Getty LB Khalil Mack of the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears just cannot seem to figure out how to beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers — no matter how much is on the line. Chicago would have had a guaranteed spot in the postseason with a win against its oldest rival, but it turned in a 35-16 losing effort instead, getting swept by the Packers for the ninth time in the last 13 seasons. Rodgers is now 21-5 against the Bears in his career, including postseason play.
The Bears still managed to sneak into the playoffs, though, courtesy of a win by the Los Angeles Rams and an additional seventh playoff spot added by the league last March. However, few are going to pick them to go far after their most recent showing against the Packers, particularly with their glaring issues on the defensive side of the ball.
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Alex Brown: Bears Need Much More From Their D-Line
On NBC Sports’ The Football Aftershow, analyst David Kaplan, along with former Bears greats Alex Brown, Lance Briggs and Olin Kreutz, discussed the team’s Week 17 loss to the Packers.
Both Brown and Kreutz were critical of Chicago’s defense for dropping three potential Rodgers interceptions while also failing to sack the MVP favorite more than once. Brown singled Khalil Mack out in particular, noting fellow pass rusher Robert Quinn had an objectively better game. He also expected more from standout lineman Akiem Hicks.
You got Quinn, you got Mack, you got Hicks — they’re not beating the one-on-ones … Just because Khalil Mack had a sack, doesn’t mean he had a good game. Quinn had a better game than Khalil Mack, to me. Just from me watching the game, I thought he had a really good game getting pressure on the quarterback. But we need more of that. We need more guys beating one-on-ones and that’s not what we’re seeing.
Kreutz agreed, also calling out Mack and Hicks for their lack of disruptive plays.
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Kreutz: Bears Defensive Stars Need to Step up, Big Time
Kreutz noted that the Bears failed to take advantage of Green Bay losing All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari for the season. Bakhtiari’s loss on the line left the Packers somewhat vulnerable, and the Bears had an opportunity to take advantage of his absence. They did not.
Quinn and Hicks each had two hits on the quarterback, Mack had one and rookie Trevis Gipson had another. Mack racked up the lone sack for the Bears on Sunday, but it still felt as though Rodgers had all the time in the world, at least for the entire second half.
The pass rush wasn’t there today. The Packers lost Bakhtiari — and obviously Aaron Rodgers does a nice job in the pocket and gets the ball out fast — but they did stop them a couple times on first and second down to put them in passing situations. We saw Robert Quinn — in the first half, he was getting home, getting some pressure on him. But not enough pressure up the middle from Akiem Hicks, Mario Edwards, and not enough just harassing Aaron Rodgers, all day, trying to get him to make mistakes.
For all the money they’re spending on that defensive line, and the defensive side of the ball, Khalil Mack doesn’t come up with very many plays today. Akiem Hicks doesn’t come up. Eddie Jackson drops the interception … Kyle Fuller gets beat for a touchdown.
The Bears left potential interceptions by Jackson, Barkevious Mingo and Kindle Vildor on the field — missed opportunities that could have altered the course of the game.
Kreutz also has a point about the money Chicago is putting into a defense that is clearly in decline. The Bears’ 2021 cap allocates over $117.5 million to the defensive side of the ball, which is tops in the NFL, per Over the Cap. Considering Chicago is shelling out just under $63.5 million on offense next year, seeing the defense miss so many golden opportunities is beyond unsettling.
“This defense the last month or so, we’ve been trying to say, you’ve got to worry about these guys. They don’t look good,” Kreutz added.
Mack and the Bears will have one more postseason opportunity next week against a tough New Orleans Saints team, and while anything is possible, right now, the outlook isn’t good for Chicago or its once-vaunted defense.
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