Aaron Rodgers still owns the Bears
In perhaps his final game at Soldier Field as a member of the Packers, Aaron Rodgers delivered perhaps his all-time greatest quote.
Good morning!
The Green Bay Packers took firm control of the NFC North with a 24-14 victory over the Chicago Bears. The game produced another Aaron Rodgers highlight play and one of his all-time greatest quotes. It also kept the Packers well positioned in a conference that features five teams with a 5-1 record or better coming out of Week 6.
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Where does "I still own you" rank in the pantheon of Aaron Rodgers' highlights versus the Bears?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: Considering the drama and the magnitude of the moment, Aaron Rodgers' 48-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb on fourth down to steal the NFC North title from the Bears remains the pinnacle of his Chicago domination. The Bears had come in on the losing end to the Rodgers-led Packers before — mainly the NFC Championship Game three seasons earlier — but that moment crystallized his status as the boogeyman to the Packers' archrival.
But "I still own you" can't fall far below that. While Sunday's game didn't have a playoff berth on the line, the winner would end the week in first place within the division. The Bears also debuted first-round pick and potential franchise quarterback Justin Fields to the rivalry, a player with the potential to shift the rivalry back toward Chicago at some point in the future.
However, as yesterday's outcome made clear, Rodgers still owns the Bears and not merely because of his record. He haunts that franchise and fan base more thoroughly than perhaps any other player in history. Rodgers remains the boogeyman in the city of Chicago, and his declaration of ownership echoes that reality.
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Peter Bukowski: Honestly, the better question might be where does “I still own you,” rank among all-time Aaron Rodgers quotes/shit-talk because it might be No.1. R-E-L-A-X is more quotable and versatile over time, and “I feel like we’re going to run the table,” was more momentous because it set up a historical run of play from Rodgers.
But in terms of the sheer “f*** you” of it all, this is all-time Rodgers. Ripping Chicago’s hearts out in 2018 still beats this one as a pure highlight in this series. Throwing six touchdowns in a half has to be mentioned for the sheer comedic value. And “Cobb … caught … touchdown,” would be No. 1 for me.
“I still own you” though? Maybe it ends up being more iconic than we realize. In a potential Last Dance season where Rodgers has demurred over and over on questions of his future. There has been plenty of equivocation and obfuscation, but he answered the questions head on post-game after he took such joy in beating the Bears.
“I love this rivalry. It’s been a lot of fun over the years … unlike any other in our game,” Rodgers said after the win when he admitted he was thinking about this potentially being his last trip to Soldier Field.
“I don’t think this is my last one,” Rodgers said of playing his last game in the rivalry, “But I have enjoyed every single one of them.
There’s wisdom in silence, right? He could have said he hadn’t thought about it or that he’d give himself time to think about it when the season was over. Instead, he offered some insight into his thought process, a door left ajar for a return to Green Bay. And after a game like that, how could he not?
What, if anything, can the Packers do to fix their red-zone defense?
JBH: At some point, the Packers will force a field goal or a turnover in the red zone and end their streak of touchdowns allowed when the opposing offense crosses the 20-yard line (currently 15 straight such series).
Of course, that moment will not signal the end of the red-zone issues for the Green Bay defense. More than one cause exists for those problems, and injuries to the personnel have only added to the concern. Safety Darnell Savage left Sunday's game with a concussion and a return date could take days or weeks to pinpoint. The absences of Jaire Alexander and Kevin King also play a role, as the disastrous opening series for backup cornerback Isaac Yiadom on Sunday demonstrated.
But Joe Barry's play-calling plays a part too. Between the 20s, Barry's plan to "put a roof" over the defense has mostly worked since the Week 1 debacle in Jacksonville. The Packers blitz sparingly and force the quarterback take small nibbles rather than large bites, slowing the offense and eventually leading to incompletions, punts, or turnovers.
However, when the field condenses as the goal line approaches, Barry hasn't adjusted accordingly. The Packers mostly take the same approach, and opposing offenses have used that conservatism against them.
The solution probably involves more blitzing, but that won't fix everything by itself. The Packers can look to other teams that run a similar scheme and find solutions. The Bears use simulated blitzes to create advantageous matchups for their pass rushers and still protect the backend. Barry should incorporate more of those at all points on the field but especially the red zone.
What we're hearing/seeing
JBH: With Josh Myers sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury, the Packers will probably roll out a new starting five next week against the Washington Football Team. But even if Myers makes a quick recovery, the configuration could change anyway due to the impending return of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari.
For a while, it seemed that whenever Bakhtiari returned, the Packers would shift Elgton Jenkins to left guard and send Jon Runyan Jr. to the bench. However, given Myers' injury, Jenkins could instead move to center where he started multiple games last season during Corey Linsley's absence. But given how often the Packers have played out of empty this season due to absences along the offensive line, the pass protection might benefit from keeping Runyan at left guard and instead moving Jenkins to right guard in place of rookie Royce Newman.
As typically occurs with first-time starters, Newman has played inconsistently through six weeks. He has produced some strong moments in both pass protection and opening holes in the ground game, but he probably ranks as the weak leak in the former on a down-to-down basis. If the Packers want to return to more of the core concepts that produced the No. 1 offense in football last season, shoring up Rodgers' protection probably makes the most sense.
Of course, Green Bay has to weigh that need against what Newman might lose by sitting. Even if the rookie has some notable busts in protection — including a particularly egregious one on a Khalil Mack inside stunt Sunday — he has the potential to grow into a long-term solution at the position. He also has a high ceiling as a run blocker, something he demonstrated in Chicago.
But given the likelihood of injuries, Newman can expect to see the field again this season even if the Packers decide to move Jenkins to his spot upon Bakhtiari's return. The rookie will still have chances to develop while the O-line prioritizes the pass protection. That seems a sounder approach considering what the offense lacks at the moment.
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PB: The Packers relied so much on empty formations in the absence of Elgton Jenkins, presumably to give the offensive line a clearer picture of who to block and force defenses to show their hands early so Rodgers could get the ball out quickly. Green Bay’s offenses started to get going against the Bears when they scrapped that notion, went back to playing more power football, got back under center, and played closer to the way we saw them look in 2020.
“I think Matt [LaFleur'] did a nice job of adjusting there in the second quarter,” Rodgers said Sunday.
“More downhill runs and quick passes, kinda get those linemen a little more settled. And then we took a couple more downfield shots eventually.”
And when they did that, it worked. Turns out, this offense is really great if a team commits to playing it and Rodgers excels in it. He had the most efficient best short passing game of any quarterback in the last six years, completing every pass he attempted under 10 yards.
Parting shots
PB: I’m going to take this one a little more literally than normal and mention the blocking of Robert Tonyan has been a serious problem this season. It’s not what he’s known for in even the best of circumstances, but Big Bob catches everything thrown in his direction and has the agility to win 1-on-1 matchups with linebackers. Still, this season, his blocking led directly to a number of negative runs last week, particularly in the red zone.
He struggled again this week, and we’ll see when the snap counts come out, it felt like Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara became bigger parts of the game as it went on.
Asking Tonynan to block Robert Quinn singled up probably can be thrown away. In fact, 99% of tight ends not named “Marcedes” would struggle with assignments and that’s on the coaches for putting him in that position.
But after a season in which he played solid ball as an inline blocker, he’s been a serious negative there this season. If he were making catches and scoring touchdowns like last year, it could be overlooked, or at least the criticism could be subverted, but that’s not been the case. For a guy playing in a contract year, Big Bob has come up awfully small.
That was an interesting parting shot at Tonyan (not Tonynan). I am not saying you are wrong, but is Lazard the answer for the pass catching tight end? I doubt they can keep both players next year, but if they bring back Marcedes, can they shift Lazard into Tonyan's role from last year, regardless of what they call him?