Key Battle for Packers vs. Bears

The Packers need a win against the Bears to keep their playoff hopes alive. They also need to embrace Ty Montgomery as the chief running back. This week, they can do both.

The Green Bay Packers are still alive but they need to beat the Chicago Bears to keep that hope around.

That seems like it should be pretty easy given the state of the Bears, but nothing can ever be taken for granted in the NFL.

The Packers passing offense is on point right now, but the ground game leaves something to be desired. With the temperatures in the single digits and the wind howling at Soldier Field, it’s the perfect time to work that out, though.

Yes, while Aaron Rodgers will and should throw the ball, the Packers should really focus on getting Ty Montgomery comfortable as their starting running back.

Christine Michael may yet emerge as a viable option, but we didn’t see anything all that exciting from him last week. We all know James Starks will try hard, but he’s a limited back at best.

Montgomery has shown all the things you like to see in a good bell-cow back—vision, burst and acceleration and a nose for the open field. McCarthy has said he feels Montgomery can carry a full load of carries, and that’s something the Packers will need if they make the playoffs.

Chicago allows an average of 107 yards on the ground per game, with opposing running backs scoring 10 touchdowns as of last week. Speaking of which, the Lions backfield—not exactly featuring Barry Sanders these days— ran for 114 yards and a touchdown last week.

Last week, Montgomery was very effective, carrying the ball nine times for 41 yards and a score, as well as adding another 45 yards on a trio of catches. When the two teams met in Week 7, Montgomery totaled 126 yards combined, including ten receptions.

Then—like last week—Montgomery only carried the ball a handful of times. If the Packers will commit to him and give him a full 20 carries, he should easily eclipse 100 yards on the ground alone.

Which is not to say he can’t be just as involved in the passing game as he has been, but if we’re being honest, Montgomery is barely a factor there most weeks. Since the last meeting with the Bears, he has never had more than four targets or three receptions.

You’re not exactly losing him as a receiver when you barely use him as one.

The Packers need to commit to Montgomery as the main running back – he has all the tools they need and is the most effective option they have.

The Bears may not be a great test of his ability, but they are a good team to kick the tires on as you fully embrace Montgomery in his new role.

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Comments (25)

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Chad Lundberg's picture

December 16, 2016 at 05:15 am

I actually think Ty Montgomery could be an excellent receiver, in the few games they featured him, he was a very productive and reliable player.

Obviously we need to save his energy for running the ball now though. We may have all the receivers we need.

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sheppercheeser's picture

December 16, 2016 at 09:44 am

....as evidence, look how well it turned out for an injured Lacey when they trotted him out there on bum ankles. Now he's on IR.

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sheppercheeser's picture

December 16, 2016 at 06:08 am

Apparently, this is a dated blog thinking that Starks is even in the mix, sinde he is out on the concussion protocol assessment. In light of the Packers poor season and the state of AR's health, I would start Hundley at QB on Sunday. I think he would do fine, it would give Rodgers a chance to heal and give Brent some serious reps as opposed to garbage-time handoffs at the end of a game. I think AR and BH would both benefit.

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marpag1's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:29 am

Choosing to start Hundley in a must-win game with the playoffs on the line?? That's nuts.

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sheppercheeser's picture

December 16, 2016 at 09:41 am

Yea, guess you're right. Let's put a gimpy QB out there and see if we can make his injury worse....

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marpag1's picture

December 16, 2016 at 09:46 am

Better yet, let's just forfeit the game and then ARod and everyone else will have until next season to rest up. That would be sweet!

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Matt Gonzales's picture

December 16, 2016 at 10:05 am

No way Hundley gets the start. But, given the time he spent this week as QB1 in practice I would not be surprised to see a few packages featuring him on the field. Maybe they trot out that triple-option look again, with a fully mobile quarterback taking the snap.

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croatpackfan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 06:28 am

I do not think that would be wise to count only on Ty. He is very good as RB, but I think offesive plan should have more different plays.
Relying only on running game, may be mistake...

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NickPerry's picture

December 16, 2016 at 06:30 am

Depending on the weather the Packers are going to find out real quickly if Montgomery can handle 20 carries. Personally I don't think it's a problem, he AS BIG as 95% of the RB's who have been drafted the last 2 years in the NFL. Elliott, David Johnson, Melvin Gordon, Ajayi for example are all backs about the same size and weight as Montgomery. All are within and inch or less and all are within 5 pounds of Montgomery.
RC has listed other backs in the NFL who are actually smaller than Montgomery like McCoy, Coleman, or Freeman. The only thing Montgomery has to do is get used to carrying the ball say 18 times a game. WHY 18? Go back and look at Lacy's average carries per game. The only year he averaged over 18 was his rookie year when he averaged 18.9 per game

Right now the Packers are pretty lucky they have a guy like Montgomery on the roster. He's big enough and he WANTS to carry the ball. Not only that, he actually produces when he's doing it. I'd say that's pretty damn fortunate considering the lack of depth they had at the position week one. Right now Thompson is thanking his "Lucky Stars" for Montgomery because without him where would they be?

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:11 am

I would say for Montgomery if they could get him around 20 touches in a game that would be really good. Doesn't necessarily have to be 20 carries, but 20 touches would be really good.

Montgomery I believe could carry it 18 times if needed. Great research on that btw Nick. Montgomery doesn't a really good job of finding small seams and turns what should be a 0-1 yards into 4-6 yards. He does a good job of not taking huge hits.
I don't think Montgomery needs to carry it 18 times though because they do have Michael who can carry about 10-12 times, and Ripkowski who could add another 5 carries. If they can get around 30 carries between the 3 of them, I think it will be a win.

Something to keep in mind the last time the Packers played the Bears was Montgomery's biggest game. He had 9 rushes for 60 yards, and 10 receptions for 66 yards. This could be another big game for Montgomery.

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NickPerry's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:23 am

Thanks RC, and I think you're right about splitting the carries. I like the way Michael ran last week. With the exception of going the wrong way that one play he played okay when called upon. The more comfortable he gets, the better he'll hopefully get. No matter WHO gets the hot hand I'd hope McCarthy keeps feeding him. The forecast for this game is COLD. They're saying it could be the coldest game ever at Soldier Field.

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:49 am

I do think Montgomery can carry it as many times as they need. But for me its not just about his carrying the ball, its his receiving ability. His ability as a receiver out of the backfield gives them something they haven't had in a very long time if ever at RB.

I think the more Michael gets comfortable in the play book and with the offense the more he will do.

I agree with you. I hope they do keep feeding the hot hand. This game is going to be cold. And Rodgers calf injury will limit him. Need to ride the hot hand.

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MarkinMadison's picture

December 16, 2016 at 12:36 pm

"Right now Thompson is thanking his "Lucky Stars" for Montgomery because without him where would they be?"

Or maybe TT knew what he had in Montgomery and that is why he thought he could get away with two RBs.

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NickPerry's picture

December 16, 2016 at 04:30 pm

Common Mark, even the biggest of Homers (Not calling you a Homer) don't believe that. At times it's felt they've done everything they could to keep him OFF the field.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:25 pm

McCarthy has gotten really stubborn. He literally will say what needs to be done and then get caught up in habit anyways. Sometimes there is a significant situation that breaks him out of it. Such as Rodgers has a torn calf or is out, then he is forced out of his habits and the result is he is a lot more creative and flexible.

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:00 am

Running the ball would be a really good thing in this game. With the game in Chicago wind will likely be a factor.
But the biggest reason why it would be a good thing to be able to run the ball is due to Rodgers injury. We don't know how much he will be able to move.
Running the ball well would take a lot of pressure off of Rodgers.

The biggest matchup in this game to me is the Packers OL vs the Bears DL/LB's. The Packers OL has been playing really well, and they have to play good again in this game.

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NickPerry's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:08 am

Just read on ESPN that the forecast is saying this could be the coldest game ever played in Chicago. The forecast is for 1 degree temps and 15 mph winds, that's not good news for Rodgers and the Packers. For the record Rodgers is 0-3 when the temperature is in the single digits. Four's a charm?

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:18 am

The one thing that makes me nervous about this game is Rodgers injury. If he didn't have a calf injury I probably wouldn't be as concerned.

The wind will likely be a big problem. With Rodgers injury being to his right calf will he have the ability to push off of it?

I didn't realize Rodgers was 0-3 in single digit temps.

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NickPerry's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:28 am

"Rodgers has played in only three games in which the temperature was a single digit at kickoff, and he’s lost them all. One of them was the 2008 game at Chicago."

http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/35978/coldest-game-...

Neither did I.

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:40 am

I love Stephen A's take on Rodgers. :)

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

December 16, 2016 at 04:42 pm

How many games has Matt Barkley played in single digits? I expect none.

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Handsback's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:29 am

The wind is probably going to make the passing game null and void for both teams. So I see Monty being a big factor in this game. Lots of carries and swing passes that he's made to order for this type of game. Wouldn't be surprised to see Rip make a few big carries as well.

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RCPackerFan's picture

December 16, 2016 at 07:51 am

We saw how the wind affected the Redskins game. I think we will see Montgomery used a lot in the passing game.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them do another reverse or Jet Sweep again too.

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Since'61's picture

December 16, 2016 at 08:11 am

Key battles will be the Packers OL versus Bears DL and the Packers front 7 versus Bears OL, especially in the run game. For the Packers they will need to run the ball effectively, stop the Bears ground game, play with a lead and win the turnover battle. Expecting the wind to be a factor puts more emphasis on the ground game. If the wind is not a factor that would be a break for the Packers and enable Rodgers to pick apart the Bears secondary. Anything can happen in the kicking game as well and a game under these conditions may result in several punts for both teams. I'm hoping the Packers can get an early lead and then control the clock and hang on for what will probably be a low scoring game. Thanks, Since '61

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Rossonero's picture

December 16, 2016 at 01:10 pm

Bears secondary has 4 CBs on the injury report. Packers must exploit that, as well as NT Eddie Goldman injured and possibly missing the game.

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