Bears vs. Packers: Five Takeaways From Week 1 Match-up
Sep 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones (89) makes a touchdown catch over Chicago Bears defensive back Alan Ball (24) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears Have Serious Issues at Cornerback Position
While a date with Rodgers and his weapons at the wide receiver position is rarely going to turn out positively for an opposing secondary, the Bears’ cornerbacks looked extra awful on Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Fuller, a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, is supposed to be the Bears’ number one option at the position. Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of the same struggles from him this season, as we did last year. Fuller looks decent when defending receivers most of the time, but he continues to struggle with locating the ball.
In particular, a play made down the sideline by Davante Adams sticks out as a low-point for Fuller on the day. He had nice coverage on the play, using the sideline well to limit Adams’ space to make a play, but he simply could not locate the ball when it was thrown to the sideline. It was a great throw from Rodgers, and an even better catch from Adams, but it was clearly a play that Fuller should have been able to knock down.
Starting opposite of Fuller on Sunday was journeyman veteran Alan Ball, who probably struggled even worse than Fuller. Ball seemed to be consistently picked on by Rodgers, particularly in coverage against James Jones. The Packers signed Jones off of the street about a week ago, and he torched Ball all afternoon.
Ball was the primary defender on Jones all afternoon, and the Packers’ veteran WR finished the game with four receptions (on four targets) for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and he even had one touchdown called back on a holding penalty. Ball was in coverage against Jones on all of his receptions.
The Bears’ pass rush did not do the secondary any favors, but Fuller and Ball were easily exploited by Rodgers on Sunday. If this defense is going to stand any chance moving forward, they simply must get better play out of their cornerbacks. Perhaps we will see more Sherrick McManis, Demontre Hurst, Terrance Mitchell or Bryce Callahan moving forward? They couldn’t be much worse.
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