Penalties, Hester Kill Packers

Corey Rudd Monday, September 27, 2010 NFL

There was a lot of yellow flying around Soldier Field in Chicago on Monday.

There was a lot of Devin Hester flying around too.

Hester only had 1 reception for 16 yards, but was back to old form on special teams with a key 62 yard punt return for a touchdown, which helped contribute to a 20-17 Chicago Bears victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

Hester wasn't the only factor that led to the demise of the Packers on Monday night. The Packers hurt themselves, committing an astonishing 17 penalties for 152 yards. The Packers repeatedly kicked themselves in the foot with offensive lineman holding Julius Peppers and defensive backs holding and interfering with speedy Bears wide receivers down field.

The turning point of the game was a mistake by the Packers that didn't involve a penalty. With under 3 minutes to go, Green Bay wide receiver James Jones caught a 12 yard pass, but was hit simultaneously by Bear linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and fumbled the ball, where the Bears recovered on the Green Bay 46 yard line.

From there, the Bears drove the ball down the field and ran the clock down to 8 seconds before kicker Robbie Gould kicked a 19 yard field goal to put the Bears ahead and seal the victory.

Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler played well, and was a main contributor to this all important divisional victory. Cutler completed 16 of 27 passes for 221 yards with a touchdown pass to TE Greg Olsen. Most importantly, Cutler kept himself out of trouble, throwing only a first half interception.

Arguably, in defeat, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers outplayed Cutler, going 34 for 45 for 316 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception on a hail mary to pass to end the first half. Rodgers was also effective on the ground, rushing twice for 20 yards, including a 3 yard scamper in the 4th quarter to give the Packers what was then a 17-14 lead.

The Green Bay Packers (2-1), need to find a running game quickly to supplement Rodgers explosive arm. The Packers ran the ball just 15 times for 63 yards, with 20 of those yards coming from Rodgers, a recipe that generally doesn't get it done in the NFL.

The Packers host the Detroit Lions (0-3) at home at Lambeau Field and will hope to correct the mistakes and look for balance on offense.

Meanwhile, the Bears (3-0) will look to continue their hot start next week as they travel to the Meadowlands to take on the struggling New York Giants (1-2).

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