The Chicago Bears earned an upset victory over the Green Bay Packers in Monday Night Football, but it was largely due to the absence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who left the game early with what is believed to be a collarbone injury.
Bears vs. Packers 2013: All eyes on Aaron Rodgers injury
The Bears won the battle of backups, but Packers fans are much more concerned about the status of the team’s three-time Pro Bowl quarterback than the loss.
Mike McGinnis
With Rodgers out of the lineup, the Bears were able to stifle the efforts of Packers backup Seneca Wallace and earn a 27-20 victory. However, Steven Schweikert of SB Nation's Bears blog, Windy City Gridiron, wasn't very impressed with the team's defensive performance and thinks the Packers could have won with a different offensive approach:
"After Rodgers' injury, the Packers only had to have one offensive gear - hand the ball to Eddie Lacy and James Starks. Between the two, they had a combined yards-per-carry of 6.78, which is just insane. Lacy contributed a 6.8 - Starks contributed a 6.7. What contributed to them having such a night? Lots and lots of missed tackles, bad gap fits, more bad tackling, over-pursuit, and not being able to square up Lacy for anything."
"So why the Packers decided in the third quarter and fourth quarter to continue to put the ball in Wallace's hands over and over again... Bears fans should probably be sending Mike McCarthy a thank-you card."
The offensive gameplan wasn’t on the mind of Packers fans though, as the potential loss of Aaron Rodgers was much more serious. While reports have surfaced of collarbone damage, the Packers have yet to confirm, leaving a lot of nail-biting for fans, including Evan Western of SB Nation’s Packers blog, Acme Packing Company.
Seriously, last night’s loss to the Bears was the most frustrating Packers game I have seen in a long time - at least based on what happened between the two teams and not involving the referees. We’re still waiting on more word on Aaron Rodgers’ status, and I’m sure you’re waiting with bated breath just as I am to find out more about his injury. If he’s lucky, it was just a shoulder separation, but the worst-case scenario is a broken collarbone which would likely keep him out 6-8 weeks.
The Packers will look to get back on track, likely without Rodgers, when they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10. The Bears will attempt to earn back-to-back divisional wins with a home game against the Detroit Lions.
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