Packers Vs Bears - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm
Jersey Al picks out three thought-provoking plays from the Packers' game against the Chicago Bears
By JerseyAl
After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons.
Kingsley Keke - Someone learned his lesson. Rememember back to the Vikings game where a roughing the passer penalty by Keke negated a Packers INT an eventually led to a Vikings TD? Well here we have Keke getting to the quarterback in almost the identical manner. This time, however, instead of making helmet-to-helmet contact like he did with Kirk Cousins, he buries his helmet into Fields' shoulder, delivering a hard and perfectly legal QB hit.
Preston Smith - He had quite a game on Sunday, feasting on the inexperienced Tevin Jenkins while registering 2 sacks and 9 QB hurries. The sacks earned him some contract bonuses, as will his very next sack. Funny thing is, he could have easily had four or five sacks in this game, if not for Justin Fields' ability to escape when all looked lost. Here is just one of those plays. Jimmy Graham recently compared Fields to a young Russell Wilson, and I think that's a good comparison in several respects. The scrambling ability, the erraticness of his passes (some look great, others are wounded ducks), unquestionable work ethic and fierce competitiveness.
Moving parts - As you probably all know by now, I love a great play design where there are a bunch of moving parts that all work perfectly. Here MVS gives a jet sweep motion to the left. As the ball is snapped, the entire line angles left as a sure tip off of an outside zone run. The fake to Dillon is executed and everyone on the Bears defense buys into it. Davante then comes across against the grain for an easy completion while a bunch of fooled Bears defenders scramble to get back to that side of the field and hold him to a 15 yard gain. One thing, however, almost derailed this play. The Bears' defensive end on their right sides comes crashing in thinking he's going to meet Dillon in the backfield. It's Nijman's job to get out there in time to hold him up enough to allow Davante to get across. Yosh gets there just in time, Davante gets around him and Dillon even helps out with pass pro on the defensive end. That was close, but it worked out beautifully.
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"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther. Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.
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Comments (37)
relleum61
December 16, 2021 at 05:37 pm
I love the way the "D" is playing this year. Even though we have given up points and yards in the last couple of games, the "D" is rallying to the ball and holding opposing teams down for significant amounts of time. The play to Davante shows the beauty of the quick pass game. The ball is out fast into the hands of our playmakers. More of that please to start the game. Shots can come later.
michaelturi
December 16, 2021 at 06:47 pm
I especially like the halftime changes. Under MM and Capers, there did not seem to be adjustments once the games started.
Johnblood27
December 16, 2021 at 05:56 pm
Hey Al, it says Rams in your sub-heading.
Play one - good thing Fields jumped or it might have been a very similar facemask to facemask contact play as with Cousins. I still do not believe that facemasks touching should be called "helmet to helmet"
JerseyAl
December 17, 2021 at 08:18 am
whoops - thanks for the heads up.
Ferrari-Driver
December 16, 2021 at 06:04 pm
I just read that Kenny Clark just went on the COVID-19 list. That is not a good thing for the upcoming games against the Ravins. However, in the longer term, it may help to keep him COVID free when we get to the playoffs.
Packers0808
December 16, 2021 at 07:50 pm
Seems like whenever Dillon gets a touch it is a Hmmm carry! What a load!
mbpacker
December 16, 2021 at 09:00 pm
Nice 3x !
albert999
December 16, 2021 at 11:25 pm
Hey guys
Thank god we have a coach with class as a first timer…and not an urban Meyer dick
marpag1
December 17, 2021 at 03:59 am
CBS is running an article today with the title: "Urban Meyer - Where It All Went Wrong."
Um... when they hired him maybe??
I have a friend with some knowledge of the Ohio State football program. According to him, everyone knew that Meyer succeeded by being an unethical jackass. (He may have used some other words than that).
albert999
December 16, 2021 at 11:26 pm
Go Pack
croatpackfan
December 17, 2021 at 03:00 am
Nice pick up of plays. For me, starting AJ Dillon in the beginning of the 3rd Q secure the win for Packers. He literally brought Packers in the red zone by his hard running. And what I saw is that he improve his vision a lot. We saw finally how he change substantially his route when the primary route is closed. I believe, for the long run, that is the play that makes me "hmmmmm" with approval.
AL together, lets go and take down the Ravens!
marpag1
December 17, 2021 at 04:02 am
I'm not even sure if I would say that Keke "learned something" from the last time. My guess is that he feels he did exactly the same damn thing as the previous time, only this time it worked and it wasn't flagged. I mean really... how can a charging rhino of a man be expected to know if his helmet is an inch or so higher or lower relative to an opponents head?
If the refs had wanted to call it, they still had enough rope in the rule to hang themselves with it. The defender doesn't even have to hit the QB's helmet for it to be a penalty. The QB, while in the motion of passing, is considered to be a "defenseless player," and this is what the rules say: "Forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him" - is a 15 yard personal foul. So the refs could have thrown the flag even if there was no helmet to helmet, even if the hit was delivered with the shoulder, even if the hit was against the "neck area" of the QB and not to the head, or even if the defender hits lower than the neck area and then slides upwards from there.
Geez whiz, Rodger. Kinda like defense is illegal, huh?
croatpackfan
December 17, 2021 at 04:12 am
Yet, you'll be the first one who will complain if illegal hit would be made on AR, and zebras will not throw the flag.
Second, it may sound strange to you, but any hit into the neck area is more life threatening than hit at the head. Hit in the neck area can broke your trachea and unable you to breathe, or the shock made by hit prevent blood flow to the brain and if the hit is strong it may occur as unrepairable stoppage of blood circulation to the brain. Sometimes is good to admit that we are talking about things we know s*it about it!
marpag1
December 17, 2021 at 04:28 am
LLOOLL!! No, sorry, you clearly have no idea what complaints I would or would not make. And yes, “sometimes is good to admit that we are talking about things we know s*it about it!” Thanks for pointing that out.
I’m explaining the rule as it is written, stud. Deal with it.
Now let me just go back to counting how many times a player has ever suffered a broken trachea in an NFL game.
croatpackfan
December 17, 2021 at 06:18 am
"Now let me just go back to counting how many times a player has ever suffered a broken trachea in an NFL game."
Do you consider that data have to do something with impermissibility of any action that can come with possibility to produce that kind of injury (e. g. horse collar, illegal hands to the face and neck etc)?
marpag1
December 17, 2021 at 09:04 am
Allow me to summarize: Al said Keke avoided a penalty by hitting the shoulder instead of the head. I pointed out that according to NFL rules it can still be a penalty even if there is no contact with the head, and even if there is no contact with the neck area, but something lower than that.
Whatever you want to say about tracheas and such is up to you.
I get it that English is probably not your first language. So you have a very pleasant Christmas holiday, ok?
PeteK
December 17, 2021 at 10:50 am
To summarize, Keke goes into a bear hug mode rather than leading with the head. Smart move
croatpackfan
December 18, 2021 at 01:31 pm
marpag1
You are right. My native language is Croatian. I speak English, but I'm aware that my English need and can be much improved. I'm trying. Hopefuly it will hapen sooner than later. Any objection will be gratefuly accepted.
I wish to you the same regarding Christmas, as well as to everyone here on this page. Also I hope Packers will be still at No 1 after Christmas in NFC. Be safe.
marpag1
December 20, 2021 at 03:56 am
Cheers, buddy.
Minniman
December 17, 2021 at 12:47 pm
Just talking about the injury risk here.......
In fairness marpag1, the protruding facemask cage is both designed to allow ventilation and protect the front of neck (hence why modern ones protrude lower than the jaw line)
Helmet to helmet is nasty in that it's an obvious blunt force blow.
Helmet to upper chest is insidious in that it whiplashes the head on the neck - with far more potential for damage (not sure about the Trachea though.... I'd be more worried about damaging the small Hyoid bone in that region - which would almost certainly risk death) .
While it looks cumbersome, that neck brace that Leighton Vander-Esch (Cowboys LB) wears somewhat stops that whiplashing effect. It's the reason why MotoGP riders race suits have one integrated (albeit more aerodynamic than Leighton's).
Minniman
December 17, 2021 at 12:32 pm
I agree with you Croat re your neck summary, I still don't like seeing players use their helmets as weapons.
One part of Khalil Mack's play that I admire is that he's almost always targeting the ball carrying arm.
I think that intent carries a lot of sway with the Refs in throwing some of those flags - I see a number of potential penalties not get called because the defender was focusing on the ball carrying arm when contact was made.......... it's also a smarter percentage play now anyway.
jont
December 17, 2021 at 08:19 am
The league has clearly made a major move in recent years to address concussions. Call me cynical, but I can see video of a lot of these calls being shown in future courtrooms as league lawyers argue the NFL went all in on protecting players to deflect CTE lawsuits.
My main beef with it is the increasingly frequency with which hits to the QB are being flagged. It seems like any time a rusher touches the QB's head the flag comes out. The "forcibly" part of the rule is ignored.
We all agree the players must be protected, but too much incidental or light contact contact gets flagged.
jurp
December 17, 2021 at 08:37 am
I think the day is coming when the League rules that each QB, when set to pass, is protected by an imaginary two-yard box (as is done with fair-catching punt returners). Sort of like a fair pass version of a fair catch. The QB cannot leave this magic box, nor can the defense enter it. The defense will approach the box and then just jump up and down, waving their arms, while the QB takes all day to make a pass. New penalty: "Personal Foul, Rushing the Passer". Tons of offense, lots of points, and a totally boring game.
Or maybe they'll go the NBA route and declare certain defenses illegal.
Football will then be dead to me, because it won't be football.
Coldworld
December 17, 2021 at 10:12 am
As it would be to me too.
PeteK
December 17, 2021 at 10:55 am
Ok, take a deep breathe, this not going to happen. Wait, how about two hand touch. hahaha
Minniman
December 17, 2021 at 12:51 pm
I'm not sure about this Jurp.
As I posted above, the smart defenders are now targeting the throwing arm, and by not demonstrating intent to maim, are getting away with more incidental contact than those that don't.
JerseyAl
December 17, 2021 at 08:27 am
I think it's pretty obvious from the final replay in that clip that Keke turns his head sideways to avoid helmet to helmet contact. He definitely learned his lesson, which is the only point I was making.
Coldworld
December 17, 2021 at 07:50 am
A nice list Al, though I have to say that the plays that made me go really hmmm (or something stronger) are starkly absent. Most of the time STs took the field. On Sunday we play perhaps the best ST unit in the league this year.
JerseyAl
December 17, 2021 at 08:20 am
My goal here is not to give you the obvious plays, but look for the more nuanced things that happen out on the football field.
Coldworld
December 17, 2021 at 10:15 am
Fair enough. On the whole that does seem much more valuable. Just seemed like an awfully big elephant unreferenced.
Watching that replay with Keke, I do see your point on the difference in how he moves his head as he closes. I did not spot that before.
One thing I’ve noticed with Nijman is that he may be vulnerable early to unexpected moves, but he always seems to be able to adapt pretty quickly and neutralize them. The more I see, the more I like with him.
Minniman
December 17, 2021 at 12:54 pm
That ST article would need to be titled "things that make me gasp"
.... or somewhat uncouthly - "things that tighten my sphincter!"
Starrbrite
December 17, 2021 at 03:18 pm
That’s good miniman
jont
December 17, 2021 at 08:20 am
Good pick up on Nijman's block in play 3.
That DE read the play, but better execution by GB made it successful.
PeteK
December 17, 2021 at 11:01 am
I also love those misdirection and moving parts plays. Kudos to coaching staff because to make those plays work takes a large amount of practice with different units all working together.
Minniman
December 17, 2021 at 12:58 pm
It really is going to be great to see Bakh return to the field.
Unfortunately I will no longer be able to stop myself thinking "is the Persian Diversion 92 Million times better than Yosh".
As others have pointed out - it looks like Yosh may be playing himself into the starting RT position next year.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
December 17, 2021 at 01:13 pm
Minni,
Agreed!
Starrbrite
December 17, 2021 at 03:20 pm
Yep—I agree too.