Packers “own” the Bears: What went Right and what went Wrong?

Another road trip to Soldier field, another victory for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

It wasn’t pretty early, but the Green Bay Packers went into Soldier Field Sunday and won their fifth-straight game and another divisional game under Head Coach Matt LeFleur, improving their record to 12-1 in the NFC North since 2019.

The Packers have opened the season playing four of their first six games on the road, winning three of them – a tremendous feat for the early season thus far.

Let’s check out what went right and what went wrong in the Green Bay Packers win over the division rival Chicago Bears.

What went right?

The Packers’ running backs keep on producing on the ground and through the air. 

For the third straight week, the combination of running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon continues to be a problem, and it seems the Packers have figured out that a healthy dose of both of these players will be hard to stop week in and week out.

Sunday, the Packers running backs combined for 154 yards on the ground, and it was the fourth time in five games that running back Aaron Jones had more than 100 yards of total offense.

Jones led the way for the Green Bay Packers on the ground with 76 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards, and a  receiving touchdown. He averaged a solid 5.8 yards per carry with a couple of large gains.

AJ Dillon carried the ball 11 times and gained 59 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry, including arguably the most impressive run of the day with a quick change of direction and speed burst for a gain of 36 yards.

"According to Matt LeFleur via Packers.com, it’s vital getting the duo going early and often: “We have to get both those guys involved, there’s no doubt about it,”"

Plain and simple, when the Packers can establish the run, good things happen for their offense.

Aaron Rodgers still “owns” the Bears.

It wasn’t his most prolific performance, statistically speaking, but Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was excellent and, more importantly, extremely efficient on Sunday.

Rodgers finished the day with a passer rating of 128.0, going 17-23 for 195 yards with two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown leaving behind a legacy statement to all of Soldier Field.

Rodgers has entirely “owned” Chicago, going 22-5 against them throughout his career.

After the game, Rodgers acknowledged the love/hate relationship:

"“I love playing in Soldier Field, I said this week I have a lot of respect for the fans. I’m sure there’s a little bit of respect coming back my way, not a lot of love I’m sure. Had a lot of great moments on this field, a lot of great battles.”"

Packers pass rush came to play

It was all hands on deck Sunday, as the Green Bay Packers are still trying to find production in the pass-rushing department without their All-Pro pass rusher in Za’Darius Smith, who is still recovering from back surgery and on IR.

Per PFF ($), the Packers combined for a total of 21 quarterback pressures vs. the Bears, led by pro-bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark who totaled two sacks and six pressures.

Early in the game, Packers pass-rusher Preston Smith exited with an oblique injury, forcing second-year edge rusher Jonathan Garvin to step in and produce. Garvin finished the day with three pressures and one sack.

Overall, the unit did a tremendous job hounding Justin Fields and getting solid pressure from Dean Lowry (4), Rashan Gary (5), and Kingsley Keke (1).

Offensive Red-zone efficiency was much better.

The Packers came into Sunday’s game struggling in the red zone and ranked 27th in the NFL in touchdown production. It was something I mentioned on Friday to keep an eye on going into this matchup.

Sunday, the Green Bay Packers scored three touchdowns in the red zone, going 3-4 on the day and looking much more efficient with some creative play designs to put the ball in the endzone.

Winning games against your division rival is always a good thing, but not everything was perfect Sunday. Let’s take a look at what went wrong.

Red-zone defense hits a historically low point.

Let’s be honest; the Packers’ red-zone defense is laughable.

The Packers’ defense has allowed 15 touchdowns in 15 red-zone possessions by opposing offenses this year.

According to Elias Sports, The Packers are the first team in the last 40 years that has been unsuccessful in getting a red-zone stop in the first six games of a season.

Overall, the defense has improved over the first six weeks, but the red zone issues are something they need to fix. Hopefully, getting some key players back from injuries will help them down the road.

Injuries, injuries, and more injuries.

The Packers are dealing with a severe amount of critical injuries.

They are already out without All-Pros like Za’Darius Smith, Jaire Alexander, and David Bakhtiari. Add in Pro-Bowler utility offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins who has missed the last three weeks before this game.

Sunday, the list got a little longer. Rookie center Josh Myers, who missed last week due to a finger injury, went down on the first drive with a knee injury and never returned.

Edge rusher Preston Smith who only played eight snaps exited with an oblique injury.

Opening the second half, safety Darnell Savage, who had an interception early in the game, left with a concussion after a tackle on Bears running back Kahlil Herbert—he did not return.

The injuries just kept piling on. Packers fans and head coach Matt LeFleur had a big-time scare Sunday, seeing Kenny Clark shaken up on a play in the first half. Clark would return, but indeed gave the coach a little scare:

"“When he was down, I really thought I was going to throw up. But, he, you know, all those guys, it’s a credit to our defensive staff getting those guys ready to play but also all those players stepping in and being able to perform.”"

The Green Bay Packers will take their five-game winning streak back to Lambeau Field next Sunday and get ready to face off with the Washington Football Team.