Acme Packing Company
Bear down! By 7, to be precise! The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears met for the first time this season in a highly anticipated matchup at Lambeau Field, with first place in the NFC North on the line. After the Packers’ 28-21 victory, they now sit at 9-3-1 and currently hold the #2 spot in the NFC playoff picture. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from a huge divisional matchup.
WELCOME BACK, BUDDY. The Packers did what they could this season without one of Jordan Love’s favorite targets, as he recovered from both a broken collarbone and a fracture in his foot. As soon as he stepped onto the field in his first game since week 2, the ball went right to him. On 23 offensive snaps, Reed caught all 4 targets today for 31 yards, and saw a little action in the run game as well for an additional 22 yards.
Today’s game was the first time all year that the Packers have had their top five receivers healthy (Watson, Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Golden), and I’m excited to see how the offense continues to transform as we head into the final stretch of the season. And sure, Bo Melton can tag along!
Plain and simple: Christian Watson is playing the best football of his career. Since his return in October, he’s caught 25 passes on 38 targets, the most of any Packers WR in that timespan. Today, he was a perfect 4/4 for a team-high 89 yards and 2 TDs. During the first score of the game, he was able to create about a yard of separation between himself and the guy covering him.
And on his second touchdown of the day, he used the speed we’ve become so familiar with, and waltzed into the end zone when the Packers really needed some points. Watson’s 1 year, $11 million contract extension continues to look like a steal as the weeks go by. I’m so glad he’s a Packer.
Death, taxes, and SPECIAL TEAAAAAAMSSSS. With the game turning into a sudden shootout, the Packers needed the Bears offense to start deep in their own territory every time they took the field. On a kickoff in the third quarter, Brandon McManus continued his unfortunate trend of kicking the ball out of bounds, thus awarding the Bears the ball at the 40 yard line. After one play, the Bears were already in Packers territory. This drive would end in a Bears field goal, making it a one score game. After a rough stretch of missed kicks, McManus has slowly become more reliable when it comes to field goals and XPs, but the kickoffs need to improve.
Once again, despite what felt like a dozen missed holding calls, Micah Parsons was still a disruptive force for the Packers defense. He was constantly getting in Caleb Williams’ face, forcing the young QB to get...
