The Chicago Bears knew they couldn’t afford to take the New York Jets lightly on Sunday, even though they knew the big matchup was right around the corner. They had to take care of business. Then they could shift their focus to the long-anticipated grudge match with the Green Bay Packers. Thankfully, the game went as planned. Chicago cruised to a 23-12 victory that was not as close as the final score says. The Bears dominated all day, marking the third blowout victory of the season.
One would think the Packers are happy as well. They got back in the win column as well, taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14. Unfortunately, the victory came at an appalling cost. The hero of the day was linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who had a crucial interception that helped his team do just enough to win. He wasn’t able to see the finish, though, as he went down with a non-contact injury. Later tests revealed it is likely a torn Achilles, which would end his season.
Cooper is the worst possible loss for a Chicago Bears matchup.
The Packers already had the 28th-ranked run defense in the NFL before Sunday. Cooper is one of the few reasons it isn’t dead last. Taking him out of the picture right as Green Bay is about to face the most dangerous rushing attack in the NFL? Catastrophic is the only word that comes to mind. Cooper has played consistently well against the Bears. He’s had at least 7 tackles in four of the five games he has played against them. He was a big reason Green Bay played the run pretty well against them last year.
Now he’s gone. This puts enormous pressure on 30-year-old Zaire Franklin and Isaiah McDuffie to pick up the slack. Considering how bad the Packers’ run defense has been with Cooper in the lineup, it’s alarming to think what the drop-off could be without him. You can bet the Chicago Bears have every intention of finding out. Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t waste time giving his team a message in the post-game locker room. It’s Packer Week, and they better get ready for war.
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Green Bay isn’t getting the team they played last year.
Those Bears were still learning how to win. This is a new animal. These Bears now conduct themselves like true professionals. They prepare well each week and apply their trade with ruthless efficiency. All three of their wins this season have been blowouts. This also isn’t the same Packers team from last year. They don’t run the ball nearly as well as before, and their pass protection has been a mess. On top of that, their defense continues to take grievous body blows from injuries. Micah Parsons is still out. Now Cooper is done for the year.
Nothing is guaranteed in this rivalry. These teams always play each other tough. That said, it’s hard not to feel like the Packers are far more vulnerable. Their two victories this year have come against two teams with a combined one win this season. Those wins were by a combined 6 points. Beating the Bears was hard enough going into this game. Having to do it without their best defensive player is rough.
