The Green Bay Packers avoided Soldier Field on Sunday with a 20-19 victory over the Chicago Bears. A overdue touchdown run by Jordan Love and a dramatic special teams play as time expired allowed the Packers to improve to 7-3 and extend their winning streak over the Bears to 11 games.
Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 11 victory over the Bears:
Stars
DL Karl Brooks: His blocked field goal could change the season. Given that an 0-3 start in the NFC North was a real possibility, Brooks overcame the block and converted a Cairo Santos field goal opportunity to avert disaster.
WR Christian Watson: He caught four passes for 150 yards despite only running 15 total routes. All four halves were impact plays. The first converted a 3rd-and-11. The second – a 25-yarder – set up a touchdown. The third – a 48-yard throw between two defenders – sent the Packers into the red zone. The fourth – a 60-yard dive and run – provided the decisive winning touchdown.
Heels
DE Rashan Gary: He led the team with five pressures and five stops. On the final drive, Gary powerfully passed Braxton Jones at left tackle and found Caleb Williams on what really should have been the decisive play. On four different running plays, Gary made a tackle for a gain of two yards or less. To win, Gary relies more and more on power. And he wins more and more often.
RB Josh Jacobs: His 21 touches yielded 134 yards, including a season-high 58 receiving yards. Jacobs had four plays of 10 or more yards, including two catches of more than 20 yards, and scored a decisive 7-yard touchdown in the second half. The Packers found a way to get the ball into space for him in the passing game, and Jacobs responded with explosive plays. In the first six plays of the game, Jacobs rushed for 25 yards four times, setting the team’s offensive tone. On a third-quarter touchdown drive, Jacobs had 35 total yards, including an explosive play and score.
QB Jordan Love: He extended his interception streak with a third-down throw to Tucker Kraft in the red zone, but that might have been one of his only negative plays of the afternoon. He had five completions for 20 yards and an excellent pass under pressure, and he looked much more comfortable playing in the pocket and running to extend plays outside the pocket. The turnover was bad. The rest was really good.
Duds
LB Quay Walker: His downfield break pass was impressive, but Walker also failed to stop it on third or fourth down three times in a row, including once against Caleb Williams on fourth down and another on Roshon Johnson’s one-yard touchdown pass on third down. He also took a terrible angle trying to pass under a block after D’Andre Swift’s touchdown.
DL Kenny Clark: He played 48 snaps, recording no run tackle or pressure as a tackler. He’s been dealing with a toe injury all season, but it’s probably time to start worrying about his lack of influence after signing a major contract this offseason.
Sr. Xavier McKinney: He gave up three completions on his drive, received a 15-yard penalty for a (questionable) overdue fumble and missed two receptions, including one as a last-line defender on D’Andre Swift’s 39-yard touchdown. This was by far McKinney’s worst game in a Packers uniform.
LB Edgerrin Cooper: The freshman surrendered 43 yards after catching the ball in his coverage, twice failed to catch Caleb Williams on third-down attempts and accomplished little as a pass rusher despite six blitz opportunities. He also missed a tackle and was blocked by the receiver after Swift’s long touchdown pass.
DE Lukas Van Ness: In the first game of the post-Preston Smith era, Van Ness didn’t have more than one rush and one missed tackle in 25 snaps. He was also penalized for being offside.
