Welcome to the weekly Zone Coverage Packers mailbag, where I try to answer all your burning NFL and Green Bay Packers-related questions, submitted via Twitter to @m_widmeier.
Justin Fields is starting for the Bears on Sunday. Is that better or worse for Green Bay?
The Chicago Bears have a lot more problems than who is playing quarterback. The talent pool around either Andy Dalton or the rookie Fields has been drained by injuries for much of the year — and sometimes underwhelming when present. However, Fields does still offer what Dalton can’t in mobility.
Fields is going to get every shot imaginable to be the franchise quarterback, and at the moment there certainly isn’t a drop-off from Dalton to him. Fields has had a few highlight-reel plays, and he’s been able to get the job done with his legs when things break down.
Green Bay has had trouble with mobile quarterbacks in past seasons, but this year they’ve done well when they faced players like Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes.
For the Bears to win this game, their defense will have to force turnovers, and the Packers don’t make a lot of turnovers. Fields will have to be lights-out. Green Bay is playing that well and Chicago is playing that poorly.
Fields is an upgrade for Chicago but unlikely one big enough to make a difference in this game.
The Rodgers MVP hype train is gaining steam. Will he win it?
While the numbers at this point don’t stack up to last year’s, Rodgers has been up to his usual tricks. The play on the field has been really damn good, but there are two huge factors working against him winning back-to-back MVP awards.
Voters like to change it up when it comes to the MVP. It’s a weird dynamic, but it’s absolutely a fact. Nobody has repeated as NFL MVP since Peyton Manning did it in 2008 and 2009. If Rodgers has similar stats to one or two other quarterbacks this year, it’s likely they would lean towards another option in the sacred name of parity.
Secondly, Rodgers’ off-the-field storylines are a consideration, even though voters will never admit it. This summer there was the panic and the headache over whether or not Rodgers would even be back with the Packers. Then came the whole COVID debacle, with Rogers admitting that he had deceived people when he claimed he was “immunized” following a positive test. Like the voters wanting parity, these two headlines have nothing to do with his play on the field, but they will be factored in.
That all sounded extremely depressing for Rodgers’ chances, but there’s no point in beating around the bush. However, if he keeps playing the way he has, he’ll be right in the conversation through the final week. Right now, the betting favorite is Tom Brady, per oddsshark. Rodgers comes in behind both Brady and Josh Allen.
How does the cornerback situation work out when Jaire Alexander returns?
How beautiful was it to see No. 23 back at practice on Wednesday?
If and when he, along with Za’Darius Smith and David Bakhtiari, comes back, this team gets real scary.
It’s pretty simple how things pencil in once Alexander returns, or it should be. He is the undisputed No. 1, top-dog on the depth chart, and an All-Pro cornerback. Eric Stokes is behind him at No. 2 and should be the starter opposite of Alexander. Then Green Bay can mix and match packages that have Chandon Sullivan, Rasul Douglas, and Kevin King on the field.
Where things could get really interesting is with Douglas. He has performed so well this year for Green Bay that it’s worth considering if they should have Alexander mirror the opposing No. 1 wideout, even if that means playing in the slot. In such a case, Douglas and Stokes would be kicked to the outside corner positions with Alexander roaming around wherever the top option for the opposition is going. In all likelihood, though, it’s Alexander at the top spot on the outside and Stokes at the other, with sprinkles of Douglas, Sullivan, and King once No. 23 returns to the secondary.
Will Green Bay be favored in every game the rest of the way?
I believe so, yes. Pending of course that there aren’t any more major injuries.
The Packers are 13-point favorites against the Bears entering Sunday and their other home games the rest of the way are against the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings. They will certainly be favored in both of those. Two road games remain outside of that, and something terrible would have to happen for the Packers to not be favored on the road against the Detroit Lions. That leaves the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore has been as decimated by injuries as the Packers have and they are starting to feel the pressure of those missing parts. The game in two weeks will be in Baltimore, so maybe the Ravens are a slight favorite, but if the Packers take care of business against the Bears as expected, they should be a one- to two-point favorite against Baltimore.
