#377 Packers Unscripted: High-stakes rivalry

and ten. One thing I didn't realize at the time earlier this week, and now it's come up in some different avenues throughout the course of this week, is that the Packers visit to the Bears in the regular season. In two thousand and ten, two sold Your Field was

the last time the Packers lost down there. For some reason that hadn't even occurred to me until you start looking at the stats and hearing what people are talking about, and it's like, wow, the Packers have won seven regular season games in a row, eight in a row in all,

including the NFC Championship game. It's really quite the streak between these two rivals, and not something I was even totally aware of pretty surprising, to be honest with you, And I was actually going to open the show if you wouldn't have let in that way by asking you, as a historian of this thing, if you realize that, because usually I pay attention to that kind of stuff, and this one went past me. Someone else had mentioned it, and then I looked it up and I was like wow.

So I went and when I was writing the story for Packers dot Com, I went through each one of those seasons on NFL G S I S. And it's funny how I recalled every one, single one of those games, maybe besides two thousand eleven, but I remember twelve. Remember well, thirteen is pretty unformab and sixteen is pretty unforgettable as well, with the deep all the Jordy Nelson to set up

the walk off field. And what's wild about it is I never really stitched them all together to realize that this is an eight game winning streak now dating back to that NFC Championship game in two thousand eleven, essentially that led to the Packers going to Super Bowl forty five.

It's pretty incredible. And Aaron Rodgers was talking about this at his locker on Wednesday, and he said, you know, there's some stuff made out of Chicago about a Keem Hicks saying, you know, some comments about Roger's comments and Rogers like, I wasn't trying to say anything about it other than just a statement of fact that they're trying

to get their ninth straight win at Soldier Fields. So it's interesting to me and that there's so many storylines that fit into this thing when you look at how the Packers have been playing uh in in the run that the Bears have got on winning I think six of the last seven. Now you have these two teams meeting and it just so happens to be stakes for

each team. The Bears trying to clinch their first NFC North Tittles you said, in eight years, and the Packers trying to keep their playoff hopes alive in a suddenly wide open NFC race. It's very interesting when you break it all down and also look at the fact that the Packers are carrying in this winning streak of what this game truly means, and the fact that it's also

being played in December only adds to it. Well, it's interesting because the Bears, the Bears certainly Matt Nagge and his conference called Worth Reporters yesterday said he's not paying attention and it wasn't even aware of the Packers winning streak in Chicago. I'm not sure I totally believe that, but the point being, they're not necessarily getting hung up

on that kind of history. But you know, those guys in the locker room who have been here, have been in Chicago for a number of years and have faced their rival at home and not been able to come out with a victory. You know that this means something to them, on top of the fact that they can clinch their first division title. And interestingly with Chicago, if I'm not mistaken, I believe the Bears are six and

one at Soldier Field this year. They're only loss at home was to the New England Patriots, and that was a game that ended on the one yard line, remember with that hail Mary and the Bears caught it, but the Patriots held him out of the end zone. So that's the only game that the Bears have lost at home this year, and quite frankly, all all four of the Bears losses this year have been sort of in that heartbreaking variety starting with Week one when Rogers brings

the Packers back from twenty to nothing. I just mentioned the New England game ending on the one yard line. They lost in overtime to the New York Giants a couple of weeks ago with backup quarterback Chase Daniel, but a game that the Bears had rallied at the end and had all this momentum and everything, but then couldn't pull it out in o t and then I'm trying to remember it escapes me now. It was in my head.

The other Chicago loss this season they are the Giants, the Miami game that that that crazy back and forth game in Miami that that they ended up losing in overtime when they had multiple opportunities to win that one. So an interesting season for the Bears and one that they want to add another chapter two with with that division championship if they can beat the Packers. Yeah, and it's funny and that they've just had some absolute mail biers.

When you go back to that Miami game. I remember watching that here at the office and just being in awe of everything that happened with the Kenyan Drake fumble and and then being able to come back. You know that was that was one of the wildest games. Well, I mean in Miami just had that game with New England. I mean, but that Miami Chicago game was was one of the wildest football games of the season, absolutely across

the board. The thing that really stands out to me the most though, is the fact that they are coming off of their biggest win of the season. The Bears are in that regard and beating the Rams at home in a primetime football game. You look before that, Mike, I mean, they're like their strength of victories just aren't really that strong. I mean, you beat the teams you had to beat. That's how you get to be nine

and four. You have to be able to beat the Jets and the Bills and you know, the Cardinals of the world. But you know, the Seahawks weren't the Seahawks at least the Seahawks were seeing now they played them. So, yeah, the Bears got them really early in the season before the Seahawks kind of found their footing, and that's that that that was a nice win for Chicago certainly looks good now in that NFC playoff picture. So from my perspective, the way I look at this matchup. I mean, I

don't know who's gonna win it. I'm not claiming that at all, but I think this is going to be one of those knockdown, drago type football games. I would be very surprised if it ends up being a blowout on either side, because you look at the Bears defensively, the way that they're built, you know they are there to make the game low scoring, to find ways to

get takeaways, to give opportunities their offense. Their offense. I think in the end, what Matt Nagy wants to accomplish here is to get a not safe that's the wrong word, but protecting the football and being able to establish the short area stuff, being able to use some of the trickeration, being able to get the running game going, and then have some big plays down the field. When they get to that point, I think you're going to see the

Bears really become, you know, solid elite contenders. But from the Packers perspective, you're coming off of a game in which you scored the most points you've scored all season, and now you're taking on a team that you actually beat back in Week one. Yes, it was dramatic Aaron Rodgers talked about it's going to go down as one of the more special moments of his NFL career. It would be a little bit more special had the Packers been able to have a big winning season, as he

called it, of course. But at one of the points I tried to make in the story that I wrote is the fact that if the Packers don't come back in that game, this game really has no meaning, It has no ramifications. That's why the Packers are where they are in the fact that they can go back now and they're in a position to potentially be able to pick up another one on the road and Soldier Field, it adds to just another chapter in this rivalry. Yeah, I mean, this is definitely one to to look forward to.

When a couple of weeks ago we were wondering just even what might be at stake when the Packers go to Chicago. But um, but this should be a fun one. Quickly though, Packers fans, stop in at your local quick Trip, pick up your Packers cup today, get eighty nine cent refills on your Cafe Cruba coffee all season long, and the last time I think I'll be reading this one, Wes be sure to enter the Cousin Subs Best Seats

in the House promotion. You and a guest could win a chance to kick back on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each home game for this v I P experience. Enter daily now through December sixteen by completing the entry form and submitting. For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com slash Best Seats Cousin Subs. We believe in Better. Okay, I know tomorrow our final show of the week, we're going to get into the

Keys to Victory and all that. And we've already talked about this a little bit during the week, but it bears repeating you the way the statistics line up in this game. Chicago twenty five interceptions, thirty four total takeaways on defense, which far and away leads the NFL. The Green Bay Packers with only twelve giveaways on the season, only ten of those with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. I might add because of the two that Kaiser had when Rogers was dealing with that knee injury in Week one,

Aaron Rodgers with just one interception. He's the only quarterback in the NFL, the only regular starting quarterback in the n of Hell this year, with just the one interception, Rogers has now the record streak three consecutive pass attempts without an interception. You just get the sense that, maybe more so in this type of matchup than any other, that one or two turnovers are going to decide who

comes out on top. Here, absolutely, Mike. And it's so interesting to me because I was bringing up the stats right now. I was trying to see where the Chicago Bears are at offensively with passer rating right now. Defensively, seventy three point four opposing passer rating so far on the season. Yes, there's been twenty one touchdowns, which is in the upper echelon in the league, but interceptions is

what drags down that opposer passer rating. For sure. The next closest defense in terms of opposing passer rating is eighty three point four that belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And then if you look at it on the other side of things, I was trying to find it stalling, stalling, stalling, stalling. I'm not going to find it because like, oh, here it is the Chicago Bears ninety two point six offensive.

That's a twenty point difference. So even though you know Mitchell Robinsky has had some turnovers this year and they've had some moments where they haven't been maybe offensively explosive, that defense is going to keep you in games. The part of this I really like, and you kind of predicted this a little bit earlier in the week when we were looking at Kyle Fuller's seven interceptions on the

league the year. You look at where his season has gone, the fact that this whole two thousand eighteen began for him signing a restricted tender with the Packers to potentially come to Green Bay. Brian Goods was trying to get him to across the border speak and the Bears matched it. And as he was saying in his conference call with reporters, yeah, what better way right now for him having seven picks

on the year than to end the streak for Aaron Rodgers. Conversely, Aaron Rodgers is trying to continue what he did in the second half against the Bears seventeen of twenty three for two or forty three yards, three touchdowns, whatever it was. There is like that juxtaposition of those two forces is making this I think one of the musty matchups of

this week. Yeah. Well, it's interesting because when you look at the Bears, it's not just the thirty four turnovers, which is six better than any other defense in the league to this point. But I took a closer look at their statistics. I knew they had a handful, but I didn't realize that that defense has scored six touchdowns this season. Eddie Jackson, the safety who is second to Fuller on the team with five interceptions. He's returned two picks for touchdowns and he also has a fumble return

for a touchdown. And they have three other defensive touchdowns on the year, one of those here at Lambo Field Khalil mac with the interception return of that ill advised screen pass um by Deshaun Kaiser late in the first half there in Week one. But man, oh Man, six defensive touched ounds in what is it, thirteen games at

this point, that's that's just remarkable. And and as as we talked about on yesterday's show, this is so reminiscent of other Bears teams, Bears competitive playoff caliber teams in the past, that that they lean on their defense. The

offense can do just enough. And uh, and as we said, with with Mitchell Trubisky just being a second year pro at quarterback, with presumably you know, his arrow, his progression still heading upward, it's really going to be interesting to see what happens with this Bears team in the future. But for the right here and now, this is a big one Sunday. It is. And and the thing that I'm most looking forward to is the fact that, yeah, they did see Tom Brady and they actually came out

on the losing side of things. But other than that, they still haven't face a quarterback quite like Aaron Rodgers, who was as turnover a verse as he's been throughout the course of his career. I was gonna try to bring up quickly as I can. And it's funny because Fuller, as we mentioned with the seven interception, he knows he should have eight, because he should have had the one at lambeau Field in Week one, which would have squelched

the Packers comeback efforts in that game. Rogers through one that uh that you know, hit Fuller right in the chest, so to speak, and he didn't hang onto it. And as they say, sometimes you you drop a pick, you give up a game winning touchdown, and that's exactly how a Week one ended up unfolding. And if you look at the Packers too, it's the same exact situation where they had a chance to just to stop what the Cardinals were doing and weren't able to bring it in

two weeks ago. Those turnover plays are so important, especially in those critical juncture of games. But history is what it is, hindsight is what it is, and the Packers now find themselves in a position at five seven and one to go in there potentially having a chance to really get yourself, you know, some momentum here in this final stretch of games. I've said it twice. I've written two inboxes this week Mike's I've said it both times. The Packers beat the Bears, with the Bears coming off

of the wind that they had over the Rams. Suddenly at six seven and one, nobody wants to play you. So it's gonna be interesting to see exactly what they're able to do in a game like this. I think it's gonna be so important again looking at Keys of Victory tomorrow, but getting off to a fast start, because you know the way things ended in week one, Matt

Maggie vic Fangio. They're going to have their team mentally ready, mentally conditioned to not be in a position once again where you get off to an early and you sacrifice it, you give it up. That's the one kind of I think incentive that they're going to really be able to hone in on and wanting to make sure they finish right. So if the Packers need to get off to a

better start in this one. Yeah, And before we move on to one last topic for today, I do want to bring up a coach McCarthy ism here because I think it applies because we heard over thirteen years from coach Mike McCarthy about the challenge in this league of handling success. And the Chicago Bears are coming off their biggest win of the season. All the spotlight is on them. How do they handle this level of success now with an arch rival, the Packers coming into play them. I

think that's a factor. You just look at a week ago the da As Cowboys, they beat the New Orleans Saints. They had everything going for him, all the spotlight was on them. They had a division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, coming into their place, and what happens that game goes to overtime, could have gone either way several different times down the stretch and in overtime for for what way

that game could have gone. So just something to keep in mind, because because handling success in this league is not easy. Yeah, and this league has a very interesting way of humbling you quickly, just as the Rams just has the Saints, and even to some extent while they did come on with the victory of the Cowboys. Yeah. Um, all right, Well, it is about time to be wrapping up online the Pro Bowl voting. I believe the deadline is later today, later on Thursday, as we're as we're

recording this right now. Packers certainly have some Pro Bowl candidates, legitimate Pro Bowl candidates despite a sub record at this point. I guess the first one that comes to mind for me would probably be, well, I guess I'll say to Davantae Adams with the season he is having, and then David Baktr at left tackle. I know bok Tr has been dealing with some injuries off and on, but he's out there battling through it and I still think he's been He's been one heck of a player up front

for Green Bay. Yeah, I mean this entire offense. You look at the guys that have started every single game and you can draw up parallels between them. When you look at Adams the season he's had, I mean three games to go, he has a chance to have a really special season, not only now in franchise history, but league history. If he stays up there in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, I think he's top three, and all three of those right now are top five somewhere in there.

That's remarkable. David Botry isn't going to have the kind of there's no stats there to wow you. But you know, I'd asked Aaron Rodgers about him on Wednesday, and Rogers didn't bring up Pro Bowl, he didn't bring up all Pro He said he had his whole fame potential. I mean for Rogers, you know, the thing is he's always going to talk up his teammates, He's always going to give them credit, but he's always very careful and what he says. He's not going to throw something out there

just for the sake of praising someone. He's he's not gonna go overboard and try to pump somebody up with some kind of false conference or whatever, not that that's even an issue with box No, but I mean the fact that you know, those two have been together now, Mike, if you look at it now there and there's sixth season together. It doesn't work a lot like that in the NFL that you can get a left tackle that's with someone for that amount time, even Andrew Whitworth eventually

ended up moving onto the Rams. So for them to have that that one to punch together in Rogers in this particular season, especially early on with dealing with the knee injury in box t are being able to stay out there, you know. And I had asked Lucas Patrick about him tour this week and what that meant to have him on the field and play every snap when you're down three other offensive lineman, knowing what he's dealing with with his knees, and he said, I mean, he's

been saying. People are afraid to say it, but the guy's legitimately been a snub. He has two All pros to his name right now, but still only one Pro Bowl. So yeah, hashtag Pro Bowl vote. You can type in your favorite Packer player name. You can type in at Mike Spofford too. Maybe they that that's okay. I'm not I'm not saved the Pro Bowl votes for the players. That's perfectly fine. But but there are a lot of

decent candidates. When you bring up Adams, you bring up back t R. I think Kenny Clark that was That was the other one. I was going to mention. Kenny Clark on the defensive side, I think is the one guy for the Packers who has legitimate case. I mean, to have six sacks is and into your defensive lineman and you know, and the player vote here is going to be part of this. The players, I believe it's tomorrow,

are going to be casting their votes. Um. And that's where I think a guy like Kenny Clark start will will start to get some attention. Because all these teams that have played the Packers, and certainly since Mike Daniels has been out with his foot injury and gone on injured, reserve anything in the trenches as far as game planning against the Packers, you're focused on Kenny Clark. And that's the kind of thing that goes a long way in terms of the in terms of the attention and the

things that can garner votes for this. Yeah, and for people that don't know it's it's basically thirds is how this all goes. The third the coaching vote, third the player vote, and third fan vote. I believe it is so U Yeah, it's across the board in that regard, and certainly, uh, you know, it is in some ways a popularity contest. I know, one of the things you always used to say about b J. Raji it was Rajie probably deserved to go in two thousand or two

thousand and ten. He ended up going in eleven. A lot of times's a year after it almost seems to be like, yeah and that, and that was the case a handful of years ago, with guys like t J. Lang and Josh sitting for the Packers, and the other one I'll mention right now who I think is on that path is Corey Linsley, the Packers center. He's as deserving maybe as anybody right now, but as you say it, it sometimes takes a while for that recognition to show up.

So I think Lindsley is one of those guys who's on that Pro Bowl track in terms of being one of those you know in the trenches, anonymous type of type of Warriors, and uh so if it doesn't come for him this year, certainly something that could come for him down the road. Strange out of the west Hodkowitz Statson Infolt Department, they just they just started it. It's not like the Mi Spott for one that's been here for several years. I was going through some statistics. It

was interesting. This game on Sunday will be the two year anniversary of the last time Corey Lensley missed a snap Week fifteen against the Bears. He had to go out because of an equipment injury. Our equipment issue, excuse me. He was gone for one play. Don Barkley had to come in at center. Since then, he's played, According to my math, which I'm not claiming to be great at, but as or, it's somewhere around the two thousand fifty

six consecutive snaps since then two thousand. Yeah, he played every snap last year and he's played every snap so far this year. So, and especially considering the backers really haven't had a traditional center behind him, very important for him to begin to that kind of work. Yeah, that's uh, that's actually quite the I mean, I know we talked last year about Joe Thomas and the Browns, and he got to like ten thousand snap, which which is just

like off the charts ridiculous. But I mean to play two thousand consecutive I don't care what position you're playing. To play two thousand consecutive snaps in this league, that's that's a feather in your cap. And I think, if my numbers are right, if it wouldn't have been for that equipment issue, I think he's played every snap dating back to when he came off of p U P midway through two thousand and sixteen, when J. C. Trader was starting that he got hurt, and then Lesley came

back and he's played every snap since then. Wow, that's something. Well for now, we gotta go. We'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot Com on Twitter. He's at west Hot, I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.