Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears Match Player Stats On Sep 13, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 13, 2015

CHICAGO -- Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, two to the recently re-signed receiver James Jones, and brought the Green Bay Packers from behind to defeat the Chicago Bears 31-23 on Sunday.

The Bears, blown out twice by the Packers a year ago and rebuilding a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL the last two years, knew the key to the game would be limiting Green Bay's possessions by controlling the ball on offense, and they did an outstanding job of that.

But Chicago could not put enough pressure on Rodgers to prevent him from taking advantage of limited possessions even though he had to frequently run out of the pocket to pass or to scramble.

Rodgers completed 18 of 23 passes for 189 yards, but Chicago had the edge in ball control -- both time of possession and offensive plays.

Jones, who played the first seven years on his career with the Packers, had been released by the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants in the past half year. He looked like he never left Green Bay with Rodgers going his way at key times, including a game-clinching throw in the fourth quarter that resulted in a pass interference call against cornerback Kyle Fuller with two minutes remaining. That set up running back Eddie Lacy for a 2-yard touchdown run that put the Packers ahead 31-16.

A 24-yard touchdown pass from Bears quarterback Jay Cutler to tight end Martellus Bennett with 34 seconds remaining merely made the score closer.

With the Bears ahead 13-10 at halftime, Green Bay needed barely three minutes to score after the second-half kickoff. The touchdown came on a 1-yard toss from Rodgers to Jones.

A nifty 15-yard run by Lacy, who escaped outside after being bottled up inside, and a 25-yard throw from Rodgers to Davante Adams preceded the touchdown. That put Green Bay ahead 17-13.

After the Bears responded with Robbie Gould's third field goal of the game, the Packers mounted their longest drive of the day, 78 yards and 9:24 on the clock, before Rodgers threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randall Cobb.

Green Bay converted three third downs and a fourth down on the drive, which included 12- and 15-yard scrambles by Rodgers.

Chicago, down 24-16, had a chance to tie after Cutler completed a third-down pass to wide receiver Marquess Wilson that wound up as a 50-yard gain when Sam Shields missed a tackle.

The Bears eventually had a first down at the 6-yard line but mystifyingly did not give the ball to running back Matt Forte -- who had 141 yards on 24 carries -- on a running play and the drive ended on three straight incomplete passes by Cutler from the 2.

The Packers could not move the ball from there, however, and the Bears got another chance with a short field. But on first down from the Green Bay 29, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted a Cutler pass, leading to the drive that ended with Lacy's touchdown.

NOTES: The Bears were able to play all three of their wide receivers who missed much of preseason because of injuries -- Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson. ... Robbie Gould's first of three field goals, his 244th with the Bears, broke a tie with Kevin Butler for the franchise record. ... When the Packers swept the Bears in 2014, Green Bay did not punt in the first game and punted for the first time in the second game with a 42-0 lead in the third quarter. This time, the Packers went three-and-out and punted on their first possession, but that was their only punt. ... Packers LB Sam Barrington suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return to the game. ... Royal was helped off just before halftime when two Packers sandwiched him and forced an incomplete pass. Royal was checked for a concussion and cleared to return. ... The Packers have won 12 of their last 14 against the Bears, including six straight at Soldier Field, and Rodgers has won 10 in a row against Chicago in games he attempted at least five passes.