Packers O-line:
Two more GREEN BAY, WIS. — key players hurt. A starting cornerback benched. The Green Bay Packers even had to weather a lightning storm delay.
But they just keep finding ways to win.
Aaron Rodgers threw four short touchdown passes, and the injury-riddled Packers converted three of Bears quarterback Mike Glennon’s four turnovers into scores in an eventful 35-14 victory over mistake-prone Chicago on Thursday night.
Rodgers connected with Davante Adams and Randall Cobb on short touchdown passes to help build a 21-0 lead in the second quarter of a game delayed 45 minutes by lightning between the first two periods. The Packers overpowered the Bears down the stretch to slog out a win as intermittent rain fell at Lambeau Field.
“This was a big character win for us,” Rodgers said.
The already-depleted Packers (3-1) lost starting running back Ty Montgomery to a rib injury in the first quarter. Adams left the field on a stretcher after getting hit in the head during a tackle by Danny Trevathan in the third quarter.
The game was delayed for about 5 minutes while medical personnel tended to the receiver, who gave a thumbs-up signal as he was wheeled off the field. The Packers said Adams was conscious and taken to a hospital for evaluation for possible head and neck injuries, and that he had feeling in all of his extremities.
“The news I was given on Davante — everything looks positive. That’s a great sign,” McCarthy said.
Known as a hard hitter, Trevathan said the hit wasn’t intentional. He was whistled for unnecessary roughness.
“I’m sorry about that and you know I’m going to reach out to him and try to send him a message,” Trevathan said, “because you know you play a physical game, but you never wish that on nobody.”
Other notes and takeaways from the game:
Bears QB woes:
With two fumbles and two interceptions, Glennon did little to quiet the calls from Bears fans to give No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky a try at quarterback. Glennon did finish 21 of 33 for 218 yards, but the Bears never recovered from his awful start. He fumbled on his first snap on a strip sack by linebacker Clay Matthews.
The Bears next play on Oct. 9 against Minnesota.
“We’ll evaluate everything and we’ve got a lot of work to do before we line up against Minnesota,” coach John Fox said. “We’re going to look at everything.”
The Packers’ patchwork offensive line held up well and allowed just two sacks. That was impressive given that Green Bay essentially fielded a starting five of four guards and center Corey Linsley. Lane Taylor, normally a left guard, made his first start at left tackle with David Bakhtiari (hamstring) sidelined. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga (ankle) also missed the game. Green Bay’s top two backup tackles are on injured reserve. Rodgers was 18 of 26 for 179 yards.
CB benched:
Packers starting cornerback Damarious Randall was benched in the second half for an undisclosed issue. He barely moved on the Bears’ opening series after halftime, his arms outstretched at each side while sitting on the sideline.
McCarthy said it was an “internal matter and we’re working through it.” At one point, cornerback Davon House, who was not active because of a quad injury, sat down next to Randall on the bench.
“Just to shake it off, it’s all part of the game as a cornerback,” House said about his message to Randall.
National anthem:
Players, coaches and other staffers on each team locked arms on their respective sidelines during the national anthem.
It is CHARLOTTE, N.C. — two weeks into NASCAR’s playoffs, and there has been little to no talk about the actual racing.
Instead, NASCAR has been shrouded in one absurd drama after another:
Encumbered finishes — you know, results that don’t count toward the playoffs because the car was illegal.
Ambulances that have gotten lost taking drivers to the care center.
A duct-tape scandal over the car of championship contender Chase Elliott. “Tapegate” may have been uncovered by Reddit users.
The penalty that required Joey Logano to sit idly inside his car on pit road during an entire practice session at New Hampshire.
A Twitter spat among several title contenders because a Ford driver claimed the Toyota camp has a sizable advantage. (Maybe: Toyota drivers have won the first two playoff races.)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring from full-time racing in eight weeks. He’s the face of the sport.
Danica Patrick, the only woman at NASCAR’s top level, has no ride for next year.
And now NASCAR is part of the tense debate between President Donald Trump and the NFL over players who protest during the national anthem before kickoff. On the same day that more than 200 NFL players took a knee or otherwise protested, every NASCAR driver and team member stood during the anthem before Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motorspeedway.
Trump was appreciative of that response in a Monday morning tweet: “So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag — they said it loud and clear!”
NASCAR later issued a statement that noted respect for the national anthem “has always been a hallmark of our pre-race events.”
“Thanks to the sacrifices of many, we live in a country of unparalleled freedoms and countless liberties, including the right to peacefully express one’s opinion,” the statement said.
Maybe so, but NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Richard Childress, both currently team owners, said they would fire employees who protested during the anthem.
It is their right as employers to hold their independent contractors to any set of standards they choose, but this is where things can get sticky with NASCAR, which is so intricately tied to sponsorship. Everyone in NASCAR is beholden to sponsorship contracts and all the clauses that come with the funding that keeps teams afloat. Subway earlier this month pulled its sponsorship from driver Daniel Suarez after he handed out Dunkin’ Donuts to fans in a prerecorded television segment.
Alienating any part of the fan base — and potential customers for those sponsors — simply isn’t good business, and it’s why you won’t see drivers or team members participate in any anthem protests.
While it might be nice to see NASCAR’s stars take a stance — so far, only Earnhardt has publicly supported peaceful protests, and he’s retiring — pulling NASCAR into the anthem debate isn’t really fair.
Sure, NASCAR Chairman Brian France two years ago said he didn’t want Confederate flags at racetracks anymore, angering some fans who cling to the sport’s roots in the Deep South. But the series takes such pride in its support for the military and for veterans that any sort of action during the anthem would be an affront to NASCAR’s staunchest fans.