Packers Ground Game Tramples Bears

Aaron Rodgers and a dominant Green Bay running attack turned Sunday night's game lopsided in the second quarter in a 27-10 Packers win over the Bears.

USA Today

While it may have been true Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears, they were not exclusive ownership rights on Sunday Night at Lambeau Field.

Running back Aaron Jones pummeled the Bears for 132 yards rushing and Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in a 27-10 victory to extend Green Bay's winning streak to seven games over Chicago.

"Just coming out with a disappointing loss like this, it hurts, but we've just got to respond," Bears quarterback Justin Fields said.

Rodgers went 19 of 25 for 234 yards and found Allen Lazard for a 5-yard TD pass in the second quarter just before halftime to push Green Bay's lead to 24-7. His other TD pass was actually more of a run, a jet sweep type play to Jones for 8 yards that went down in stat books as a pass as the Packers took a 17-7 lead.

The go-ahead touchdown was Jones' 15-yard run around the right side in the second quarter after Fields had given the Bears a 7-3 lead in the first quarter on a 3-yard diving bootleg run. 

The Packers scored 21 second-quarter points to take over the game largely because of their running game.

"The rest of the three quarters were decent but you can't play like that in the NFL," coach Matt Eberflus said. "Every play matters."

The Bears tried to rely on their gritty approach again, as they had against the 49ers, and hung tough behind their own running game. They mounted another second-half rally but this time couldn't finish it.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy kept calling David Montgomery's number and he ran for 122 yards on 15 carries. As a team, they ran for 180 yards.

"Yeah, I mean, Luke said before the game that we were going to run it down their throats," Fields said. "You know, D-Mo, I don't know what he ate today but he was running the ball like crazy.

"So the O-line did a great job blocking and he did a great job running."

 They benefited from a Mike Pennel recovery on a botched Rodgers handoff, leading to Cairo Santos' 44-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 24-10. They also had the ball on the ground in the second half again on a bad Packers snap but couldn't come up with the ball.

The Bears tried to get with one score by marching 94 yards in the fourth quarter but Fields was stopped inside the 1-yard line on third and fourth down, including a strange fourth-and-inches running play out of the shotgun between guard and tackle that seemed like the type of ill-advised call the Bears of Matt Nagy's era would have run.

"If we score there it's a different ballgame," Eberflus said. "It's a one-score game at that point and we've still got a chance to win." 

It appeared Fields on replay may have scored but the replay view was ruled inconclusive.

"I seen a touchdown—I was right next to the ball," Montgomery said. "But I wouldn't expect anything less.

"We're not in Soldier Field, home-field advantage. So next time we just have got to be sure we put it in, no question marks."

Considering Montgomery's big game, it seemed strange they didn't give him a chance to get into the end zone but this seemed less important to him than the call on the field not being overturned.

"I just wanted to score, I didn't care how we got it in," Montgomery said. "I just wanted to score and I feel like we scored."

Behind Jones and AJ Dillon, the Packers rolled up 203 rushing yards and in the second half needed only 70 second-half passing yards from Rodgers. Of those, 55 came on one play-action pass from deep in their own end after they stuffed Fields inside the 1-yard line on fourth down.

"Fundamentally we have to do a great job of getting in synch on defense, of stopping the run," Eberflus said. "That's going to be a big part of our emphasis this week. 

"And then staying ahead of the chains on offense. Obviously we had that first drive that was excellent, scoring that touchdown and then we had three drives right there where we got behind the sticks a little bit."

At raucous Lambeau, the Bears did not resemble the composed, smart team they had been at Soldier Field in Week 1. They committed seven penalties, four more than the Packers.

They converted just 1-of-7 on third down and failed on their only fourth-down play.

"Penalties, I think that stopped our momentum a little bit," Fields said. "So I think the main thing with that is can't shoot ourselves in the foot."

Again Bears tight end Cole Kmet was shut out in the game, and Darnell Mooney's only reception was a 4-yard loss.

Equanimeous St. Brown's two catches for 39 yards were the only receptions by a wide receiver besides Mooney's catch of minus-4.

The Bears play Sunday at Soldier Field against former Bears coach Lovie Smith and his Houston Texans (0-1-1), who lost to Denver 16-9 on Sunday.

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