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Grading the Bears

GAME BALL

Erik Walden

Starting in place of the injured Frank Zombo, Erik Walden — the third-year outside linebacker out of Middle Tennessee State — enjoyed a better day than more established Green Bay linebackers Clay Matthews, Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk. Walden had 2 sacks for 19 yards and a team-leading 10 solo tackles (11 total). The sacks were the first of his career.

QUARTERBACK

1/2 football

Jay Cutler looked grumpy from the start, jawing with an official after being flagged for delay of game on the Bears' third play from scrimmage and waving his arms demonstratively again after having to waste a timeout in the second quarter. In third quarter, with the Bears in field-goal range, Green Bay's Charlie Peprah intercepted a Cutler pass in the end zone. With the Bears driving in the final minute, Nick Collins intercepted Cutler at the Green Bay 11. Cutler finished 21 of 39 for 168 yards and a 43.5 passer-efficiency rating. He was indecisive and looked confused. In his defense, he doesn't have a Donald Driver or Greg Jennings.

RUNNING BACKS

3 footballs

Matt Forte needed 22 yards for his second 1,000-yard rushing season in three seasons as a Bear, and he got them early, busting off back-to-back runs of 25 and 21 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 91 yards on 15 carries (6.1 average) and also caught 8 passes for 60 yards. Chester Taylor (3 carries, 11 yards) was unproductive again.

RECEIVERS

1 football

Johnny Knox needed 40 yards to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the season. He didn't have a catch, despite being targeted eight times. With Earl Bennett (ankle) inactive, Rashied Davis saw his most extensive playing-time of the season at wide receiver. He caught 7 passes for 63 yards. He had 2 catches and a TD coming in.

OFFENSIVE LINE

1 football

Cutler was sacked six times, not all the fault of the offensive line. Still, 6 sacks is brutal. At least the running game produced 110 yards, averaging 5.5 yards on 20 attempts.

DEFENSIVE LINE

2 footballs

Henry Melton and Brian Urlacher shared a second-quarter sack, after the defense didn't record any the previous week against the Jets. Tommie Harris — yes, Tommie Harris! – had a sack, giving him 1½ for the season. It was a biggie on third-and-goal from the 3 with the Bears leading 3-0. But Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had too much time to throw too many times. On Rodgers' 46-yard completion to Greg Jennings that set up Green Bay's go-ahead, 1-yard TD toss to Donald Lee in the fourth quarter, Rodgers had enough time to chow down a couple of Wisconsin brats.

LINEBACKERS

3 footballs

Lance Briggs was credited with a team-leading 9 tackles and fellow Pro Bowl selection Urlacher had half a sack. Nick Roach got the start at strong side but was hurt on the first series with a shoulder injury and did not return.

SECONDARY

3 1/2 footballs

D.J Moore's right hand forced a Donald Driver fumble, which Charles Tillman recovered. Tim Jennings denied a potential catch by Driver with a nifty breakup. Tillman's diving, third-quarter interception — which Green Bay unsuccessfully challenged — was his fifth of the season, tying with Chris Harris for the team lead. Jennings was whistled for pass interference on Green Bay's game-tying scoring drive in the third. Overall, a strong effort against a potent offense that dropped 45 points on the Giants the previous week.

SPECIAL TEAMS

3 footballs

Green Bay's Tramon Williams returned a Brad Maynard punt 41 yards, but Maynard was good, averaging 45.5 yards on 8 punts and dropping a pair inside the 20. Robbie Gould split the uprights on his only field-goal try, from 30 yards out. Devin Hester returned 2 punts for 19 and 16 yards, but Green Bay did a good job of keeping the ball out of the hands of the league's most dangerous return man.

COACHING

3 footballs

A third-quarter screen pass from Cutler to Taylor on third-and-15 that would have resulted in a first down was wiped out because the Bears sideline called timeout before the snap, drawing hearty laughs from Green Bay fans and a filled press box. The Bears were in the wrong formation, coach Lovie Smith explained. That folly aside, credit the coaches for having their players ready to play a game they didn't need to win in the playoff picture.

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Images: Bears at Packers