For some reason, every time the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears meet at Soldier Field, it ends up being an absolutely ugly game that makes fans from each side very frustrated.
The 183rd meeting between division rivals was no different as the Packers (3-0) drudged out a 27-17 victory over the Bears (1-2) in a game which contained 17 total penalties and four turnovers.
Despite the ugly nature of the game, it didn’t stop tight-end Jermichael Finley from having a beast of a game with seven catches, 85 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
Yes, the Packers are one of three current 3-0 teams (Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills, who would have thought?), but the team raised a few concerns in their game with the Bears. If you take a step back and analyze the game, it really should have been won by the Packers in easier fashion.
Right out of the gate, Head Coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers went right after the Bears secondary and exposed some rather obvious mismatches. It resulted in a handful of catches for Greg Jennings and Finley’s first touchdown of the day on the first drive. But, throughout the rest of the game McCarthy decided to resort to a more conservative game-plan consisting of 28 carries split between Ryan Grant and James Starks (don’t get me started on that mess).
When you have a weapon like Aaron Rodgers and the plethora of solid receivers, I think Packers fans would like to see more pass plays in a close game.
The Bears play-calling was even worse as arguably their best player in Matt Forte was barely utilized at all in the running game (nine carries for two yards). Forte did have seven catches for 80 yards, but there has to be a running game to help the passing game.
Penalties were a mess for the Bears and Packers as there were numerous false starts and off-sides calls on the lines of both teams.
On the injury front, RT Bryan Buluga went down with a right knee injury and could be a big loss in Rodgers’ pass protection. Grant took a hit in the face, but later returned and ended up having a solid game with 17 carries and 92 yards.
So yeah, maybe the Packers didn’t win as easily as they could have, but it’s the NFL and a win is a win. The Denver Broncos (1-2) will visit Lambeau Field to take on the Packers next week for another 3:15 PM CT start.
What did you think of the Packers win in Chicago? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.