Green Bay Packers (5-9) at Chicago Bears (8-6)
By
Michael Nudo
An injury at safety has forced Tramon Williams in at cornerback (AP Photo/Morry Gash).
BEARS OFFENSE vs. PACKERS DEFENSE
The Bears have been without fullback Jason McKie (quadriceps) for close to a month. Jason Davis held down the spot while McKie has been out. Wide receiver Marty Booker (rib) sat out last week’s game and may be ready for action Monday. Running back Matt Forte injured his toe on the opening series against New Orleans but was able to return. Forte hadn’t practiced through Thursday. The Bears may be giving him some extra time off to heal any additional bumps and bruises. Adrian Peterson received the reps against the Saints while Forte was treated. Kevin Jones was active last week and contributed on special teams. The loss of Garrett Wolfe to injured reserve has opened a spot for Jones. Kyle Orton’s ankle injury should be about as recovered as it’s going to get this season.
The Packers’ defense has taken some serious losses to injuries this year. Safety Atari Bigby (shoulder) has missed some time of late and will be missed in both coverage and run defense. Charles Woodson (toe) was moved from cornerback to safety for last week’s game. Tramon Williams started at cornerback in Woodson’s spot last week. Woodson isn’t likely to miss this game. A.J. Hawk has moved into the middle linebacker position since Nick Barnett was lost just before the last Bears-Packers tilt. Brandon Chillar was inserted into the lineup in Hawk’s place.
Green Bay only has 23 sacks, with 10 coming from defensive end Aaron Kampman. Provided Kampman isn’t moving around, John Tait will draw that matchup. Since dismantling the Bears 37-3, the Packers have lost 4 games in a row. Look for the Bears to open up running before turning to the air to test the injured Packers secondary. The Packers will take away the short passes with aggressive corner play. Kyle Orton will be challenged to throw downfield, where his accuracy has been poor of late.
PACKERS OFFENSE vs. BEARS DEFENSE
Since Mark Tauscher (knee) went on injured reserve last week, the right tackle position was assigned to Tony Moll. How did he do in last week’s game with Jacksonville? The Jaguars sacked Aaron Rodgers three times from the defensive end position. On the other side, tackle Chad Clifton (thumb/knee) has the assorted bumps and bruises that come with a long season. It will be interesting to see if Alex Brown and Mark Anderson have the kind of fresh legs that can get past the veteran tackle. Running back Brandon Jackson is healing up from a wrist injury. Jackson has been a key contributor spelling Ryan Grant. Jackson rushed for 50 yards against the Bears in their first contest.
The Bears’ defense seems to have turned a corner since the insertion of defensive tackle Anthony Adams and cornerback Corey Graham after injuries to Dusty Dvoracek and Nathan Vasher. Each has had a trickle down effect. Adams has played stout run defense to not only effect running lanes but also to free up Brian Urlacher. Graham’s nose for the ball on short passes and runs to his side has further aided the run defense and set up better down and distance situations which translates to pressures, sacks and turnovers.
With Moll starting at right tackle, this should be a week to see Adewale Ogunleye take advantage of his matchup and add to a very modest set of sack statistics. The Packers still have an excellent passing attack. In the blowout defeat at Green Bay, the Bears lost sight of the running game and were gashed in every aspect. Look for the Bears to tighten up their run defense and to depend more on their defensive line to generate pressure without as much blitzing. In the red zone, someone needs to whisper in Bob Babich’s ear to remind Bear defenders to pick up the tight end. The Packers used a power rushing attack against the Bears in their first contest. It would not be a surprise to see more of the Power I and Full House backfield formations that pounded the Bears into cheese curd a little over a month ago.