Chicago Bears pass rushers can neutralize Aaron Rodgers
The Chicago Bears can neutralize Aaron Rodgers with a plus matchup on the edges
When the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers meet at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night it will not just be your ordinary rivalry game. The series between the two teams currently 94-94-6. The Bears have held the lead, but Rodgers has inched his team towards taking control of the historical battle. In order for the Bears to stave off the Packers and hold onto the historical lead, the team must rely heavily on their pass rush.
The Packers offensive line is banged up, to say the least. Aaron Rodgers sack percentage currently sits an 8.8, which would be the worst of his career. He also is currently on pace to shatter his career high in sacks by 18 takedowns. However, most of this does not come down on Rodgers.
Rodgers has been playing without not one, but two of his starting tackles. Neither Bryan Bulaga nor David Bakhtiari has suited up yet. On top of that Kyle Murphy and Jason Spriggs, the two to step in are both out for the season. It is safe to say they have an issue at tackle.
On the other side, it looks like the Bears pass rushers are right on the edge of breaking out. Leonard Floyd has yet to record a sack, but his play has been solid and it feels like a breakout game is coming. Pernell McPhee came back from an injury and went from four to 24 to 27 snaps in the team’s first three weeks. He has become more noticeable every week and appears to be playing with a combination of power and speed.
In the meantime, Willie Young and Sam Acho have been getting rotational snaps and have looked consistent as well. It appears as if all four of these pass rushers are inches or a moment away from having a huge impact game.
It is a short week, the Packers are scrambling to find solutions at both tackles positions at the same time the Bears edge rushers seem to be ready to blow up. Is this the perfect storm to start off a potential upset? This should be the matchup worth looking into tonight.