Bears hope to bring pressure against Rodgers
What is the motivation for a football team in the dog days of a 5-7 season?
In the Bears' case, pride and bragging rights are at stake this afternoon at Soldier Field against the Packers, in the NFL's oldest continuous rivalry.
"What more motivation do you need?" said Lance Briggs, who will be back at weak-side linebacker after missing the Rams game with a sprained knee. "If there's one thing that this city wants to take out of this year it's a win against Green Bay. Winning the game (last week) and stopping that losing streak was a good first step, and the next step is to win the next one."
To achieve that the Bears know the one person they have to contain is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He's fourth in the NFL with a 103.3 passer rating, first by a landslide in third-down passer rating (132.0) and seventh in fourth-quarter passer rating (98.4).
"He has all the intangibles," Bears nose tackle Anthony Adams said. "He'll make you miss, has a strong arm and can escape out of the pocket. He's the second-leading rusher on their team, so he can do a lot of things to hurt you in a lot of different ways."
The Bears kept Rodgers under wraps in the season opener, permitting him to throw for just 184 yards, his second-lowest total this season. They also got after Rodgers, sacking him four times, something that most teams had been able to do until recently. Rodgers was dropped a league-worst 41 times through nine games, but in the past three, he's gone down a total of just four times.
After an up-and-down first half of the season, the Packers have rattled off four straight victories to move to 8-4 and take control of their own postseason destiny.
"They've got a new sense of urgency," Adams said. "They got a couple wins now, and they're in the hunt, so they really have something to play for. They're going to try to make a run, but they have to go through us first."
The biggest change in the Packers' play during their resurgence has been their ability to keep Rodgers upright.
"The biggest difference is that they're protecting the quarterback," Bears middle linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "Aaron Rodgers is the kind of quarterback who, if you let him sit back there, is going to make a lot of plays."
After starting five different offensive line combinations over an eight-week stretch, the Packers have started the same five players for three straight weeks.
Long-time starter Mark Tauscher has returned to his familiar right tackle spot after missing the first half of the season rehabbing from knee surgery.
The consensus among Bears defenders is that they have to put as much pressure on Rodgers as they did in the first game, or it won't be an enjoyable afternoon for the home fans.
"You give a guy like (Rodgers) time to throw the ball, and he's going to pick you apart," Briggs said. "The pressure's going to be key in this game, and discipline. You have to play physical. We're asked to play physical every week, but more so this game."
The Bears must maintain constant pressure on Rodgers, who, despite the frequent sacks, has still put up big numbers. Only four quarterbacks have thrown for more than his 3,399 yards and only two have more than his 25 TD passes.
"He's the kind of guy who, even if he does get sacked, it doesn't bother him," said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who brought Rodgers down twice in the season opener. "You don't see him really getting riled. He knows eventually his time is going to come, the big play is going to happen. He stays patient. He's one of those quarterbacks who sits in the pocket. He has good legs too, (but) he wants to stay there and have confidence in the offense and let it open up and hit his receivers."
The Bears' job is to hit Rodgers before that happens.