The Green Bay Packers were able to bounce back from an ugly Week 1 loss to defeat the Chicago Bears by the score of 27-10 on Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers got red hot in the second quarter en route to leading the Packers to 21 unanswered points.
Second-year quarterback Justin Fields just didn’t have an answer as he struggled to do anything through the air. It was an unfortunate setback for a Bears squad that was riding high after a Week 1 victory. Here, we look at five winners and losers from the Green Bay Packers lopsided Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears.
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Winner: Aaron Jones returns to form for the Green Bay Packers
A former Pro Bowl performer, Jones struggled to get touches in Green Bay’s ugly Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He ran the ball just five times while gaining 49 yards on the ground. Getting Jones more reps against Chicago had to be more of a focal point for head coach Matt LaFleur and Co. on Sunday.
That’s exactly what we saw, creating more balance for Aaron Rodgers and Co. on offense. Jones gained 132 yards on 15 attempts with a touchdown. He also added 38 yards and a score through the air.
From a statistical perspective, this reperesented Jones’ best rushing performance since Week 15 of the 2020 campaign. Given Green Bay’s issues at wide receiver, getting Jones involved on the ground will be a necessity moving forward. For at least one game, that’s what we saw out of the Packers. It could bode well moving forward.
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Loser: Green Bay Packers pick on Chicago Bears rookie Kyler Gordon
A rookie second-round pick out of Washington, Gordon might very well end up being a darn good player at the NFL level. It’s just not right now with Green Bay recognizing that the cornerback is a weakness. In his regular-season debut last week, Gordon allowed 5-of-7 passes to be completed in his direction for a QB rating of 103.3.
This was magnified even more against a pro in Rodgers. In the first half alone, Green Bay’s quarterback completed 7-of-10 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown when targeting Gordon. The rookie’s no-good day concluded in the fourth quarter when he allowed a 55-yard catch to Sammy Watkins, pretty much putting this one away. Talk about some growing pains.
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Winner: David Montgomery does his thing for the Chicago Bears
If it weren’t for Montgomery’s performance Sunday night, we’re not too sure where the Bears would’ve been. Seen as a somewhat inconsistent performer, the former Iowa State star was coming off a disastrous outing in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers (17 attempts, 26 yards). He needed to play at a much higher level Sunday evening.
Even in defeat, that’s exactly what we saw from Montgomery. The back accumulated 122 yards on 15 attempts, picking up multiple first downs in the process. Chicago might have relied too much on its rushing attack in this one, but Montgomery was more than up to the task.
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Loser: Justin Fields just another player for the Chicago Bears
Fields struggled through pretty much three quarters in Chicago’s Week 1 win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, it’s not hard to blame the conditions inside Soldier Field for that performance. The same thing can’t be said about Chicago’s Week 2 outing against the Packers in Green Bay. The weather was a balmy 70 degrees with very little wind.
The question here is whether new Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy had any real confidence in Fields doing his thing inside Lambeau Field Sunday night. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Fields had attempted all of nine passes, completing seven of them for 70 yards. He was also sacked three times while adding a mere 20 yrds on eight attempts. Fields finished the evening with seven completions for 48 net passing yards. It’s impossible for a team to win when its quarterback is so darn limited. That came out in droves during Sunday’s 17-point loss to Chicago.
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Winner: Aaron Rodgers returns to form
Rodgers ended Sunday’s win over Chicago by completing each of his final 13 passes. It was a return to form by the two-time reigning NFL MVP after he drew criticism following an ugly Week 1 performance against Minnesota. Primarily, Rodgers decided to rely more on his veteran pass-catchers than the rookies who had let him down in the opener.
- Aaron Rodgers stats (Week 2): 19-of-25 passing, 234 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rodgers completed 9-of-10 passes for 168 yards when targeting the likes of Sammy Watkins, Aaron Jones and Randall Cobb. The two rookies in that of Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson combined for five catches and 36 yards. Sensing a theme here?