Green Bay Packers v. Bears: 5 Key Questions Prior to Week 17
By Paul Bretl
Is Mitch Trubisky actually playing well?
I have to say, I didn’t see myself asking this question about a month ago, but here we are. Trubisky has certainly played better over Chicago’s last four games due in large part to the play calling. Bill Lazor took over the play-calling from Head Coach Matt Nagy, and he has relied more on David Montgomery and simplified things for Trubisky.
Over the last month, Montgomery is averaging over 20 attempts per game after averaging 14.2 during his first 10 games of the season. Lazor is also getting Trubisky on the move more often, which creates easier reads as he only has to process half the field, and Chicago has utilized more play-action as well.
With that said, we’ve still seen some Trubisky-esque mistakes, including a red zone interception, and it’s not like the Bears have faced the league’s best defenses during this stretch. Detroit’s defense ranks 32nd in points per game allowed, while Houston ranks 26th, Minnesota 28th, and Jacksonville 31st.
Can the kick return unit contain Cordarrell Patterson?
The Green Bay Packers’ offense has dominated for much of the season, the defense has played much better as of late, however, the special teams unit continues to make mistakes. When it comes to the kick return unit specifically, the Packers have allowed the second most return yards this season. That is a bad recipe when you have to face a team with Cordarrell Patterson.
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Patterson has a 104-yard kick return this season, and his 964 total return yards are the most in football, while his 29.21 average ranks second. Losing David Bakhtiari obviously hurts, but this Packers should absolutely win this game. But a mistake or two on special teams could be all that it takes to turn this one in Chicago’s favor.