Apologies for the late update, all. I'm switching service providers at my house and have been strictly iPhone since last Thursday. It's hard to type on this tiny little screen, so brevity will be my friend here.
QB Aaron Rodgers was 28 of 38 for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns (all to TE Jermichael Finley). Rodgers threw his first pick of the season to LB Brian Urlacher, a poor throw that the linebacker sniffed out all the way.
Much has been made of second year RB James Starks, but it was RB Ryan Grant who found the most productivity versus the Bears, bulldozing his way to 92 yards on 17 carries. Grant looked decisive, making all the right cuts and generally punishing tacklers. Starks, by contrast, looked timid and indecisive, gaining a paltry 5 yards on 11 tries with one lost fumble. The Bears defense moved so well laterally, it must have looked to Starks like he was going up against a row of foosball players, moving left to right in a synchronized fashion. Despite his shiftiness, he couldn't find the hole. And even if he did find the hole, Urlacher was licking his chops at the next level. Grant didn't have the same problem, as he hit the holes hard and fast, making the Chicago defensive line look slow.
On the other side of the ball, It was clear that the Bears were willing to challenge S Charlie Peprah. Peprah looked rusty, and was beat a few times for decent gains, including on a 4th quarter TD pass from QB Jay Cutler to WR Kellen Davis, which brought the Bears to within 10 points. Luckily for Peprah, the rest of the secondary had enough big plays to counter. Both CB Tramon Williams and S Morgan Burnett picked off errant throws from Cutler. Peprah was subbing for S Nick Collins, who was lost for the year with a neck injury suffered in last week's victory in Carolina.
Green Bay's defense also dominated the Bears ground game, holding RB Matt Forte to just 2 yards on 9 carries. No, that isn't a typo. Cutler actually had a better day rushing. The QB scrambled for 11 yards on 3 runs.
The best play of the game never happened.
After forcing the Packers to punt late in the 4th quarter, the Bears almost got away with what is being called the most innovative and shrewd play design in recent football history. Despite knowing the punt was going left, the Packers coverage veered right. They were drawn to the infamous return man, WR Devin Hester, who should be nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of "guy who is about to field a punt." The kick of course did go left, and was fielded by WR Johnny Knox, who was lined up as a gunner. Knox, who is literally the fastest man in football, then had a clear path to the end zone and took it to the house. The play was called back for a holding penalty and the rest is history. I suggest you look for a highlight of this play. Many Packers players, including Aaron Rodgers and WR Greg Jennings were heard saying that it was the most incredible play they'd ever seen. ever. And it didn't even happen.
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