JP's Postgame Presser - Bears vs. Packers

Posted 2:36 PM September 29, 2014 by Jarrett Payton

Last week I said, “If Jay Cutler takes care of the football, the sky is the limit for this Bears Offense”. The flip side to that quotes holds true to the fabric of the NFL. Turn the Rock over and 9 times out of 10 you will lose. That was the case for a QB yesterday in Soldier Field; I just didn’t think the QB would be Cutler. On both INT’s Cutler made questionable decisions with the football. It was not a surprise, you know why? Because Cut(ler) is a gunslinger and no matter what he has learned from Marc Trestman the last year and a half, he will always trust his arm more than what the defense is giving him.

The first INT by Clay Mathews, Tramon Williams jumped the route on a slant by Josh Morgan. Cutler was staring Morgan down like my son locks eyes on me when I bring a bag of Hostess powered donuts into the house. The second pick looked like a miss communication between Cutler and Marshall. In his post game presser coach Trestman said that Marshall was supposed to stop on the route. Even so Cutler had Ka’Deem Carey on a 5 yard check down. Take what the defense gives you.

The Bears offense had 77 plays and put up 496 yards. They also were 7 for 11 on 3rd downs, a stat that is improving each week. For all the talk the last few weeks about the run game not showing up, it made an appearance yesterday. Matt Forte and the Bears O-Line put up 122 yards on 23 carries. I believe the offense is so much better when it has a more balanced attack. Coach Trestman called a solid football game on offense, but he lost a timeout by throwing the red challenge flag and then it was questionable clock management before the half.

Defensively the Bears squad really missed Jared Allen and Jay Ratliff yesterday. The Pass Rush was non-existent. Mel Tuckers decided to drop 7 back in coverage instead of dialing up a bunch of blitzes for Aaron Rodgers. I guess he felt like you have to pick your poison with the Green Bay QB. When you can’t get a pass rush/blitz on Rodgers he is able to pick apart a defense and find the weakest link. Rodgers was 22?28 for 302 yards and 4 TD’s. His best play of the game didn’t count because of a holding penalty. Rodgers eluded pressure and while in the process of being tackled he threw a dime to the receiver in the end zone.

The Bears defense gave up 358 yards of total offense. They did hold Eddie Lacy and the Packers run game to only 56 yards. What the Packers WR do so well was a concern of mine coming into this game. The Bears defense showed they were very susceptible to routes that were run in the middle of the field. The Packers took advantage especially with the Randall Cobb vs. Isaiah Frey match up. Moving forward the Bears D needs to get healthy on that D-Line because if not the hope of making a playoff run will really be non-existent.

X-Factors

Matt Forte

Number 22 got things started for the Bears offense Sunday. He is such a dynamic player and the Marc Trestman used him that way early in the game. Forte ran for 122 yards on 22 carries. Honestly I thought he could have been used even more. If you want to win put Forte in and let him spin!

Martellus Bennett

Bennett had 9 snags for a career-high 134 yards. His ability to keep improving his game week in and week out is impressive. He is such match up problem for defenses. The rapport he is building with Cutler is exciting to watch. The scary thing for defensive coordinators is he is going keep getting better. Good luck trying to game plan for Bennett.

Injury Report

Safety Ahmad Dixon (Hamstring)

Last Question

What are some things you will take from this loss to the Packers?

There are a few things I will take away from this one. First, this is a new look Bears team, but they still have to figure out how to consistently beat the big bad bully in the NFC North. The Packers have won 10 of the last 12 vs. the Bears. The road to a divisional championship runs through Green Bay. Next, the Bears have to find a pass rush with QB’s like Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady in the next couple of weeks. Big time franchise QB’s will slice and dice you if you can’t apply pressure. I also realized how valuable Martellus Bennett is to the Bears offense. I believe he is just scratching the surface of how good he can be. Last but not least the offense will reach new heights once it has a balanced run/passing attack. That is when it will truly flowing like #ThaAirAndWaterShow. I think mixing up the run game with Forte and Carey could be beneficial for the success of this offense later in the season. Is it time to panic? I’m not there yet. This team is 2-2 with a lot more football to play. I will use this loss versus the Packers as a measuring stick to the NFC North Championship…looks like the Bears have some work to do.