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The best and worst from the Packers’ first loss to the Bears in over half a decade.
Remember the global pandemic which hit around January of 2020? 5 years ago? Go back one more year, and then one more month, and you’ll be back at the time the Chicago Bears last beat the Green Bay Packers. For the first time in over 6 years, the Packers have fallen to the Bears after a very dumb game of football. This 24-22 loss brings the Packers’ record to 11-6 on the season, and 1-5 in the NFC North. Let’s talk about the winners and losers of the final game of the regular season!
In a stinker of a game, we’re going to get weird with the winners. First up: Daniel Whelan, for saving a botched snap which flew over his head, and still managing to punt the football to the Bears’ 30 yard line. That first Bears drive would end with a three-and-out.
The Packers offense was off to a slow start today, and after giving up a touchdown on special teams, they were only able to scrape together a drive which ended in a field goal. Their next offensive drive absolutely had to result in points. Instead, Jayden Reed fumbled on the first play, and the Bears recovered. 45 seconds later, they scored.
Had this drive resulted in literally anything other than a fumble, the outcome of the game may have been in the Packers’ favor. For all the hell we’ve (rightfully) given Dontayvion Wicks for his drops this year, Jayden Reed has been almost as bad, with three fumbles added to his 16% drop rate. Jayden Reed has to hold onto the football, plain and simple.
Josh Jacobs was on the field long enough to see 6 carries today, one of which was for a TD. This is his 8th-straight game with a rushing TD, which is a Packers record. Also of note for Jacobs today: he eclipsed 1,300 rushing yards, something we have not seen by a Packers RB since Ahman Green rushed for 1,883 yards (!) in 2003.
The team finally decided to pull Jacobs after realizing it’s probably not the smartest idea to risk losing your starting RB after losing a WR and your starting QB for the game. Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks stepped in, combining for 132 yards (Wilson 73, Brooks 59) and a score. Wilson looked especially shifty today, something we saw flashes of in his limited time last season. Jacobs will no doubt be the star of the offense in the playoffs, but it’ll be interesting to see how creative Matt LaFleur gets as the Packers prepare to face off against one of the league’s best defenses in Philadelphia.
I’ve simply had enough of the Packers’ special teams unit giving me heart palpitations. The Bears returned a punt for a TD today with absolute...
