Green Bay Packers ‘Three Cheese’: Week 10 Keys to Victory

Sep 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) rushes the ball against Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

1.  Force Chicago to lean on Jay Cutler.

The Green Bay Packers will need to force Jay Cutler to throw the football.  In his 10 career starts against the Packers, Cutler has been atrocious.

He is 1-9 in those games, with 13TD, 19INT and an QB Rating of 67.0.  His Week 4 appearance vs. Green Bay saw him throw 2INT’s, but the Packers were only able to sack Cutler once on the day.  The pressure will need to increase in Week 10 from both Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews.

There are two ways to put Jay Cutler in the spotlight: shut down Matt Forte or build an early lead.  Limiting Forte will be a huge task for a Packers’ defense that ranks last in the NFL against the run.  Coming out of a bye week, will Dom Capers have the solution?  More importantly, will the linebacking corps improve their tackling fundamentals?

Forte will be leaned on heavily in both the running and passing game, so look for Clay Matthews to follow the Bears’ runner out of the backfield on screens, as he can match up athletically.  Barring a miraculous turnaround, though, Green Bay should be satisfied by just limiting the damage from Forte to a reasonable level.

Their best defense against Matt Forte may be a good offense.  If Aaron Rodgers and the Packers can jump out to an early lead, Chicago will need to air it out, which would create turnover opportunities for the Packers’ strong secondary.

A player to watch in Green Bay’s secondary is rookie Safety HaHa Clinton-Dix, who has seamlessly transitioned into a starting role in Capers’ defensive scheme, and has begun to look like a defensive cornerstone for the future.