6 Big Questions Facing Green Bay Packers v. Bears
By Paul Bretl
![Oct 17, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass with Chicago Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn (94) in pursuit during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports Oct 17, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass with Chicago Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn (94) in pursuit during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/503a4088ac9b86b311447093b780120514f495db21c4f64cbfe054ce193e5bb8.jpg)
Can the Green Bay Packers find continued deep-ball success?
Through the first 10 games of the season, one area where the Packers’ offense was not finding the same success that they were in 2020 was with their downfield passing attempts.
In several key downfield categories (or passes that travel at least 20 yards), such as completion rate and quarterback rating, Aaron Rodgers ranked near the bottom. He also ranked 13th in deep passing yards despite being eighth in attempts, and as a team, Green Bay ranked 13th in explosive pass rate, according to Sharp Football.
As always, there are many contributors to these issues, including up and down offensive line play, a lack of practice time for Rodgers, not having Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a good portion of the season, and defense’s playing more cover-2.
But against Minnesota and Los Angeles, we saw Rodgers and this offense begin to find their groove. During that span, Rodgers is 6 of 12 on deep passes, ranking first in attempts and completions, second in yards, fourth in YPA, and second in passer rating. The Packers would also go from 13th to 8th in Sharp Football’s explosive pass play metric.
Their continued success — or struggles — in this category is going to be one of the more important items to watch over the final five games of the season because these shot plays such a key role in this offense. The Bears rank 21st in yards per attempt allowed with 7.0 and 20th in explosive pass play rate given up.