Packers 34 Falcons 20: Game Balls & Lame Calls

The Green Bay Packers returned to Lambeau Field and took out some frustration on the visiting Atlanta Falcons.  The Packers got the win by a score of 34-20.

The Joe Philbin era got off to a good start and the Packers took advantage of a struggling Falcons team.

On to the day's best and worst.

Game Balls

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers returned to a more familiar form and was much more efficient than he's been so far this season.  

Rodgers had a rating of 103 and added in two touchdown passes along with 44 yards rushing.  Rodgers also passed Tom Brady for the most consecutive passes without an interception.  The record-breaking pass came on a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb in the first half.

Rodgers has caught some flack for being "too careful" with the ball and not taking more chances this season, but it's a lot easier to score when you're not throwing it to the other side.

Aaron Jones

When he finally entered the game, Jones did what he usually does: create.  Jones had a 29-yard touchdown run and added in a few nice catches as well.  

Good things happen when Jones touches the ball.  Hopefully he can start a game sometime soon?

Bashaud Breeland

A pick six has been a rarity this season for the Packers defense so that earns him a spot on the Game Balls list.  It came on an easy throw by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan that was shades of Tramon Williams in the 2011 divisional playoffs.

Breeland added in a fumble recovery late in the game as well on a bad snap by Atlanta.

Clay Matthews

Matthews had a sack and another hit on the quarterback.  He also had a big stuff on a 3rd & 1 run late in the game, after tossing his cousin and Falcons offensive lineman, Jake Matthews, aside.

A bit of a throwback day for Matthews, who earlier this week told media he'd like to finish his career in Green Bay.

Mason Crosby

Crosby bounced back after missing a kick to keep his team alive last week.  He made two long field goals in the first half to keep adding points to the board and give the offense some momentum to build on.

Crosby is going to be an interesting player to watch this offseason.  Will the Packers stick with the solid vet or bring in another leg to compete?

Lame Calls

Jimmy Graham

Graham had a few tough drops, one of which may have gone for a score.  He also had a bad pass interference penalty on a long catch & run by Davante Adams.  The Packers had to punt on that drive instead of adding more points to the board.

Jaire Alexander on Julio Jones

Someone had to cover Jones.  Alexander is not typically the guy you want on the top outside receiver but injuries forced the Packers' hand.  Jones beat the rookie corner several times and had it not been for some overthrows by Ryan, this could have been a bigger story line.

The Opening Drive

Jones got a few gifts from the NFL in the form of being awarded two catches, neither of which looked to be valid.  The first was a ball that never looked secure in Jones' hands and then popped out at the end.  The second was a ball caught at the sideline and Jones' second foot was clearly on the line.

Philbin challenged both and lost both.  Jones, of course, caught a touchdown pass to cap off the drive and give Atlanta an early 7-0 lead.

The NFL appears destined to bumble through the most elementary part of its game.  "What is a catch?" may go on the league's tombstone many years from now when the league ceases to exist.

-------------------

Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

2 points
 

Comments (54)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
4thand1's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:11 am

Lame the Pack seems to be on the wrong side of a lot of calls this year. Bahk should get a game ball almost every game, also Linsley for defending his QB. Jones was gifted half of his receiving yards on bullshit calls. Pettine game ball for putting together a depleted defense and playing well.

13 points
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Big_Mel_75's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:48 am

Lame call refs missing the punch thrown by Deion Jones during the scrum..

10 points
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mrtundra's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:29 am

Lucas Patrick should get a game ball for going after the entire Falcon defense after that dirty hit on Rodgers as he slid.

8 points
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Cubbygold's picture

December 10, 2018 at 05:19 pm

Wasn't dirty

1 points
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Swisch's picture

December 10, 2018 at 06:06 pm

Maybe not intentionally dirty, but the Falcon lead with his helmet. That seemed clear, and hard for the refs to miss.
What did you see, Cubbygold? Maybe I missed something.

0 points
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Stic's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:20 am

At least they used Aaron Jones in the 2nd half: 17 touches
But only 3 in the first.
I saw for the most part the usual offense with a bit better execution.
Defense got a coupla helpful turnovers.
The bears game should be more telling.

4 points
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dobber's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:50 am

This offense just plays at a different pace when 33 is involved. We can all see it. I don't know how MM didn't see it.

They'll get pounded by the Bears if they don't get the OL straightened out and play faster on offense.

4 points
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Big_Mel_75's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:50 am

Or is it Phibin as he left Jones off the field to start the game as well. I'm of everyone saying that Williams is the better pass blocker. I have yet to see a game where Jones whiffs on his blocks....

7 points
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CheesyTex's picture

December 10, 2018 at 11:36 am

It's possible that Philbin wants to avoid heavy hits on 33 when the D is fresh, and keep 33 fresh as the D slows down.

Williams does seem better equipped to handle the early game pounding.

2 points
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Big_Mel_75's picture

December 11, 2018 at 10:08 am

Have to play you best players...

0 points
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Tundraboy's picture

December 10, 2018 at 06:42 pm

Let's hope they keep the blinders off.

0 points
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RCPackerFan's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:39 am

Game Balls:

Joe Philbin-
Getting this win is huge for Philbin. The team came out and played inspired football. Something we haven't seen a lot this season.

Rodgers-
While he still had some off throws he seemed to be a lot more into this game. I'm not saying it was because of McCarthy getting fired but, i do think it woke him up a bit.

Jones-
While he didn't get much work i the 1st half we saw his touches in the 2nd half. Just get him the ball and good things happen

Adams-
Truly just insanely good. Remember when fans wanted him cut? Yeah, that seems like a forever ago.

Lame Calls:

Refs -
How do they not overturn that first one? The 2nd one, could be a bit debatable (i still don't think he had 2 feet in) but the first one the ball is moving as he goes to the ground and they call it a catch? HOW?

Also, how as Jones from Atlanta not kicked out? Jumping on a guys back grabbing his facemask and trying to rip his head off?

7 points
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dobber's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:55 am

"Also, how as Jones from Atlanta not kicked out? Jumping on a guys back grabbing his facemask and trying to rip his head off?"

It seemed to me that he threw a punch in the ensuing scrum as well.

6 points
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RCPackerFan's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:52 am

I thought so as well. There was so much going on in that though.

IMO, the NFL needs to have a ref in the booth to oversee all the challenges and when stuff like this happens. They can use replay to kick players out. Refs on the field can't see everything that happens in those situations.

5 points
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flackcatcher's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:06 am

Second I saw who's crew that was, I knew it was going to be a long day. Combine with the insane 'guidance' from the commissioner's office yesterdays game could still be going on. This is a bad crew even under the 'old' rules. Just glad both sides got out of there injury free.

2 points
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PeteK's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:26 am

Also, the hit on a sliding Rogers should have been a penalty.

1 points
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Barazinho's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:53 am

On the first challenge, Blandino just sat there with his arms out and a WTF look on his face when they asked him again, after the commercial (repeating his initial opinion). Spoff called it a few weeks ago (after the Seattle 'catch') - the NFL is enforcing questionable catches as a reaction to the initial controversy that denied valid catches, rather than using standard criteria.
On the second challenge, the ref had a perfect view of Jones' feet, ran to the spot, and proceeded to ask the other ref what he thought. The announcers kept showing his angle/sightline, but didn't say anything about him asking the downfield ref when it was his call.
The other blatantly missed called with the head-grab on Rodgers - he didn't get the facemask, but doesn't that fall under a forceable blow to the QB's head, or unnecessary roughness? The announcers agreed with a no call, but it didn't make sense.

6 points
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Stu M's picture

December 11, 2018 at 09:46 am

From my understanding of the rule, any contact to the head or neck area is a flag.

0 points
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Slim11's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:50 am

I was flying yesterday, during the game, so I have these questions...

1. Did the play calling indicate a short passing game was part of the game planning? Was there a clear difference between JP calling the plays compared to MM? The passing yardage tells me this might be a possibility.

2. Was the success the offense had in the first half part of the reason Jones got more touches in the second half and seemed to be more productive?

3. Does anyone think the players were a little more motivated because many of them know they're playing for jobs in 2019?

As I said, I didn't see the game and have only seen selected replays.

2 points
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Guam's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:02 am

1) Yes, a return to the short passing game was obvious.

2) The announcers seemed to believe that was case. They opined that the Packers coaches believed the three reserve offensive lineman playing (Spriggs, McCray, Patrick) were better pass blockers than run blockers so the Packers came out passing in the first half. Packers had a nice lead at halftime, so draining the clock was likely part of the reason why they finally turned Jones loose.

3) Players looked more motivated - why could be many reasons.

Sorry you missed the best Packer game in awhile.

4 points
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Slim11's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:17 am

Thanks.

-1 points
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jeremyjjbrown's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:35 am

Game balls:
Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexender and Davante Adams for bringing it every week.

Lame Calls: Pretty much the rest of the Packers team and coaches. It takes Mike getting fired for them to get motivated? This teams has talent, they showed it Sunday. But they are lazy and arrogant. They play like crap until the games are basically meaningless and it actually harms the draft outlook to win.

Sorry, downvote all you want, but that gets no respect or credit from me. I actually feel worse about this team after that win.

-2 points
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Razer's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:04 am

I too didn't see much of the game. Did the Dline and Oline play well?

Good to win - even if it is at the expense of another under performer.

0 points
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Guam's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:10 am

Dline play was good. Kenny Clark left the game injured in the first half and was deemed questionable to return, but came back and played the whole second half. Beast!

Oline was playing with three reserves in starting spots (Spriggs, McCray, Patrick) and they did okay at best. Atlanta is a poor pass rushing team and they still got some pressure/sacks on Rodgers. Oline did a better job of run blocking, particularly in the second half when Jones got going.

1 points
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Razer's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:38 am

Thanks Guam. I am hoping that the trench work going forward continues to show promise - particularly for next year.

0 points
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RCPackerFan's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:05 am

I thought overall the DL and OL played well, especially considering it was a lot of backups playing.

I thought Adams and Lancaster both flashed a bit on the DL. Lancaster could be a good undrafted find.

Patrick really held up well on the OL. Honestly Spriggs wasn't horrible either.

2 points
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dobber's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:15 am

I wonder if Philbin, being an old OL coach himself, might be helping to make inroads with Spriggs.

1 points
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RCPackerFan's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:32 am

Early they were getting the ball out really fast. I liked the game plan to start the game.

I also like in the 3rd quarter they ran the ball more and did more screens and stuff.

I ABSOLUTELY loved the 2 RB's together in a set.

I think the game plan helped the OL a bit.

5 points
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Guam's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:05 am

Game ball to the Falcons for their many timely penalties. The game would have been much closer but for Atlanta's habit of bailing us out with bad penalties.

7 points
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4zone's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:08 am

How was helmet to helmet hit on Rogers not a personal foul.

5 points
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jeremyjjbrown's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:18 am

How is a 45 not ejected for jumping on the back of another guy and taking a swing?

Why did they create the ejection anyways if the umpired won't use it?

4 points
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Razer's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:10 am

If it had been an open hand slap like the one that got our safety ejected earlier in the year then it would have been auto ejection, fine and firing from the team. No consistency in this league contributing to an increasingly bad product.

5 points
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HankScorpio's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:30 pm

They didn't even really give him a penalty. They took the cop out route and called it offsetting. I guess a mild shove in defense of a sliding QB taking a questionable hit = jumping onto the back of an opponent and swinging away.

0 points
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Packers0808's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:12 am

Did the Packers really look better, well after getting McCarthy unemployed they got scared for their NFL lives so yup they played better. And the Rodgers thing was sickening as to what he did for his own purposes!

-8 points
2
10
4zone's picture

December 10, 2018 at 08:13 am

W made progress this week. Now let's see if we can build on it the next 3 games.

2 points
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Since'61's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:37 pm

Game balls: Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, Kenny Clark, Bashaud Breeland, CM3 and Joe Philbin.

Lame calls: Jimmy Graham, the officials (as usual), JK Scott's 20 yard punt.

I hope that the Packers do not keep Graham. This guy has been a non-factor all season. I respect that he is playing hurt but he can't catch with the splint, plus he is not a good blocker. I hope that the Packers give his snaps to Tonyan so we can see what we have with him. I can't believe that we need to rebuild our TE position yet again.

Aaron Jones and Cobb make a big difference in this offense. Cobb gives Rodgers another reliable receiver to throw to and Jones makes the entire offense look better. I hope that Gute sees what is going on replacing Cobb is not going to be easy.

Need better OL play against the Bears this week. Thanks, Since '61

4 points
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ILPackerBacker's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:15 am

It is to much to hope that anyone would point out the oft maligned SPRIGGS played Vic B well, in fact better than Bulaga ever has. Spriggs has never looked like a guard or a RT but he has a place and showed it today. Bulaga with his bad legs are on a banana peel for next year

7 points
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daveinTX's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:42 am

Agreed. I watched Spriggs closely during his last two outings and thought he did extremely well in passpro. He is not getting bull rushed like in the past. And he is keeping his man moving wide so AR has more room to work. Bulaga has been pushed into the pocket a lot this year. He just doesn’t have the leg strength he once had and pass rushers know it. I think Spriggs should continue to improve on his technique. But, I do not know what he can do to overcome the stunts and overloads thrown at him.

4 points
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Packerpasty's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:21 am

lets wait a week...last nights Bears/Rams game showed me a very scary good defense on "Da Bears" side...dont play your best in Chicago and it could look very very bad.....

1 points
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mrtundra's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:36 am

Philbin should get a game ball just for calling those quick rhythm passing plays early on. Justin McCray has been taking a lot of heat lately, but that one block he made downfield allowed Aaron Jones to get a huge gain. Not enough for a game ball, but he does deserve recognition for that one block. Breeland just made next year's roster. Davante Adams is the best WR in the League. Cobb had a TD. Glad to see him back.

3 points
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Lphill's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:37 am

Jimmy Graham just does not fight to make the catch I expected more from him.

6 points
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SoCalJim's picture

December 10, 2018 at 01:04 pm

JG should probably be inactive for a few games (let's say three) to let his thumb heal. Let Tonyan take his place on game day.

0 points
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PatrickGB's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:55 am

I watched the Bears/Rams game. The Chicago defense looks good. It made me wonder how we were able to beat them before. Their offense is just ok and it was sort of fun to see the goal line touchdown caught by an Oline man. But trick plays always fool us so I cringed when I thought of them pulling that on us. We really are a vanilla team and our concepts on offense are based on our guys beating their guys. When we had stellar receivers and a vintage AR we could pull it off. Now, not so much. The falcons are like us, reliant on stellar receivers. The last time we played them we did not have CBs. Now, even with the backups and replacements, we do.

1 points
2
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dobber's picture

December 10, 2018 at 01:13 pm

The Bears defensive front is really good. But they're beatable in their back 7. If you can keep your QB upright long enough to get the ball out, and if you have WR who can win off the snap, you can move the ball on them.

The key is turnovers. The Bears force a lot of them, and their DBs have become very good at jumping routes. They should be very susceptible to double moves and improvisation if teams can protect their QBs. Their offense depends on the defense handing them short fields. For all the hype Nagy gets for being creative and innovative, they struggle to sustain long drives and score on their own merits.

1 points
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HankScorpio's picture

December 10, 2018 at 07:37 pm

'The Chicago defense looks good"

They sure did last night. Holding that Ram team to 6 points is a very impressive effort.

The week before when they gave up 33 to NYG...not so much.

1 points
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TheBigCheeze's picture

December 10, 2018 at 09:58 am

the most ridiculous part of the inept officiating is that it's somewhat understandable that the field officials can miss some calls (football is a fast game, and it seems the NFL's goal is to put the oldest geezers out on the field to ref).....but what is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE....is inept replay officials that have the advantage of slo-mo, freeze-frame, and zoom.....and STILL can't get the call right.... NFL owners and coaches MUST address this.....and the sooner the better.......

9 points
9
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cheesehead1's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:16 am

A good win, but many teams (in all leagues) that are basically out of the playoffs rise up when it doesn’t matter. They seem to raise their level of play when the pressure is off. Where was this team against Washington or Detroit or Arizona? Hope Packers cut ties with Graham and Perry. I never liked the Graham signing. He hasn’t been the same since his New Orleans days.

4 points
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PeteK's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:36 am

I gained a bit of respect for Graham because he's out there playing with a broken thumb.

2 points
2
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LambeauPlain's picture

December 10, 2018 at 11:29 am

Going to take a good effort to beat the bares...but they have had some stinkers this year too. While they did lose to the Pack and Patriots...they did get beat by the Dolphins and Giants...and barely beat the Cardinals.

While they have 3 more wins than the Pack, they are living off their defense, which is really good...and it is good because the bares went out and hired a very good D Coordinator.

For the record, I think Pettine is too. Pack needs to get some players back and they will have a chance in Chicago.

This game will be the highlight of the season if they win and be a huge confidence booster.

3 points
3
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Lphill's picture

December 10, 2018 at 11:51 am

The Rams just looked cold last night , Goef especially he was under throwing most of his passes.

1 points
2
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Skip greenBayless's picture

December 10, 2018 at 01:59 pm

But what about all these young creative offensive genius' being talked about? Wasn't the Rams head coach one of those guys? His mighty offense got their asses handed to them on the national stage. The Bears defense is for real and are getting better and better. I said for the past couple weeks we need to think defense and for once in a long long time hire a defensive oriented head football coach. Forget about Aaron Rodgers. Get a damn dominating defense that can stop any great offense in it's tracks. We saw that last night in Chicago. Chicago is ahead of us in just about all categories including having a young upcoming qb in Trubisky. I just think it's easier to focus on getting a dominating defense than to find the next young Aaron Rodgers and hope he makes up for all other team deficiencies. The Bears are already using my recipe and are almost there.

2 points
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Since'61's picture

December 10, 2018 at 10:41 pm

The Rams have already won their division last week. They didn't have anything to play for on the road last evening and it showed.

The Bears defense is good, no question but Rams had nothing last evening. Thanks, Since '61

-1 points
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Skip greenBayless's picture

December 11, 2018 at 01:16 am

Bull shit. Humiliation is something to play for. The Rams were humiliated by a great defense. The Rams had their chance to show how great they were and couldn't do jack shit against the Bears. If they had "nothing to play for" as you claim they would have sat Gurley and their qb. I watched that entire game. The Packers medical staff better come prepared. This is going to be a blood bath Sunday.

-1 points
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LeotisHarris's picture

December 11, 2018 at 09:47 pm

The Bears D is formidable, no doubt. It looked more to me like Goff came down with a major case of the milligrubs on the national stage on a cold night in Chicago. The mighty Bears managed a win after being gifted 4 INTs at home. That allowed their offense to put up a massive 13 points, mostly because Trubisky was doing his best to stay in the INT race by throwing 3 of his own picks. McVay and Nagy did look young and dynamic, though, in the way coaches do in 15-6 barn-burners.

The Bears ran the ball well on that Ram D. That's a concern. But, remember, Dash, even though it's been an off year for 12, he is still part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Chicago Bears.

0 points
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