NFL Update: Green Bay Packers clinch victory over Chicago Bears
You could say that the Packers and the Bears fought a boring battle this Sunday. But stakes were too high for the Packers to go for finesse over substance. Green Bay beat Chicago’s field goal with a field goal and touchdown at the Lambeau Field to take the
number 6 seed in the National Football conference.
The road to the playoffs was not easy for the Green Bay Packers. They entered the season with playoffs in their sights but had difficulty finding consistency in their game. "I'm very proud of our football team, just what we've accomplished,” Packers' head
coach Mike McCarthy said. “Nothing's come easy for us, and we wouldn't want it any other way.”
Green Bay’s defence held Chicago down for just one field goal till the end of the game. Cutler had a terrible day at Lambeau Field. He had passer ratings of just 43.5 against the division rivals. He has had a rating as low or lower only three times this
season and the Bears lost on all those three occasions. Cutler completed 21 of 39 passes for a total of 168 yards. The quarterback was not able to throw any touchdowns and was intercepted twice by the Packers’ defence.
Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, had a fairly reasonable time against Chicago’s secondary. “Tonight was a struggle, but it's nice to keep that momentum going,” Rodgers said. “We've won two in a row and now we've got to go (on the road).
And we can't have the kind of inconsistent performances we've had this year that have forced us to be the no. 6 seed.”
Rodgers led the Packers on a scoring drive in the third quarter after Chicago scored its second quarter field goal. The scores were tied in the third but the Packers wouldn’t head into a lead until the fourth. Packers scored early in the fourth and Chicago
had plenty of opportunity to equalize. Green Bay defence had other plans for Cutler. Chicago’s quarterback was sacked twice consecutively in one drive of the fourth quarter. In the final drive of the game, Cutler pushed the Packers up from Chicago’s 2 yard
line to Green Bay’s 32 yard line with barely enough time on the clock to make a final few plays.
Cutler relied on Devin Hester for the final play; however, the pass was intercepted on Green Bay’s 11 yard line. With the second interception, Bears lost all chances of winning the game. Rodgers kneeled on the final play with 10 seconds remaining to seal
Green Bay’s victory.
Chicago though wouldn’t be disappointed. The Bears had already clinched division, home field advantage and the number 2 in the NFC playoffs. They didn’t even needed to play their starters in this game but they did anyway as coach Lovie Smith had promised.
“Knowing that we had the bye week we weren't playing for an awful lot,” Smith said adding that the Bears were focussed on keeping their momentum. He added that he still saw room for improvement in the team and that the Bears hadn't 'peaked.'
Smith stated that even as Cutler was being hammered by Green Bay’s defence, he did not consider pulling out the quarterback to keep him secure because the Bears already had a bye week and even with their playoff aspirations met, there was a football game
to be won.
For the Packers, it was more than just another football game. Everything was on the line for Green Bay. Although, they won the game and had good reason to celebrate, introspection began almost immediately. After the game, Rodgers commended the defence and
admitted the offense would have to do better in the playoffs. “We can't expect them to hold every team to three points,” Rodgers said.
By defeating the Chicago Bears, the Packers secured the number 6 seed and have knocked out the New York Giants from the playoffs.
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