LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -The way this season is going, Jay Cutler could be excused for turning as green as a Packers jersey with envy when he sees Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.
He’ll see a quarterback that’s been on the run all season, just like him. He’ll also see a quarterback that’s headed in the opposite direction when the Chicago Bears host surging Green Bay.
With four straight wins, Rodgers and the Packers (8-4) are eyeing a playoff run. The Bears? Barring an unlikely turnaround, they’ll be eyeing the playoffs as spectators for the third straight year.
“They’re mathematically still alive and have a lot of pride in that city and that team, and we’re ready for a tough game down there,” Rodgers said.
Whether the Bears (5-7) can give them one is another issue.
They did just enough to beat the Rams 17-9 last week after dropping four in a row, but hardly looked like they were poised to launch a last-ditch run, with a late interception by Hunter Hillenmeyer helping preserve that win.
Now, they’re staring at an opponent that beat them in the opener and set the tone for one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Cutler said.
After all that excitement following the trade for Cutler in the offseason, the man with the golden arm laid a big golden egg in the opener, throwing four interceptions in a 21-15 loss. The last one came in the final minute, when Al Harris picked him off after Rodgers hit Greg Jennings with a 50-yard touchdown pass.
Although Cutler played well enough as the Bears won their next three, they have unraveled since.
The Packers?
They found steady ground even though they appeared to be cut off at the knees, losing two of their defensive cornerstones in cornerback Harris and outside linebacker Aaron Kampman during a 30-24 win over San Francisco on Nov. 22. Both went down with season-ending knee injuries, but Green Bay keeps winning.
ay back into the starting lineup after a major injury last December. Tauscher has a better feel for the game than the man he replaced, Allen Barbre.
While Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye acknowledged he doesn’t like Tauscher and questioned his conditioning, saying, “I don’t think he’s in shape yet,” one thing can’t be disputed: Rodgers is staying on his feet lately, with just four sacks in the past three games. It’s a sharp turnaround for a quarterback who has gone down a league-leading 45 times.
“He just gets back in the huddle and keeps going on,” Ogunleye said. “I respect that in him as a leader. He’s a strong, young quarterback.”
He’s getting better blocking and that the Packers have gone back to the short passing game, their core strength, after taking too many shots downfield. It also helps having tight end Jermichael Finley back from a knee injury because he’s too tall for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers.
“With his athletic ability, it’s a mismatch every time,” Jennings said.
But Finley has been limited in practice this week by the knee.
Now, all the Packers have to do is wipe out the penalties and shore up their special teams.
ears.
Cutler insisted he has improved “in a lot of ways” since the opener no matter what the statistics say. Considering he’s tied with Detroit’s Matthew Stafford for the league lead with 20 interceptions, the stats are not painting a pretty picture.
At least he didn’t get picked off last week. Now, he’s about to face a team among the best at taking away the ball.
The Packers’ plus-18 turnover margin is the best in the NFL, and they’re second with 21 interceptions, thanks in part to Charles Woodson. The veteran cornerback is one off the league lead with seven interceptions and has 14 over the past two seasons.
“He’s very smart,” Cutler said. “I’m sure he watches a lot of film. He reads the route concepts very well. … He baits you a little bit because he is so smart. He’s got great football instincts. His athletic ability alone doesn’t make him as great as he is.”
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