Pro Bears Week 7
Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff bounced back this week after taking losses Week 6, putting their teams firmly in the playoff race. Cam Jordan played in his 150th consecutive regular season game, a streak that is second in the NFL. Conversely, Schwartz ended his own streak of 134 consecutive regular-season starts, which was also second in the league, as he sat out with a back injury.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 4 touchdowns, no interceptions, and 283 yards in a 35-20 victory over Houston. The 16-year pro brought out his bag of tricks, throwing the side-arm, dodging blitzes, and hurling the deep ball.
On this play, Rodgers showed excellent vision, getting the ball through a tight window to prevent the defensive swat.
Rodgers’ most impressive throw of the day was a 28-yard dime to Adams on third down. With the defense blitzing 6 and a man in his face, Rodgers responded quickly with a flick over the top to Adams, showing his pinpoint accuracy and indifference to pressure.
In the third quarter, Rodgers got his fourth and final TD of the day, throwing a 45-yard toss to DaVante Adams to take a 28-7 lead. Had the game been closer, his stat line could’ve been even more impressive.
At the age of 36, Rodgers showed that he’s far from regressing in accuracy and athleticism. His decisions were quick, motions nimble, and vision impeccable. He’s developed a great connection with Palo Alto native Davante Adams, who had an outstanding 2 touchdowns and 196 yards on the day.
At 6-1, the Packers are looking really good, with lots of talent. On every unit aside from tight ends on offense, the Packers have Pro-Bowl talent, with David Bakhtiari on the OL, Aaron Jones at RB, Davante Adams at WR, and Rodgers at QB. This might be the best team Rodgers has played for in a while.
Jared Goff
Goff completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and 219 yards in a dominant 24-10 win over Chicago. His stats don’t scream MVP this year, but he has limited mistakes with only 4 interceptions and 1 fumble through 7 games. Surrounded by talent on both sides of the ball, he’s in a great position to succeed this season.
Beating the 5-1 Chicago Bears is no easy feat, and the now 5-2 Rams are tied for the third best record in the NFC, one spot behind divisional foe Seattle.
Goff is yet again at the helm of a dynamic team with playoff implications. The key now will be for him to play consistently and show some dynamism.
Keenan Allen
Allen had a big game against Jacksonville, coming up on multiple clutch third down conversions. He finished with 10 receptions for 125 yards. He might not be the fastest, but his superb route running and catching abilities were on full display.
On the day, Allen converted on three third downs. He demonstrated that he’s not only elite at catching and running routes, but also at gaining yards after the catch with his nifty feet. Allen’s big body is deceiving, as he is able to make players miss easily, and won’t be brought down unless there’s multiple tacklers.
Marvin Jones Jr
Jones Jr caught five of six targets for 80 yards in a 23-22 win over Atlanta. He was the second targeted wide-out on the Lions, and averaged 16 yards per reception.
He has been quiet this year, garnering just one touchdown in six starts. Last year he was fourth in the league with nine.
Tyson Alualu
Alualu got two tackles (one solo, one ast) in a 27-24 victory over Tennessee. His team dominated Tennessee for most of the game, limiting them to just seven points until halfway through the third quarter.
Alualu has the privilege of playing on the most dominant defensive line in the NFL, but the disadvantage of playing underneath star players TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, Cameron Heyward, and Stephon Tuitt limits opportunities.
Devante Downs
Downs made a career-high five tackles and his first quarterback hit in a 21-22 loss against Philadelphia. The linebacker made some key defensive plays, including an excellent blitz where he forced Carson Wentz to intentionally ground.
Downs is proving himself to be a consistent NFL starter this year, taking advantage of an injury-riddled Giants defense.
Ashtyn Davis
After Jets starter Bradley McDougald was forced to leave the game on Sunday, Ashtyn Davis came in and played a career-high 24 defensive snaps at safety. He also made a career-high 3 tackles.
Cameron Jordan
Jordan played in his 150th consecutive regular-season game Sunday, extending a streak that spans over his nine-plus NFL seasons. The streak is the second-longest active run behind Phillip Rivers.
Jordan made two tackles in a 27-24 win over Carolina. Despite his admirable longevity, the defensive end has been unusually quiet this year, getting just one and a half sacks through six games.
Richard Rodgers
Rodgers caught six of eight targets for 85 yards in a Thursday night win over the Giants. In his second start of the season, Rodgers produced, getting more yards than injured Zach Ertz has produced in a single game this season.
Mitchell Schwartz
Schwartz missed the first game of his entire career, snapping a string of 134 consecutive starts that tied for the second-longest current streak through Week 6. If you include playoffs, that’s 141 straight starts. He remained on the sidelines with a back injury.
Other Cal Bears that played per CalBears.com include:
- DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia, 13th Season
- 3 receptions, 34 yards; 1 rush, 12 yards; 1 punt return, 2 yards; 48 all-purpose yards … returned after missing previous three games due to injury but suffered a non-displaced ankle fracture in the fourth quarter that is expected to keep him out of game action for the next 6-8 weeks
- Stephen Anderson, TE, LA Chargers, 4th Season
- 1 tackle, season-high 37 snaps (8 offense, season-high 29 special teams) … played on a career-high 97% of special teams snaps
- Bryan Anger, P, Houston Texans, 10th Season
- 4 punts, 205 yards, 51.3 avg, season-high 44.8 net avg, 2 inside 20, 2 fair catches, season-best 67 long that tied for second-longest punt in NFL this season
- Alex Mack, C, Atlanta Falcons, 12th Season
- Played in 80 of 80 offensive snaps … no stats other than participation
- Has a current run of 87 consecutive starts to rank second among all active centers
- Nick Sundberg, LS, Washington Football Team, 11th Season
- 6 snaps (6 special teams) … no stats other than participation
- L.P. Ladouceur, LS, Dallas Cowboys, 16th Season
- 6 snaps (6 special teams)