The good and bad from Packers’ dominant win over Bears

With a disappointing start to the season and all the hype surrounding the NFL’s most famous rivalry, the Green Bay Packers made a statement in Sunday’s 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears. After days of taunting from the Bears organization and fans online, Green Bay proved it can still be competitive and gave fans much to look forward to before next week’s Sunday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Quarterback Jordan Love’s abilities have been dampened so far due to an injury-riddled front five. But this week, the Packers’ offensive line did its job and gave Love enough time in the pocket to make big plays happen over and over again against Chicago.

The newly acquired pieces – notably Laken Tomlinson at left guard – arrived at the perfect time. Following a Thursday night disastrous loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 24, the front office recognized the team’s weaknesses and supplemented the line, which has proved to be a much-needed boost in the last two games.

The line continued its performance yesterday, giving Love more time in the pocket on each passing attempt. Love finished the game with a 25-31 (80.6%) completion rate, 367 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns went to receiver Christian Watson for 42 and 53 yards. Watson led the team with 143 receiving yards followed by 123 for Matthew Golden.

Love played his best game of the season and the best game of the week behind Drake Maye with the Patriots (374 passing yards and four touchdowns). When Green Bay’s offensive line can stay together and protect the pocket, Love can follow in the footsteps of the quarterbacks before him and take charge of the Packers.

While Love carried the team to victory in the air, the Packers’ ground attack made a minimal impact. The absence of Chris Brooks certainly didn’t help, but the remaining running backs combined for a total of 70 yards. Marshawn Lloyd had 10 carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns, both from seven or less yards away.

The Packers are more than competent passing, but they can’t solely rely on Love every snap. Josh Jacob’s uncertain future means that Green Bay must lean on the rest of the group.

As the offensive line continues to improve with each game, the Packers’ running backs must improve at the same rate, or the front office will need to go shopping for an upgrade.

Going into Sunday’s matchup, news about the season-ending loss of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper severely dampened fans’ hopes for the game and brought doubts for the rest of the season. Defensive tackles Javon Hargrove and Anthony Campbell joined the injury report, but despite that, Green Bay stayed aggressive and held the Bears to seven points while catching three interceptions and forcing two fumbles.

Certainly, Caleb Williams not playing had something to do with the Packers’ dominance. Regardless, the defensive line still forced its way through the Bear’s offensive line to sack Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum twice each. Devonte Wyatt and Dani Dennis-Sutton finished the day with two TFLs and three solo tackles.

In the secondary, safety Xavier McKinney had two interceptions, his first game with multiple picks since Jan. 7, 2024, when he played for the New York Giants. Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper had an interception as well.

The defense did its job on all fronts, forcing four punts and five turnovers, but things have to stay stable going forward. Additional injuries would put an already limping defense on a stretcher, which Green Bay can’t afford this early.

Surprisingly, the Packers’ kicking unit struggled against the Bears. Rookie kicker Trey Smack missed two out of three field goals and an extra-point attempt out of three on Sunday, his worst career game.

This seems to be an outlier rather than an indicator for future games. Smack is 7-of-10 on field goal attempts and 9-of-11 on PATs. He is 2-for-2 on attempts from 50+ yards and has proven to be consistent.

This game is simply a poor outing for the rookie, and Smack will almost certainly learn from his mistakes and get back in the zone before the matchup against the Cowboys on Oct. 18.

Kethan Babu is a sports journalist and Miami University graduate, where he served as sports editor of The Miami Student and published 250 bylines. He is a native of Detroit and a fan of the Tigers and Pistons but remains loyal to the Green Bay Packers over the Lions. He currently writes for the Cleveland Daily Banner covering high school and collegiate athletics

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!