Packers @ Bears
Final Score: Packers 20 – Bears 19
Writer: Zach Whetsel
The announcers summed this game up perfectly as they signed off for the day: “For the Chicago Bears, heartbreak, as usual.” Unfortunately for the Bears, they lost because their head coach is absolutely incompetent, and the owners will never allow for his firing until after the season, so they are stuck with this level of performance for the time being. Unfortunately for the Packers, they looked terrible coming off their bye and should not have been outplayed by a massively struggling Bears team today. This was not a good look for either team ultimately, and although the Packers do still own the Bears, neither team’s fans should feel great about what they saw in today’s game.
Three Up
- Caleb Williams – Finally, another good game from Caleb Williams, and this one even came against a defense that is better than league average. Caleb led an extremely clutch game-winning drive today, converting a 3rd and 19 off two perfect throws and then hitting Keenan Allen with huge pressure in his face to get well into field goal range. There was more good today than bad for Caleb after the Bears made a change at offensive coordinator this week, and although he still looked like a rookie at times, most Bears fans would tell you they feel confident in his future as their QB after this game.
- Rome Odunze – The rookie wide receiver for the Bears has had a mostly quiet season, even while the talent has been evident all year. Today, Rome didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he was the one Caleb looked to twice in a row when the Bears needed to convert, and he delivered both times while making it look routine. Rome even drew the most targets today of all Bears receivers, with 10 to his name… he may be cementing a central role in this offense going into the back half of the season. I wouldn’t expect Keenan Allen to be a priority re-sign for the Bears this off-season either, so especially in Dynasty formats, Caleb and Rome developing this type of chemistry makes him a screaming buy.
- DJ Moore – A new offensive coordinator may not save the season for the Bears, but it may help DJ Moore’s fantasy managers save theirs. While Moore didn’t have his best game on the stat sheet either, he was involved in the offense in a much more sensible and encouraging way than we’ve seen all year. DJ actually hauled in all seven of his targets today; expect some of those new quality touches to convert into scores in future games as the offense gels under their new play caller. Outside of the Panthers game, where he dominated, this was easily Moore’s most encouraging performance of the season, simply because the new offensive coordinator seems to understand how to actually use him.
Three Down
- Tucker Kraft – Frustration over target share is how it often goes for the Packers receiving options under Matt LaFleur, but it still hurts to see Tucker Kraft ending up ignored for the entirety of a close football game. As the guy who realistically should be their best red zone threat, and as a tight end that many were thinking was becoming a top fantasy player just a few weeks ago, Kraft only getting one single target on the day is nothing short of a complete letdown. Although the Packers won, Kraft put up a big fat zero for fantasy owners that started him today, and that’s about as bad as it gets.
- Keenan Allen – Keenan Allen still made the clutch grab on the last drive to get the Bears into field goal range, but he was the only receiver that didn’t majorly benefit from the change at offensive coordinator this week. He still looks a bit… slow, unfortunately. Thankfully for Keenan, his game is not predicated on speed, so he still knows how to set up routes and create space with the best of them, but I just don’t see him as an every-week contributor even if the offense does improve on the whole. Rome is showing too much to lose opportunities to Allen moving forward. Still, with 8 targets in the game, Keenan will have better days in the future. He’s not done for yet.
- Jayden Reed – Jayden Reed caught a touchdown this week to somewhat save his day, but he only had three total touches in a close game against the Bears… you’d expect the best Packers players to dominate against the team that they own, but it was not meant to be for Reed on this occasion. Even though Reed is the most talented of all Packers receivers right now, he was another victim of the Packers’ refusal to simply feed their studs each week, and you just can’t expect him to maintain his early-season domination moving forward. Regardless, the Packers won, and unlike his counterpart Doubs, I’m sure you won’t catch Reed complaining about target share anytime soon.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 13/17 passing, 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 4 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Love may be the biggest conundrum I’ve ever had the frustration of watching at QB for the Packers. He makes the most boneheaded throws, and yet so many are caught for big plays- he’s seemingly Favre on steroids. All that aside, he had himself a solid day overall, especially considering the low volume of pass attempts and high relative passing yardage despite that. The Packers did not need a shootout, and at the end of the day, Love delivered when it mattered.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 18 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD | 4/5 receiving, 58 yards
Jacobs did it all today as the Packers did their best to avoid making big mistakes against a talented and hungry divisional rival defense. He even clocked in as the team’s #2 receiver on the day by yardage while pulling in more targets than anyone else on the offense. While it wasn’t his most efficient day on the ground, that could be expected given the Packers’ willingness to keep their pass-to-run ratio at about 50% even today, so the Bears were able to key in on Jacobs for parts of the game. Jacobs still got the job done throughout the matchup, and fantasy managers can feel confident that he is the only stud LaFleur will always be happy to feed. Plus, if he keeps pulling receiving work like he did today, he might even catch a receiving touchdown in one of these games.
Emanuel Wilson: 2 carries, 17 yards
Emanuel Wilson does not look to be a bad running back, but with Jacobs doing everything well, Wilson is relegated strictly to backup duties in this offense. He only got two rushes to spell Jacobs, and although he made the most of them with 17 yards between the two touches, he will not be a viable fantasy starter at any point barring injury.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Christian Watson: 4/4 receiving, 150 yards
The big play merchant struck again today, although none of Watson’s electric receptions resulted in scores. On small volume, he made the most of his looks and set a career-high for receiving yards in a game. Watson was seemingly the only player on the offense capable of generating consistent chunk gains and provided a much-needed spark late to get the offense into the red zone on their go-ahead drive. He hauled in an extremely impressive diving catch and then had the mental awareness to immediately pop up and keep moving for more yards – it turned a run-of-the-mill big play into a near score late. Although four targets won’t be enough to sustain consistent production like this moving forward, it’s always nice to see Watson have a big game, especially when he keeps his hamstrings intact while doing so.
Jayden Reed: 2/2 receiving, 23 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, -5 yards
I already spoke about Reed in my “three down” section earlier, but it’s tough to be too down on Reed in all reality, considering the fact that he tied for #2 on the team in targets among receivers and had the only touchdown in the receiving room. Unfortunately, on a day when Love completes 13 passes total, receptions are naturally hard to come by, and so Reed made the most of his opportunities and had a fine game despite the script of the game on the whole.
I put Reed in the “Three Down” section because I think this issue speaks to the concerns about his role in the offense in general… it’s not Reed’s fault that he’s not in a situation to be featured regularly, but he’s not, and the Packers are winning, so he likely won’t be. Therefore, although it’s not his fault, Reed is someone I’m fading moving into the final section of the season. Bust weeks are just too common for receivers in this room, and that can be a killer in the fantasy playoffs.
Romeo Doubs: 1/2 receiving, 17 yards
Another victim of the low-volume pass attack that the Packers brought this week, Romeo Doubs at least isn’t expected to be an every-week starter in fantasy right now, so it shouldn’t hurt as bad as Reed’s performance for fantasy owners. Nonetheless, the Packers did not give me much to write about for receivers like Doubs- he just wasn’t featured in the game plan and did not get opportunities to leave his mark. Onto next week, and we’ll just have to hope the Packers are more pass-heavy then.
Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft: 0/1 receiving
Wicks and Kraft were the other two Packers fantasy losers in this week’s win over the Bears – both were only given a single target and were unable to make anything of their chance. While it was not their fault that today was quiet, this will likely be the worst showing of the season for both of them. Hopefully. Onto the next game, with a win!
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 23/31 passing, 231 yards | 9 carries, 70 yards
While Caleb Williams did not have the highest yardage total today through the air despite 31 attempts (the exact opposite of Jordan Love in that department), his 231 passing yards came cleanly and without many mistakes. You’d love to see him punch in a touchdown through the air again, but the rookie needed a confidence-boosting performance this week after the offense has been so putrid recently that it led to the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after last week’s game. Today delivered on that front for Caleb- he missed some throws early, showing more of the accuracy issues that have been getting worse as the season has gone on, but new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown gave Caleb a competent, straight-forward game plan to work into, and Caleb clearly became better as the game went on.
One thing of note is that Thomas Brown called more designed QB runs for Caleb than Waldron ever has – Brown seems to like the idea of getting Caleb into a groove using his legs, since his elusiveness when scrambling is one of his greatest qualities as a prospect. Personally, I’m a big fan of this, although it was a little scary at times to see Caleb getting hit; it worked well, though, and let him get things going without needing to use his arm. Lo and behold, once the offense had some confidence, Caleb’s arm came alive, too – his final drive had three of the best passes I’ve seen from him in a Bears uniform so far, considering the context. The field goal drive was undeniably clutch.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 14 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD | 2/2 receiving, 13 yards
Swift had himself one of the most encouraging games I’ve seen yet in terms of being a complete runner who will produce regardless of opponent. He’s looked good since about Week 4 himself, but the offensive line and play-calling have felt terrible for most of the season regardless, and it always felt to me like he would be fool’s gold against stout run defenses. However, the new play calling looked leagues better than anything the Bears have shown this season, and although it’s only a one-week sample size, I feel very encouraged by Swift’s efficiency running the ball today. The offensive line mauled the Packers defenders on his run outside for a 39-yard touchdown to end the third quarter, and his stutter step to beat the last defender was reminiscent of the great Walter Peyton. I don’t expect the Bears to win more than one or so games moving forward this year, but Swift should be a solid RB2 despite their struggles as a team.
Roschon Johnson: 10 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD | 1/1 receiving, 8 yards
The other big change of note in this offense’s move from Shane Waldon to Thomas Brown at OC is that Roschon Johnson got much more run today than he ever has before this season. Unfortunately for him, he showed again why he could never be a full-time starter: he’s slow. Regardless, he’s a competent pass blocker, a surprisingly talented receiver, and knows how to get the job done better than anyone else on the Bears in short-yardage situations, so he’s a nice name to see on the field even if he won’t be breaking off long runs. The Bears lack people in the organization who are capable of simply doing the basics right, and Roschon is exactly the type of player who you can always count on to avoid mistakes. I don’t see him ever becoming a regular fantasy starter, but I think most Bears fans and the new coordinator would agree with me that he’s a valuable player as someone who can spell the smaller D’Andre Swift. If his increased usage continues, there would be much worse fantasy RB3 or 4s to be playing in a pinch.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rome Odunze: 6/10 receiving, 65 yards
Rome Odunze is the most talented rookie receiver I think I’ve seen play for the Bears, ever. Despite his relatively quiet rookie season so far (compared to the other two prospects drafted in the top 10 with him), Rome is already incredibly polished as a route runner and has incredible separation stats in the traditional X role that can be so hard to fill. He has all the talent and build that you need in a prototypical WR1, and games like this will only further his case for cementing his role in that position of the offense. While he’ll likely still have bust games throughout the rest of the season, he’s certainly improving, and it’s starting to show on paper… factor in a coordinator that’s not Shane Waldron, and I’d expect much less confusion about the approach from the offense as a whole and many more opportunities to make easy plays that get people into the groove.
The best part of Odunze’s game today is that he was the one to catch both balls on the needed 3rd and 4th down passes during the final drive of the game. On 3rd and 19, Caleb ducked out of a sack and extended the play, then nailed Odunze on the run just a few yards short of the markers… even better, they followed it up on fourth down by connecting on a back-hip fade down the sideline for 21 more yards where Caleb placed the ball perfectly, and Odunze just won his route 1 on 1. If the two rookies can continue to work out plays like that this season and beyond, they will be a force… here’s to hoping the Bears don’t get in the way because the talent is clearly there.
DJ Moore: 7/7 receiving, 62 yards | 1 carry, 5 yards
What a relief it was to see a game from DJ Moore and the Bears offense where he got touches that were meaningful and played into his talents. As the player who has had the most visible and vocal frustrations with the offensive scheme so far this year, Moore was long overdue for a game where things simply worked for him, and thankfully, it came in game 1 with this new OC against the Packers of all teams. I understand it wasn’t the dominant performance that fantasy owners would hope for… but it certainly left me hopeful that those games are coming in the future, something that Shane Waldron had me convinced would be impossible to manifest this season. Look for DJ Moore to start tacking on scores to his stat lines as the Bears compete within the division and get settled into this new offense through the rest of the year- they’ll need him to if they expect to have any chance at stealing a game off of their divisional opponents moving forward.
Cole Kmet: 3/3 receiving, 42 yards
The one player I’ve been most frustrated to have seen going unused in previous weeks was Cole Kmet, and thankfully, the new offensive coordinator has realized he exists at least part of the time. Even with only three targets, he gained a very valuable 42 yards, and that’s enough to make me feel entirely grateful that at least something changed on this offense to help Caleb Williams out this year. The Bears aren’t winning anything this season, so protecting Caleb’s development needs to be priority #1, and before this week, Kmet’s repeated neglect in the offense felt like offender #1 on the list of obvious ways their approach wasn’t working. The fact that he was included in the passing game, even with three targets, makes me feel like Caleb is in radically better hands moving forward and might just be alright. As for Kmet moving forward, I think this production should be reasonable to expect – he’s not a main target but is talented and can be relied upon to make plays when the offense needs it. We hopefully won’t see any more 0-point games from him this season, even if he’s not a weekly fantasy starter.
Keenan Allen: 4/8 receiving, 41 yards
Although Keenan Allen came in last this game in yardage total for the receivers, he certainly did not come in last in attempted involvement. Frankly, that remains to be seen if it’s the correct approach… and I really, really like that the Bears have Keenan Allen. He’s the ultimate reliable option for the rookie QB throwing to him, but as an every-down option, he just doesn’t feel particularly compelling when compared to a properly-used DJ Moore or a rapidly improving Rome Odunze. Although he’s still a master at getting open in short-yardage situations and against zone coverage, he seems a little slow this season, and he was the only receiver who didn’t directly benefit from the offensive coordinator change coming into this game. We will see if that persists moving forward- he’s had some great catches throughout the season, and it’s been incredible knowing that he’s always able to work himself open when it really matters. I’d just like to see him either establish himself as a more consistent option if he’s going to continue getting 8 targets per week or take a backseat on most downs and find a role as the chain mover that comes in clutch.