Rodgers returns from injury and leads the Packers to an improbable win!
The Green Bay Packers are entering their 100th season, but they might have never had a more improbable win than what they just had on Sunday night as they rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit and 20-0 in the third quarter to defeat the Chicago Bears 24-23.
The Packers got the ball first to start the game and had to punt. The Bears drove down the field and scored a touchdown on their opening possession. It was apparent right there that Green Bay was in for a game. After another GB punt, the Bears drove down the field once again, but had to settle for a field goal and a 10-0 lead. In the second quarter, things looked their worst when Aaron Rodgers was sacked and had to be carted off the field. Not only did the game seem over, but the season as well. Rodgers had what looked like a serious injury that could shelve him for the rest of the year. Luckily it turned out to only be a knee injury and he was listed as questionable at halftime. Meanwhile, DeShone Kizer, who the Packers brought in to compete for the backup spot with Brett Hundley and got it when the latter was shipped off to Seattle, came in and looked respectable on his first drive as the Packers were knocking on the door in the red zone. However, Khalil Mack, Chicago’s new prize acquisition on defense, stripped Kizer of the ball on third down and recovered it himself, denying GB a chance to get on the board. Right before halftime, Kizer was pressured and threw an interception right to Mack, who rumbled down the field and into the endzone, giving Chicago a 17-0 halftime lead.
The Bears drove down the field to start the third quarter and settled for a field goal once again. When the Packers got the ball back, Rodgers was back on the field and ready to give his injured knee a try. Rodgers led them to a field goal on his first drive of the second half. After a Chicago punt, Geronimo Allison broke free and Rodgers hit him on a beautiful deep pass to bring the Packers to within 10 points at 20-10 early in the fourth quarter. Another Chicago punt gave the ball back to Rodgers, who drove down the field again and found Davante Adams, who made a beautiful run down the left sideline to pull the Packers to within 3 at 20-17. The Bears got the ball back and converted on third down three different times as they were looking to run out the clock, but they had to settle for another field goal and a 23-17 lead. The football was once again in the hands of Aaron Rodgers.
Starting at his own 25, Rodgers threw incomplete on his first two passes, but he didn’t miss the third one, hitting Randall Cobb, who sprinted down the field and made a few Bears miss, completing a 75-yard TD reception and gave the Packers a 24-23 lead after Mason Crosby made the extra point.
Mitch Trubisky had a chance to be the hero, but facing a fourth down with 1:06 to go, he couldn’t find anyone open and got sacked by Nick Perry and fumbled, ending the Bears’ hopes of any comeback.
I have seen some amazing Packer games, but I don’t know if I have seen a more improbable comeback than this one right here. Think about how you had to have been feeling at halftime. It was as bad as it gets for a Packer fan. Even with Rodgers in the first half, they were not looking good at all, Mack was looking every bit like the best defensive player in the league, the Packers looked like they would go down in their first game celebrating their 100th season, and to top it all off, it was against their most bitter rivals. Rodgers looked like he might be lost for the season. I really felt sick as he worked so hard to get back and got a huge payday, but it looked like the season would be over by the first game.
Were we ever in for a shocker! Not only did Rodgers return, he rallied the team to victory, scoring on all of their second-half possessions except for the final one, where they just ran out the clock.
I’m sure many Bear fans were talking at halftime like they would be serious contenders to make it to the Super Bowl this year. After this gut-wrenching loss, it was back to the drawing board for them as they still have to figure out how to overcome that Green Bay hurdle.
It’s not like the Bears didn’t have their chances to seal it late though. They faced a third-and-2 situation with under 3 minutes remaining and no timeouts for Green Bay and couldn’t convert. On the ensuing GB drive, Kyle Fuller had a chance for an interception, but he dropped it and learned the hard way never to give Rodgers another opportunity. That’s the thing with improbable comeback victories; someone (or many people) on the other side ends up being the goat.
Every win against the Bears is sweet, but this one might top them all. There is the NFC Championship Game win, the division clincher in 2013, when Rodgers hit Cobb on fourth down, and many of the older fans will remember the Instant Replay Game in 1989, when Don Majkowski hit Sterling Sharpe on fourth down and the officials eventually awarded GB the touchdown, overturning their initial ruling that the Majik Man stepped over the line of scrimmage before releasing the ball.
With this win, the Packers lead the Bears 97-94-6 in the all-time series. The Packers never had a 3-game lead in the series until this victory.
The defense didn’t look good at times, but they made the stops when they really had to. I still think they will get better as the season goes on. The Bears are down now, but it looks like they will be a handful whenever the Packers have to face them.
Overall, not only was disaster averted, but the Packers got the victory and are 1-0 on the season. Time will tell how good they can be, but it’s a great day to be a fan of the Green and Gold. Let’s enjoy this win and be thankful that we have the best quarterback in the league on our side. It will be another huge test next Sunday as the Packers face the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Have a great week Packer fans! We’ve earned it!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
