Offensive line doesn't miss a beat
CHICAGO - When the 2020 season began, what the Green Bay Packers' offense did Sunday afternoon was impossible to envision.
Nobody questioned the identity of the Packers' most irreplaceable player. Aaron Rodgers is the most valuable player of not only this team, but after another stellar performance in a 35-16 win at Soldier Field against his longtime rivals, likely the NFL. With Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes sitting Week 17, Rodgers all but clinched his third career MVP.
“The MVP should be locked up,” receiver Davante Adams said. “There's nothing else to really talk about (with the race).”
If Rodgers' resurgence this season was unexpected, it shouldn't be a surprise. He's an all-time talent. To make it possible, there was one player the quarterback could ill afford to lose.
The Packers aren't getting that player back the rest of this season. David Bakhtiari, the All-Pro left tackle, was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Four months ago, that would have spelled doom for a team that sealed the NFC's top overall seed Sunday, ensuring a first-round bye and paving the road to Super Bowl LV through Lambeau Field. Bakhtiari was perhaps the one player that couldn't be lost if the Packers wanted to make a deep postseason run, let alone win a championship.
So what the Packers' offense did Sunday had to breathe new life into those aspirations. The Packers faced a good Bears defense that entered ranking ninth in points (22.3 per game) and 11th in yards (346.9). The Bears needed a win or Arizona Cardinals loss to garner a playoff berth, so much like the Packers going for the top overall seed, Chicago had everything on the line.
The Bears also outplayed the Packers for most of the game. They had the better special teams unit, no surprise given the Packers' shortcomings there this season. The Packers defense forced Chicago to go 6-for-15 on third down, but the Bears responded with 4-of-5 on fourth down, bleeding the clock. The Bears dominated time of possession throughout, limiting the Packers to just 44 plays.
But the Packers dropped 35 points on those 44 plays. They scored touchdowns on all four of their red-zone trips. They converted 4-of-7 on third down. They allowed only one sack, which has been the norm for the Packers but especially impressive against a defensive front that features Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks.
And they did all of that without their irreplaceable left tackle.
“If they were super disruptive,” Adams said, “it would mess with a lot of calls that we had. Which, I didn't really see too much of that going on. It seemed like we were still able to get to all the plays we wanted to get to, and from a receiver's perspective it looked like we held up and did our job up front all game. So shout out to the boys.”
The Packers have played musical chairs with their offensive line all season. So maybe they were prepared for this. When Bakhtiari missed three games earlier this season because of a rib injury, Billy Turner played admirable at left tackle and Rick Wagner lined up mostly at right tackle.
Still, it's remarkable to consider Turner was the Packers' starting right guard last season. And Wagner, though a veteran who has started 95 games at right tackle in his career, was not the preferred starter leaving camp. Matt LaFleur wanted his best five for the starting offensive line Week 1, regardless position. That meant Lane Taylor at right guard, Wagner on the bench.
Wagner has since more than proven his value. He's the type of veteran depth the Packers have lacked in recent seasons, something every championship team needs. Between his experience and Turner's versatility, the Packers might just have a fighting chance to continue this special season as deep as they envisioned before Bakhtiari's injury.
“Tackles are a quarterback's best friend a lot,” Rodgers said, “and I'm just very thankful for those guys for being pro's pros. Especially Rick, because his status has been kind of up in the air, a backup, starter, banged up, comes back. just a pro's pro. Very steady guy. Really happy he's ours.”