AllGreenBayPackers.Com

QB Jay Cutler and the Bears’ hopes for a division title went down for the count against Mike Neal and the Packers

The Green Bay Packers are the 2012 NFC North Champions.

With all the team has been through this season, winning the division is quite the accomplishment.  After the Chicago Bears started the season 7-1 and the Packers limped to a 5-3 start, it seemed like the Packers would have to take the long road to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

Thanks to masterful roster building by general manager Ted Thompson and another brilliant coaching job by head coach Mike McCarthy (as well another epic collapse by the Bears), the Packers have won their second straight NFC North title.

The Packers wrapped up the division with a 21-13 victory over the Bears Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago.  After spotting the Bears an early 7-0 lead, the Packers scored 21 unanswered points en route to the victory.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns, all to wide receiver James Jones, and the defense once again made life miserable for Jay Cutler.

Here’s who stood out for the Packers in the division-clinching victory as well as  those who left some things on the field.

Game Balls

WR James Jones

All Jones does is catch touchdowns.  Read more... (1013 words + 1 image, estimated 4:03 mins reading time)

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Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears:

My unfitered game day running blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today: 

21 DB Charles Woodson
44 RB James Starks
56 LB Terrell Manning
80 WR Donald Driver
84 TE D.J. Williams
87 WR Jordy Nelson
98 DE C.J. Wilson

Inactive for Bears today:  

12 QB Josh McCown
26 CB Tim Jennings
54 LB Brian Urlacher
58 LB Geno Hayes
69 DT Henry Melton
80 WR Earl Bennett
99 DE Shea McClellin

Game Notes:

Clay Matthews returns to the field today, a huge boost for the Packers’ pass rush. Matthews had 3.5 sacks in the first game against the Bears.

Tim Jennings being out for the Bears is as big, if not a bigger loss than Urlacher being out.

With a win today, Green Bay would clinch their second straight NFC North Title.

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Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Due to some “technical difficulties” WTMJ didn’t have tape of McCarthy’s interview with Wayne Larrivee. But here are some things MM supposedly said.

Matthews will play and they will monitor his progress. Expect him to be a major contributor.  Read more... (893 words + 3 images, estimated 3:34 mins reading time)

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Packers rookie S Jerron McMillian

There’s no way around it–the Packers’ defense dominated the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

Tramon Williams caught as many Jay Cutler passes (two) as Brandon Marshall,  the Packers nearly doubled the Bears in total yards, and Clay Matthews had his arms wrapped around Cutler as if he were a certain cast member on Laguna Beach. If not for an ugly miscommunication between Aaron Rodgers and James Jones, the Bears may not have scored more than three points all night.

Just four days prior, Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers sliced through Green Bay’s defense for 30 points, spoiling the Packers’ season opener at Lambeau Field. Predictably so, much of Packer Nation reached for the “Panic” button.

But the Packers’ performance on Thursday night couldn’t possibly have been more different. The Packers held the Bears’ talented offense to just 10 points and 168 total yards, while intercepting four of Cutler’s passes and sacking him seven times. Suddenly, the Packers defense doesn’t look all that bad.

Matthews (3.5 sacks) and Williams (two INT) will surely continue to receive the bulk of the credit for Thursday night’s surprisingly dominant display of defense, and rightfully so, but it took a total team effort for the Packers to embarrass the Bears the way they did.

And while there were a handful of “unsung heroes” in Week Two, safety Jerron McMillian may top the list.  Read more... (712 words + 1 image, estimated 2:51 mins reading time)

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Clay Matthews sacks Jay Cutler – again and again and again.

Take the ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands, pound the ball with Cedric Benson and let the defense rule the day.

Just what everyone expected, right?

Utilizing a rather unorthodox (for them) gameplan, the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 23-10 and moved to 1-1 on the season.   The Packers of 2011 played with an offense with so much firepower and a defense that was notorious for bending, but not breaking.

Last night, however, was something out of some kind of mirror universe.  The Packers sacked Jay Cutler seven times (with Clay Matthews accounting for exactly half of them) and intercepted him four times (Tramon Williams accounted for exactly half of those).  The Packers shut down Brandon Marshall and the defense created a Bears meltdown no Packer fan will soon forget.

The offense on the other hand showed some signs of rhythm, but still was nowhere near the juggernaut it was a season ago.  Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times and his receivers continued to be plagued by a case of the drops.

So who stood out? It’s time for another addition of Game Balls and Lame Calls.

Game Balls

LB Clay Matthews

I think It’s safe to say: the Claymaker is back.

Want proof? Through two games this season, Matthews has accumulated six sacks. His total from all of 2011 was….six. He is currently on pace for 48 sacks though he likely won’t finish with quite that many.  Read more... (844 words + 1 image, estimated 3:23 mins reading time)

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Surprise of the Game – Tom Crabtree Fake Field Goal TD run

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears:

My unfitered game day recap and blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today:

WR Jarrett Boykin
WR Greg Jennings
S Sean Richardson
CB Davon House
RB James Starks
LB Terrell Manning
DE CJ Wilson

Notes:

Jerel Worthy gets his first NFL start with CJ Wilson out for this game.  He can expect to see a steady dose of Matt Forte and Michael Bush.

31  yr old CB Charles Tillman will play for the Bears. Tillman has been responsible for more than 50 turnovers in his career (interceptions & forced fumbles combined).

LB Erik Walden returns after serving his one game suspension. It will be interesting to see how many snaps he takes from Nick Perry.

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Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Packers – Bears: It’s going to be a tough game. That’s what we’ve prepared for. It’s early in the season, but it’s a game we always look forward to playing

Weird schedule: This is our only division game in 1st half of season.  That’s the NFL, it’s a moving target, that’s what makes things fun.

Jennings: Greg has played very well in these game. I just spoke withhim – he’s in the tank a bit about not being able to play. If it was a 7 day week, I think the outcome would have been different. Greg has made a big impact in these games with his  ability in the quick passing game and his ability to make people miss.  Read more... (1043 words + 3 images, estimated 4:10 mins reading time)

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Packers vs. Bears: Week 2 key Matchups

After a tough loss at home to open this season, the Packers gladly move on to week 2 to face their long-time rival Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday. The good news is that they have a chance to get the bad taste of a week 1 loss to the 49ers out of their mouth. The not so good news is that they have only 4 days rest and prep time before that game. The Bears also will have just 4 days to prepare and travel to Green Bay to face the Pack. They are riding high after a 41-21 week 1 romp over the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field.

Both the Packers and Bears have made several changes to their roster during the offseason. The Pack added 6 defenders in addition to free agents Jeff Saturday and former Bear RB Cedric Benson. The Bears traded for standout WR Brandon Marshall, who was a teammate of Jay Cutler’s in Denver. They also added RB Michael Bush and recently acquired D lineman Amobi Okoye. Rookie draft picks Shea McClellin, Alshon Jeffery and Evan Rodriguez have cracked the starting roster and will likely see time against the Packers. Let’s take a look at some of the matchups to watch for in this week’s game.  Read more... (2304 words + 2 images, estimated 9:13 mins reading time)

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