It's Academic: Packers Eliminate Bears From Playoff Contention
By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 26, 2011 5:20PM
Most of the talk surrounding the Bears since quarterback Jay Cutler was lost with a thumb injury has centered on the anemic production of the offense. Last night at Lambeau Field the Green Bay Packers exposed the Bears' defense for the aging outfit it is. Last night's 35-21 Green Bay win was the Bears' fifth straight loss since Cutler's injury and, more important, eliminated the Bears from playoff consideration.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued his historic season as he led the Green Bay offense to scoring drives of 80, 65, 80, 75 and 33 yards; each capped by a touchdown drive. Green Bay started the game in a no-huddle offense and marched down the field for a score, with Rodgers completing all eight of his passes on the drive. Rodgers left the game with less than nine minutes left in the game having completed 21 of 29 passes for 283 yards and a 142.7 passer rating. (Brett Who?) Jordy Nelson and James Jones each caught two of Rodgers's TD passes as the Packers also displayed their vaunted depth.
The Bears, playing with Josh McCown under center, couldn't keep up with Rodgers. McCown finished the game completing 19 of 28 passes for 242 yards, a fourth quarter touchdown pass to Kellen Davis, and two interceptions. But the Bears offense managed to expose the weaknesses in the Green Bay defense for other playoff-bound teams. Running back Kahlil Bell rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries and his running kept the Bears in the game for much of the first half, simply by keeping the Packers defense on their heels. The Packers seemed set to enter halftime with a 7-3 lead before Rodgers connected with Jones for a score with 16 seconds left in the half. NBC posted a curious stat toward the end of the game that showed the Packers gave up more yards from scrimmage than they gained this season. The past few weeks have shown chinks in their armor that can be exposed by a good game plan in the playoffs. Too bad Lovie Smith didn't have a good game plan last night.
The Bears defense opened the third quarter with a score as left guard Edwin Williams recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Technically, it goes down as a Bears offensive score. But Rodgers was on autopilot and made this game an academic conclusion.
The Bears 21 points on offense was a surprise. Also a surprise was the way the defense laid down and surrendered. They looked a step slow against the Packers offense all game and, by the time Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy pulled Rodgers, the defense had already conceded. The only thing the Bears can play for at this point is a .500 record when they head to Minnesota to close out the 2011 campaign against the Vikings. But even with running back Adrian Peterson out for the game (and possibly the 2012 season) with a torn ACL, we wonder if the Bears can win.