The struggling Green Bay Packers came into week 10 as a 5.5 point underdog against the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers offense has been struggling mightily as of late due to the absence of their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Brett Hundley, who took over for Rodgers in week six, had yet to throw a touchdown pass until today when he connected with Davante Adams for a 19-yard touchdown. Hundley would make a handful of other impact plays as the Packers held on to win on a rainy day in Chicago. The Packers extend their all-time record against the Bears to 96-94-6.
Week 10 Green Bay Packers Takeaways
Brett Hundley Shows Growth
Hundley had started close to three complete games before today, and often looked confused and intimidated by NFL defenses. Hundley had an abysmal stat line and didn’t quite pass the eye test as a competent NFL quarterback. He threw for 489 passing yards to go along with three interceptions through 11 quarters. However, today Hundley had a efficient day throwing for 212 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, Hundley didn’t turn the ball over and made plays in pressure situations. Hundley connected with Davante Adams for a 19-yard touchdown to put the Packers ahead by two possessions. Following a Bears scoring drive, Hundley would put the the game away for all intents and purposes, with a beautiful throw down the right sideline for a 42-yard gain. After a missed field goal by Mason Crosby, the Packers defense would put the game away by forcing a four and out. Hundley would earn his first win as the Packers starter. It would also be the first win against the Bears by a quarterback not named Brett Favre or Rodgers since Don Majkowski in 1989.
Injuries Are Beginning To Mount
It seems like the Packers are constantly one of the most injured teams in the NFL. Fans and media have often blamed the coaching staff and strength coaches, but whatever the reason, the injury bug is alive and well in 2017. The Packers lost a few more key pieces today in Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery. Jones, who was emerging as the team’s number one running back, left the game with an apparent knee injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Later, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it was believed that Jones suffered a sprained MCL and would miss a few weeks. Later in the game, Montgomery was taken to the locker room with a rib injury and did not return. Montgomery broke his ribs in week four against the Bears, but continued to play through the injury. Hundley was also on the injury report with a hamstring injury, but played through. The injury isn’t thought to be serious.
Run Defense is Dominant
When a defense has Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark on the inside along with Clay Matthews and Nick Perry on the outside of the line, they should expect to be dominant against the run. The Packers shut down the Bears running game from start to finish and sacked Mitchell Trubisky five times. Jordan Howard was held to 54 yards rushing and a minuscule 3.6 yards per attempt. If the Packers can continue stuffing the run, they will have a legitimate shot at winning a few more games in 2017.
