Bears vs Packers: Takeaways from the snap counts, stats, and more

The Chicago Bears had a nice start to the game but some momentum killing moments did them in, and they weren’t able to get themselves back on track. Even when they cut the deficit to 3 mid way through the fourth quarter, I never had a sense they would come back and win. That’s probably because I’ve been watching Aaron Rodgers stick it to the Bears for far too long, and his six yard touchdown run and subsequent “I own you” to Bears’ fans was just the latest in a long list of heartbreakers.

The Packers had the edge over the Bears in most team statistics including total yards (323 to 277), yards per play (5.7 to 4.9), first downs (22 to 21), and time of possession (32:17 to 27:43).

The Bears were flagged 7 times for 54 yards to Green Bay’s 3 for 51, the third down efficiency saw the Bears go 4 for 11 (36.4%), while the Packers were 2 for 8 (25.0%), and Green Bay converted their lone fourth doiwn try with the Bears going 1 for 2.

Now let’s take a closer look at the playing time break downs for the Bears and also some of their individual stats.

OFFENSE

Justin Fields flashed at times in the game, but there were still plenty of rookie mistakes from him, and that’s exactly what’s to be expected at this point in his career. I know a lot of us want to see him be a franchise quarterback right now, but he still has a long way to go, so enjoy the ride.

Fields ended up 16 for 27 (59.3%) for 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception, and a passer rating of 75.2. He scrambled 6 times for 43 yards and was sacked 4 times.

Rookie Khalil Herbert continues to show his worth as he led the Bears with a career high 19 rushes for 97 yards and his first ever touchdown, and 2 catches for 15 yards. The Bears trust him in all aspects of their game plan as evidenced by him playing 89% of the snaps.

Darnell Mooney led the Bears with 8 targets and 5 receptions, and he had 45 yards and his first TD catch this season. Allen Robinson had a team high 53 yards on 4 receptions, and Cole Kmet had 4 receptions for 49 yards.

Only 5 receivers caught a pass, so I may as well wrap it with Marquise Goodwin and his 1 for 12 yards.

Alex Bars was used as a sixth offensive lineman 10 times.

DEFENSE

Roquan Smith had a game high 12 tackles, Eddie Jackson was next up with 8 tackles, and Tashaun Gipson added 5 tackles.

The Bears racked three more sacks with one each from Khalil Mack (4 tackles, 1 TFL), Robert Quinn (4 tackles, 2 TFL), and Akiem Hicks (1 tackle, 1 TFL).

The Bears must have went to the taps and decided they needed a change at nickelback, because this week it was Xavier Crawford (3 tackles) getting the start. He played 63% of the snaps and the previous nickel, Duke Shelley, didn’t get a play on D at all.

The Bears had one pass defended on the day, and that went to Alec Ogletree (1 tackle on D, 1 tackle on special teams).

Mario Edwards had a QB hit, and his third unsportsmanlike penalty in the last two weeks. Sure Aaron Rodgers tugged Edwards’ facemask for a second, but the refs apparently missed that and only caught the taunt. The Bears must not have been very happy with the flag as he only played in 11 snaps on D.

Rodgers ended up 17 for 23 (73.9%) for 195 yards, 2 TDs, and a passer rating of 128.0.

The Packers running backs (Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon) rushed 24 times for 135 yards (5.6 ypc).

SPECIAL TEAMS*

*The above image has players that only played in the third phase.

Jakeem Grant returned 2 punts for 11 yards and 3 kickoffs for a 27.7 average.

Patrick O’Donnell placed 3 of his 4 punts inside the 20 yard line and had a 40.3 average (36.3 net).

Deon Bush and Jesper Hortsed each had a special teams tackle.

All statistics and snap counts are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistic and Information System, as are the accompanying pictures.

To check out the full Bears vs Packers box score I find that ESPN has an easy to navigate site.