great summary Al. And thank you for showing us an example of what Man vs boy looks like in the NFL trenches. Hopefully Jace's big brothers will give him serious hell in the film room this week so he doesn't get exposed like that again. If you look closely, you can see urine running down his left leg. Otherwise, great win. GPG

Runyan is a find......many coaches would not have a rookie 6th rounder run power and did it well....this is out of the Badgers playbook....The whole offensive line played very well, I thought Billy Turner was just okay....he was beat like a drum by Mack a few times but many Tackles are too.

I hate the 3 man rush. I never understood rushing 3 vs a hail mary pass attempt either. Why give the qb time to make the throw?

But re: rushing - what are you supposed to do when the rushes are not working? They were working against the Bears, so no problem staying with it.

So far this week has been awesome. I’m walking with a spring in my step. Cyber Monday was huge for my business. Weather has been good. Got a new curved big screen TV. My coon hound’s ears seem to be itching less. Thought it might be the Bears beat down you mentioned but now I realize it was...NO 3 MAN EFFING RUSH!

Good job as usual Al. Yes, it was great to see a 4 man pass rush throughout the game. No reason not to use it on a consistent basis. Love the play with Runyon pulling to seal off the right side.
MLF and Rodgers are on the same page. Good to see that MLF realizes what he has in Rodgers. Can we trade Love for a draft pick who actually contributes to the team?

Agree with your 2022 OL. Maybe Nijman is ready to be the RT by then or we find an RT in the draft. In any case it looks like we will have a solid OL for a while. Thanks, Since ‘61

Let the good times roll - eh. The Packers played a good game against a formerly good opponent. Rodgers played at a very high level and totally controlled the game. The Bears were playing without an NFL QB and gave up on their coach - not a good look. The Packers showed us what is possible when they put together 4 quarters on offense and keep the defense off the field.

I like how Rodgers spread the ball around and how he used the tight ends. This may be the most balanced attack we've seen all season. If we can keep this up, the offense will be tough to stop. RT is a problem that threatens to undermine time in the pocket. Sorry Billy Turner just isn't quick enough a tackle.

Great work Al - Thanks.

Al, just to underline your comment on Lafleur's humility. Note how when "i" make a bad call Rodgers makes "us" look good. Takes the heat on himself and then gives the credit to the team as a whole.

Bear Down: Bears still suck!

La-Flew-Er: (I'm doing this so I get used to saying it correctly). I do really think LaFleur and Rodgers are really starting to hit their stride. They seem to be in tune with each other and really have the offense really clicking. Especially now that the weapons are getting healthy.

The Run Game:
It felt like they thought they needed to throw to get the run going until they actually ran it. Then they quickly realized that without Hicks they could run all over the Bears. Right up the middle.

Power/Gap:
It is great to see them running different blocking schemes. Our OL isn't an overpowering line. They are best at running the zone stretch, but being able to mix in some traps could really benefit the running game down the stretch.

3-man rush:
I didn't remember seeing any but great to confirm it. It felt like to me that the pass rush was trying to keep Trubisky from escaping outside and running the ball. They might have kept the 4 rushers to help contain him, but also having King back might be a big reason why they didn't add extra coverage?

Lucas Patrick:
Hopefully Patrick can continue playing. He has been really good.

OL of 2022:
Unless Linsley signs a cheaper deal I just have a hard time seeing the Packers resigning him. I would love to see them resign him, i just think another team is going to offer him more. I think the OL will be Bakhtiari, Runyon, Jenkins, Patrick/Taylor/Stepaniak, Turner. I think RG could be any one of the 3 OG's. Another option would be whomever they draft.

Boyle Time:
I agree they made the right choice. If Boyle throws a pick-6 or anything all of a sudden its a 1 possession game and Rodgers is back in there against a fired up defense. They made the right choice.

We’re 8-3 and in the hunt for the top seed. We’ve got pretty good health, especially regarding our QB.

I agree with Al that we have to run more. It keeps our QB healthy and our defense off the field. We should run more and pass less.

When we line up MVS and Lazard, and play Adams in the slot, it really forces defenses to make some hard choices. Obviously, you have to pay attention to Adams or we’ll just move it down the field. You have to respect MVS going deep. And Lazard usually has a physical mismatch against a much smaller corner. Then, of course, you still have Tonyan and Jones to contend with. IMO, if Rodgers has time this offense should be able to hang 30+ on anyone.

Al,

Your 3 plays and mind set articles always have some fascinating observations. I Look forward to reading them. Keep up the good work. GPG.

I know many are ecstatic about win over Chicago. The GB offense took it to an obviously over ranked, hyped defense or a defense that knew a win was impossible because of their offense. I know Hicks is a good player, but I can't believe he is the sole reason for their under performance play. A true Top 5 defense has depth, Hicks not playing and resulting in such failure, says they don't and aren't.

My question is still about the GB defense. Why do they play as though they have a sunroof and pop their heads out against weak offenses once in a while and often fail to open the sunroof with others?. Will the defense bang their head against the roof at the worst moment?

Do teams have unwritten rules that mandate a prevent defense instead of playing the same defense that has stopped an offense for 3+ quarters? Did GB forget this rule and then correct itself to make the game appear closer or create angst?

I think the defense is carrying a low ceiling atop arms stretched high, but the arms don't stretch high enough to keep from banging their heads.

It seems to be that the center position going forward if Linsley leaves is in

good hands!

Power Gap.- Jace Sternberger needs to block better- Too soft. Ronyan- Nice back-up. Seems his short arms and IQ will fit nicely in Green Bay. Patrick is doing great! Stepping up is what it is all about. OL 2022- Stepanick will be released.( Lost Time) 3 man rush.- I hate it. Regardless who is the QB. Seems King may have more to do with that then you think. Boyle Time. - This was the Bears. The cheap shots are a given with the Bears. Too much Respect for them. I vote pull.

"This is something I've said for a long time - Rodgers has been covering up coaching mistakes for years (see McCarthy, Mike)."

And if you are looking for additional evidence, just watch a Dallas Cowboy game this year. Funny how all the same stupid shit the McCarthy Packers used to do (dreadful special teams, questionable play calling, downright stupid calls, poor game management, putrid Defense) are now hallmarks of the 2020 Dallas Cowboys. Coincidence? I think not.

Not only did Roquan Smith have a quiet game, but you hardly heard a peep from K. Mack, either. Even without the Bears' defense being at full strength, it's still noteworthy that the OL held them sack-less for the entire game.

Spot on, Al
I am so impressed with the depth along the offensive line. The second time I watch the games, on tape, I like to concentrate on line blocking and I fail to see a weak link which is so prevalent on many teams. We certainly shouldn't forget to give ample credit to Adam Stenavich, the offensive line, coach for the development and cohesiveness of this unit as well as the individual players.

Flew-er ?
I'd say Flur is much closer, but then I'm English and we have colour and bonnet and rubbish, while you have color, hood and trash, while pants are underclothes in my country and trousers in yours. There is a google link if you type in 'how to say fleur' that seems to be more flur than Flew-er, but Americans have strange pronounciation (heh heh).

As for the O line, it seems at least possible (to me) that Elgton Jenkins (listed at 6'5", 311 pounds) could play RT (let's face it, he could do a decent or better job at any spot on the line). The real question (for me) is where he is best suited - I'd rather have a stellar left guard (or possibly centre, sorry center) than a solid RT. I'm still thinking the Packers have a decent chance of acquiring a RT in the 2021 draft on day one or two (at this too-early time, there seems to be several OT prospects bunched at the end of round one).

However, there are two problems with this. The first problem is that positions other than RT could use an early pick (DL, WR, and very likely CB, for example), and the second is that it is not easy to guess what Gutekunst will do on draft day (just look at the 2020 draft).

One thing that should get more 'airtime' is the job OL coach Adam Stenavich is doing (maybe his assistant Luke Butkus as well). The O line has had many changes this year, but has weathered all the adjustments and replacements exceptionally well. Finally, although Stenavich seems to be coaching really well, the players still have to execute, and they have.

One underrated addition to our offensive line has been Lewis. You showed the knockdown of Jace by Mack. But Lewis put Mack on the ground at least once during the game. Good blocking TE’s are rare and he has made some key catches as well.

Thanks, Al. Interesting as always. Packer O line did something similar at this time last year in their outside zone run game. One thing I noticed is this front office- scouting staff likes smart players in their O line. How they look does not bother them in the least. (That said Turner and Jenkins are prototype athletes, not a once of body fat) The complaints about Pettine in the fourth have merit. Still, he forced the Bears to burn clock on both drives. But the offense went a bit flat in the same quarter, and did not hold on to the ball till the three-minute mark. Understandable that MLF was unsure of his O line play with the changes. We'll see if he keeps to running the ball next week.

It puzzles me that we are running the ball less efficiently this season yet our passing attack is much better. Usually the opposite occurs as teams adjust. Hopefully the Bears game will be a prelude to an improved running attack because the game against the Jags and especially the Vikes was disheartening.