Rodgers Picks Apart Deficient Bears

If there was any doubt that the Green Bay Packers were the class leader of the NFC North, it was completely erased on Sunday, when the Chicago Bears were thoroughly dominated.

Green Bay came to Chicago to deliver a 27-17 loss, a showcase on how dangerous the defending Super Bowl Champions can be and how far the Bears have to go to close the gap.

Not much went right for the Bears, who have now lost three straight times to their NFC North rivals. They had no running game, dropped multiple passes and never got consistent pressure on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had 28 completions in 38 throws and three touchdowns. It looked a lot like the recipe used in Chicago’s Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Offensively, the Bears look like a mess, the kind Chicagoans were used to seeing when the likes of Chad Hutchinson and Craig Krenzel were taking turns at quarterback. All the talk about offensive balance went completely out the window as Chicago gave the ball to running back Matt Forte nine times for an anemic 2 yards for the entire game. Compare that to quarterback Jay Cutler’s 37 pass attempts in 43 drop-backs--with 21 completions and numerous dropped balls--and it’s easy to see why Green Bay’s defensive line held little back in going after Cutler, who was sacked three times.

The offensive line is much-maligned, but the coaching staff can make its job easier by being more balanced.

The wide receiving corps, which was missing Earl Bennett, didn’t have its best performance either. Roy Williams was targeted four times, but did not make a catch during the game. He dropped a potential touchdown catch in the second quarter and was the intended pass-catcher on Cutler’s two interceptions. Johnny Knox had a team-high 84 yards, but also had a big drop on a pass down the middle in the second half.

On the other side of the ball, Rodgers had his way with Chicago’s Cover-2 scheme. He didn’t force anything down the field as his longest completion was 25 yards to wide receiver Greg Jennings. With all the receiving options that the Packers have, Green Bay still managed to rush for 100 yards. Running back Ryan Grant, who had 92 of those rushing yards, revived his season with a number of 8- and 9-yard carries.

This was the third consecutive week that Chicago allowed 100 yards rushing, a bad trend for a team that relies so much on the play of its linebackers.

Somehow the Bears still had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter. If not for a phantom holding call on defensive back Corey Graham that nullified Knox's punt return for a touchdown, things would have been at least a little more interesting in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

It was that kind of a game for the Bears, where their brilliantly planned and perfectly executed play call was called back because of a penalty.

Sunday’s game confirmed much of what people already thought. With the Detroit Lions and Packers both at 3-0 in the NFC North, a lot of things will need to change if the Bears, who are 1-2, want to be a top-tier team in the division, let alone the conference.