Last week the Green Bay Packers got another taste of victory by soundly defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-20. The Pack was up 34-7 before allowing two ultimately meaningless touchdowns. However, this week Green Bay will travel to Illinois to take on the Chicago Bears and renew the oldest rivalry in the NFL.
The Bears are coming off of one their best performance in the season after stifling the Los Angeles Rams 15-6 on Sunday Night Football. This week, Aaron Rodgers must return to greatness if the Packers intend on beating the Bears at home.
Aaron Rodgers Must Be Great to Beat Chicago Bears
The Man, the Myth, the Legend
By now, Aaron Rodgers has earned his status as a legendary quarterback. He’s proven that when he can elevate his play to unbelievable heights when backed into a corner. Even after a statement win against Atlanta last week, Rodgers will have to play even better against Chicago.
The good news is that, throughout his career, Rodgers has had plenty of success against the Bears. The bad news is that this Bears team is the best he’s ever faced.
In the season opener against the Bears, Rodgers left during the first half with a knee injury. The Packers were down, broken and the game seemed all but done. Then Rodgers returned from the bench to pull a 20-point comeback out of thin air, leading the team to an unlikely victory.
Career Record Against the Bears
Throughout his career, Aaron Rodgers has dominated the Bears. Rodgers and the Pack have a 15-4 record against Chicago. One of the losses can be attributed to Rodgers breaking his collarbone early in the first quarter. Against the Bears, Rodgers has made 409 of 604 passes (67.71%) for 4,596 yards, 42 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. All of this adds up to a passer rating of 107.2.
The California native has shown that the cold weather just isn’t a factor in his performance, unlike Jared Goff. Some of Rodgers’ greatest games and moments have happened against the Bears in cold weather.
There was the five-touchdown effort in 2011 on Christmas night. There was the game when he scored six touchdowns in the first half of a game in 2014. There was the fourth-and-eight game in 2013 when he found Randall Cobb, which secured the division title and a playoff berth. In 2016 he connected with Jordy Nelson on a 60-yard bomb with less than 30 seconds left to win the game. The 2010 NFC Championship Game in Chicago is another, and who could forget his last-minute 2009 game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Jennings?
Playing for the Playoffs
Regardless of whether or not Green Bay wins out, they will not win the NFC North title this year. At best, the Packers can finish 8-7-1, and the Bears have already won nine games. However, another win and a strong performance against their rival can help Aaron Rodgers keep his Green Bay legacy clean.
And while the division is out of reach, the playoffs are not. Minnesota Vikings are on a two-game losing streak. The Carolina Panthers have lost five in a row and still have two games against the New Orleans Saints. The Philadelphia Eagles also have a losing record with two challenging games coming up and a quarterback – Carson Wentz – who may not play for the remainder of the year. On top of that, the Washington Redskins have lost their starting and backup quarterbacks, so they’ll surely fall out of the picture soon.
Aaron Rodgers still has an opportunity to get the Packers in the playoffs, and as the New York Giants proved twice, once you enter the playoffs, your regular season record is irrelevant.
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