Green Bay Packers v. Bears: 3 Week 6 X-Factors
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Offensive Line
The name of the game in Green Bay has always been keeping Aaron Rodgers upright and giving him a clean pocket, and that is going to be a very difficult task this week against the Chicago Bears’ defense.
Chicago enters the game first in total sacks and second in quarterback pressure rate. Opposing offenses are also averaging just 3.9 yards per carry–the eighth fewest in football this season, along with only 20.0 points per game.
Winning in the trenches will go a long way in determining the winner of this game. For starters, we’ve seen on numerous occasions how important it is that this Packers’ offense find success on the ground. When they get pass-happy or one-dimensional, they lose their rhythm as well as their ability to move the football.
On top of that, Rodgers has been particularly poor this season when under pressure. According to PFF ($$), Rodgers’ completion rate of 36.8 percent when pressured ranks 30th out of 34 quarterbacks, while his passer rating of 31.0 ranks 34th and his 4.8 yards per attempt ranks 29th. Basically, pick a key category, and there is a good chance that Rodgers ranks near the bottom.
At this time, we don’t know what the offensive line configuration will look like for the Green Bay Packers, but some good news is that both Elgton Jenkins and Josh Myers have been back at practice this week. If there is a game where Green Bay could use those two back in the mix, it’s this one.