Last week, the Green Bay Packers obliterated quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 38-10 in front of 60,000 plus happy Packers fans in a snowy day at Lambeau Field. This week, as they continue fighting for their playoff berth, the Packers will battle their rival the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Without further ado here are the Green Bay Packers week 15 keys to victory.
Green Bay Packers Week 15 Keys to Victory
Packers Secondary vs. Bears Passing Game
Although Bears quarterback Matt Barkley has only started two games in his tenure thus far in the Windy City, he has played exceptionally well. He earned Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades of 79.4 and 83.7. It’s not entirely Barkley’s fault that he has yet to throw for more than 400 yards and light up the scoreboard as his receivers have dropped a jaw dropping 13 passes in two games, which is more than any other Bears quarterback this season. According to PFF, in week 12 Barkley should have completed 71.4 percent of his passes, but his receivers dropped more passes than any team in a single game over the last decade, and thus he finished with a 51.9 completion percentage. In short, Barkley has been much better than his numbers suggest.
On the other side of the ball is the Packers secondary. All year long, they have been riddled injuries, losing players each week to the point where LaDarius Gunter, the fifth string cornerback was thrust into the starting role. However, the unit is now starting to get healthly and the results are showing on the field. They limited quarterback Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles to 13 points, then quarterback Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans to 13 points, and last week they shut down Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, allowing only 10 points. The secondary picked off Wilson five times, which helped the offense by giving them short drives to put the game away quickly.
Packers Run D vs. Bears Running Game
Bears rookie running back Jordan Howard has made it easier for Bears fans to forget Matt Forte, who was considered one of the greatest backs in franchise history. Howard is coming on strong as the long NFL season wears on. In Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, the rookie rushed for 117 yards and three scores on 32 carries. What’s even more impressive is that more than half of his yardage came after contact (64) according to PFF.
The Packers run defense began the season on an historic tear, at one point they lead the league allowing only 1.8 yards per rush, and that was after Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott ran wild on them. But, unfortunately the unit has fallen off the map a bit. However, if defensive tackle Mike Daniels and linebackers Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez and Julius Peppers can stuff the run and turn Chicago into a more one-dimensional offense, it could get ugly real fast.
Prediction: Green Bay 38-10 Chicago
