Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is on injured reserve and Kevin King has yet to practice this week, so the cornerback room is super thin right now. Despite that, they have a perfect matchup against the Chicago Bears’ passing attack on Sunday.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields is getting his feet beneath him and will be making the fourth start of his career. While the Bears have gone 2-1 in those outings, the passing game has been putrid.
Fields went 6-for-20 for 68 yards and threw no touchdown passes against the Cleveland Browns. The following week against a leaky Detroit Lions secondary, Fields only managed to go 11-for-17 for 209 yards and no touchdowns again, and he was intercepted. Last week, in another win against the Las Vegas Raiders, Fields was 12-for-20 for 111 yards and one TD. Chicago’s pass offense ranks dead-last in the NFL (113.2 yards per game) and leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s not all on Fields. Matt Nagy’s game plan against the Browns was so bizarre that many wondered, somewhat jokingly, if he was trying to set Fields up to fail so it would be easier to go back to Andy Dalton. It got better against the Detroit Lions when Nagy showed more willingness to open things up. But 11-for-17 against an injury-riddled secondary isn’t exactly spectacular.
Now they face the Packers, who will be without Alexander and likely King too.
Head coach Matt LaFleur said he would give King the entire week to see if he can give it a go against the Bears on Sunday. He used the same verbiage when talking about Elgton Jenkins back in Week 3, who hasn’t played since. (He’s expected back this weekend.) The point being, don’t expect to see King suiting up on Sunday.
This leaves Green Bay with rookie first-round pick Eric Stokes, who has been phenomenal. Is he ready to lead a cornerback room for an undetermined amount of time? That’s yet to be seen, but it looks like he will get his chance. Green Bay signed Quinton Dunbar to their practice squad, and they have Chandon Sullivan and Isaac Yiadom on the active roster, both of whom will factor in big-time on Sunday. It’s not exactly a group that takes your breath away, but they won’t need to against this Chicago passing attack. Calling it a passing attack even feels like a stretch.
Allen Robinson is a true No. 1 wide receiver. But he only eclipsed 35 total receiving yards once this season and only has one touchdown reception. Some have foolishly asked what’s wrong with Robinson. Um, take a look around.
Dalton got hurt in Week 2, and Nagy and Co. haven’t shown the trust or willingness to let Fields unload the deep ball — or take any chances. It’s worked in the sense that they’ve won two games in a row, but it’s not a model for sustainable success. Nothing is wrong with Allen Robinson. He doesn’t have a scheme or a reliable option to get him the ball at the moment.
It’s music to the Packers’ ears because this is the thinnest the cornerback group will be all year. That’s not to suggest the Bears won’t open it up and let Fields sling it more, but nothing has indicated Chicago will have any consistent success doing that this year, even with Green Bay’s banged-up roster.
With matchups down the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Rams, this is the perfect week for the Packers to get a passing game going that hasn’t found any traction. It just so happens the schedule has broken this way.
While many view it as an appetizing matchup for Green Bay’s defense, Nagy has seen the improvements he feels are necessary from Fields.
“It’s just a matter of, ‘How fast does he see it and then how fast does he react?'” said coach Matt Nagy. “He knew [Robinson] was ‘hot’ and he got rid of the ball just in time to get a first down. That’s growth, where that might not have happened three or four or five or six weeks ago. That’s just one simple example, but those are what we want to keep seeing.”
Fields himself is feeling more confident, echoing what his head coach is seeing with his own two eyes.
“Once you run a specific play, a lot of times you just start to get a better feel for the play to see if it’s there or not,” Fields said. “That way you can get to your checkdown quicker. The more reps I get, the more comfortable I’ll get with plays, and the faster I’ll be able to go through my reads.”
Even if it is true that Fields is making progress, it’s hard to envision a scenario where he’s improved so much that he goes out and throws for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Chicago knows this is unlikely, as does Green Bay.
The secondary for the Packers can’t mail it in. Joe Barry needs to keep his foot on the accelerator and stay aggressive.
It’s a tough time in the season for Green Bay on the injury front. Outside of the offensive line, no other position group has been hit harder than the cornerback room. Thankfully, they get the worst passing offense in the NFL this week as they look to heal some of those injuries moving forward.
