Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
STUDS AND DUDS
Healthy Clark continues to wreak havoc inside
The Green Bay Packers are 11-3, in first place in the NFC North and in possession of a playoff spot after beating the Chicago Bears in freezing temperatures at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ playoff-clinching win over the Bears:
STUDS
DL Kenny Clark: Now that he’s healthy again, Clark has become a mainstay in this section. He’s dominating games from the inside. He made his presence known when he swam past the left guard and roped down David Montgomery for a 3-yard loss on the second play. Soon after, he beat the center clean and tracked down Mitchell Trubisky for a sack. He led the team in pressures and was vital in the Packers holding the Bears running backs to under 70 rushing yards Sunday.
RT Bryan Bulaga: He got dinged for holding on a run play, but Khalil Mack didn’t really affect the game because Bulaga consistently got him blocked on the edge. One of Mack’s only impact plays came on a quick passing concept that left him unblocked. For most of Sunday, Mack and the Bears’ vaunted pass rush had little to no impact on the proceedings. Bulaga pitched a shutout against Mack over two games in 2019.
LT David Bakhtiari: Sunday might have been his quietest game of the season, and quiet here is meant as a supreme compliment. Bakhtiari dominated in the passing game, delivered key blocks on a few of the Packers’ effective outside zone runs and didn’t have a penalty. Leonard Floyd was all but erased from the contest.
KR/PR Tyler Ervin: He has transformed the Packers’ return game. His first punt return gained 12 yards, giving him five straight returns over 10 yards since becoming the Packers’ punt returner. There’s just a no non-sense mindset to his approach. He also got his first crack returning kicks, and he produced a season-long return of 45 yards when he sensed an opening to the outside and exploded around the corner.
CB Chandon Sullivan: Playing inside linebacker in the first quarter, Sullivan stepped into the box and helped Kenny Clark stop David Montgomery after a short gain. A few plays later, he shook off a block and stuck Montgomery with a terrific open-field form tackle. Later in the first half, he got the Packers off the field twice – first with blanket coverage on Anthony Miller on a fourth down incompletion and later with a well-timed blitz that hurried a Mitchell Trubisky throw on third down. Finally, he helped end the game by wrestling down Jester Horsted before he could pitch the ball on the final play. Brian Gutekunst found a nice role player in Sullivan, who was claimed off waivers back in May.
WR Davante Adams: He dropped three passes, including one he usually catches in his sleep over the middle, but Aaron Rodgers rightfully called him the difference-maker of the game. Adams caught seven passes for 103 yards. He beat Buster Skrine from the slot for a third-down conversion on the first drive and beat him again a drive later for the fourth-down touchdown. Later, he put Prince Amukamara on the ground with a tremendous route that resulted in 17 easy yards, and Kyle Fuller had no shot at stopping his in-breaker on the first drive of the second half. The 34-yard completion set up a touchdown.
DL Tyler Lancaster: He shed blocks and made three tackles within three yards of the line of scrimmage. On 2ndand-4 in the first quarter, Lancaster was late getting off the ball, but he jolted the right guard, shoved him aside and took down Montgomery for no gain. Later, he got pushed back by a double team but shook loose, found the ball and tackled Montgomery after only a 3-yard pickup.
DUDS
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: The sophomore receiver is really slumping. He had a chance for a game-changing play on the Packers’ first snap from scrimmage but didn’t track the ball well and failed to make the play. He ran right through the Cover-3 look, got inside cornerback Prince Amukamara and was way too fast for safety Ha Ha ClintonDix, but he has to finish the play and make the catch. It likely would have resulted in a 70-yard TD. He played just six more snaps and didn’t have a catch or another target the rest of the way.