Chicago Bears had a game plan against the Green Bay Packers. Try to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field as much as possible. If they kept Rodgers off the field, it meant that they had a legitimate shot at winning the game. And in a lot of ways, it worked for Chicago. They owned the time of possession until the fourth quarter and were within striking distance of the Packers. But it didn’t happen. When the chips were down, the better team prevailed. Green Bay pulled away late with a 35-16 victory. Packers hit the 30 point total yet again this season. They’re the one seed for the first time since 2011.

Player of the Game: Aaron Rodgers – He is the MVP for a reason. Aaron Rodgers threw four more touchdowns and had 245 yards of passing on only 19 completions. Did he get lucky about the interceptions? Yes, it felt more like a Mahomes game for Rodgers than one of his own. But that will happen with quarterbacks from time to time. Rodgers spread the ball all over the field finding open receiver after open receiver. He is a special talent. And most deserving of the MVP award.

Honorable Mention: Jaire Alexander – You can choose whether to give it to Rashan Gary or Jaire Alexander. Regardless, the two made a big play to get the Packers the ball back. Alexander stripping Cole Kmet of the ball and Gary falling on top of it was a big moment in this game. Green Bay led 14-10, and the recovery happened after Green Bay scored. They added another touchdown to be up 21-10. Packers never looked back after that one.

What went right for the Packers – The defense showed a bend, not break, mentality: Look, did I like everything Mike Pettine did in this game? No. Did I like how the Packers kept holding Chicago to field goals? Yep. That is important. It might not be something you always see in the box score, but Green Bay stood tall when it mattered the most. Packers have to do a better job with playing up on teams when they’re dinking and dunking all over the field. Tom Brady made a living out of doing that in New England.

What went wrong for the Packers – Special teams continues to be a disaster: I’m telling you guys that we’re heading towards a colossal fuck up on the special teams that will lead to a postseason loss. It has been a long time since Packers’ Special Teams were good. In 2017, they were 14th. And in 2011, they were in the top 10. It would be nice to have a good unit when offense and defense play so well.

Next up: We have no clue who the Packers are taking on in the playoffs. It could be anyone. Chicago is a possibility which would likely be a primetime matchup for one of the networks. We also could see the Los Angeles Rams and their backup quarterback, John Wofford. Tampa Bay and Tom Brady are possible as well as the Washington Football Team. We’ll have to see how things shake out.