Stock watch: Jay Cutler's stock plummets here due to a pair of interceptions that led to Green Bay touchdowns. During his time as a Bear going back to 2009, Cutler has never (in 10 attempts) finished a game against the Packers without committing a turnover. Perhaps that’s why he’s won only one contest against Chicago’s main NFC North rival. In Chicago, beating the Packers is just as important to the fan base and ownership as advancing to the playoffs, and Cutler will never do that if he can’t stop committing costly turnovers.
Rodgers is no Smith: Chicago’s defense looked dominant Monday night in their win over the New York Jets, who were quarterbacked by Geno Smith. The club quickly learned dealing with Aaron Rodgers is a different beast, even with the quarterback struggling in recent outings. Green Bay scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to start the game, followed by a field goal and two more TDs.
Rodgers tossed four touchdown passes for a passer rating of 151.2.
Chicago’s pass rush deserves most of the blame for this fiasco. Playing without defensive end Jared Allen (pneumonia), the Bears rarely pressured Rodgers, who appeared to spend plenty of time diagnosing and scanning the field before delivering to his open receivers. They say pass rush and coverage hold a symbiotic relationship, but on Sunday, it was more dysfunctional than anything.
Game ball: Tight end Martellus Bennett joked Friday that he hoped to catch 15 passes against the Packers, and he certainly came close, hauling in a career-high nine balls for 134 yards on 11 targets. The performance marked the first 100-yard receiving day of Bennett’s seven-year career.
What’s next: The Bears return to a normal schedule after a short week heading into Sunday’s loss to the Packers, which is a positive given all the injuries the club is nursing. The Bears begin practicing Wednesday for an Oct. 5 road outing at Carolina.