Green Bay Packers def. Chicago Bears: 5 takeaways of Week 1
By Erik Lambert
True to form the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears delivered another classic to their longstanding rivalry on Sunday night of week 1.
The second half was a thriller for Packer fans and a nightmare for Bears fans, proof that the hierarchy of the NFC North isn’t ready to change just yet. Both teams looked strong though and the battle for supremacy in the division is just getting started. It wouldn’t be surprising if their next meeting could have serious playoff implications. For the time being though, here are some takeaways from the action.
Aaron Rodgers is still very much Aaron Rodgers
What a gutty performance by the best quarterback in football. After a rough start to the game and suffering an injury to his left knee, it looked like Rodgers might be done for the night. Instead he came back in, got the offense going and sparked an epic comeback to win the game with three second half touchdown passes. It was yet another magnificent performance.
Rodgers will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. That much is certain and his mastery of the Bears is upholding a Green Bay tradition. At the same time, the performance also reinforces the reality for the Packers. They can’t win without him. They were clearly outmatched when Rodgers came out of the game. It’s likely it would’ve ended in a blowout if he hadn’t returned.
They best pray he stays healthy the rest of the way.