(670 The Score) Packers quarterbacks getting the best of the Bears is a tradition that dates back to, oh, 1992 or so.
Aaron Rodgers did it again Sunday, improving to 21-5 in his career against the Bears (including playoffs) while throwing four touchdown passes and posting a 147.9 passer rating in the Packers’ 35-16 win. One of Rodgers’ scoring passes came on a 72-yard connection in the second quarter with speedy receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who lined up in the slot on the right and curiously got matched up on slower-footed Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan as Chicago blitzed from Rodgers’ back side.
The Bears had pre-snap confusion that led to the mismatch, which Rodgers broke down in great detail on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. McAfee pointed out that Rodgers essentially let the play clock tick to zero, then let Rodgers pick up the story from there.
“The reason for the timing on the play was Robert Quinn was having a conversation with Trevathan during that play (pre-snap),” Rodgers said. “They couldn’t decide what side he was supposed to be on. So I could tell that there was something that was a little messed up on defense. Now the play actually called for Aaron Jones to motion back into the backfield, Davante (Adams) to widen back out, then we had a three-man concept on the right and kind of a two-man concept with Davante kind of back side by himself.
“I really wanted them to maybe declare what they were doing, because I knew there was some sort of pressure coming and I was just trying to get the protection right. And after I could tell this was kind of coming down to it, I decided to leave Jonesy out there, so I kind of gave him a left-hand stay and just tried to quick-snap it on them. Because it looked like there was confusion on who has three vertical to the other side. Three vertical for us was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who’s one of the faster players in the league. And at the snap, I could tell that he was going to have a ‘backer drifting out to him. I knew that there some sort of pressure coming from the back side, because why would they be running out to two and three on the front side if there wasn’t anything on the back side. So I just tried to beat the blitzing with the throw, and MVS did a really nice job of just running straight and just catching the ball, having his eyes there. That was a good play for us.”
With the win, the Packers (13-3) clinched the top seed and lone first-round bye in the NFC. The seventh-seeded Bears (8-8) will visit the second-seeded Saints (12-4) on Sunday in wild-card round action.