Time to let Eddie Lacy roll — Green Bay Packers

“I’m excited just to get back out there”, he said.

The Packers are a good team, and they played a great game – about as well as they’re capable of playing right now. But against the Packers, they were flagged eight times for a back-breaking 110 yards.

Perhaps it’s best to just look at the numbers.

Fourth loss in a row, and the football world may have been ready to write off the Packers for another NFC North title and possible playoff push. The second-year starter was knocked out of the lopsided win at Minnesota on Sunday in Green Bay’s first series of the game, when running back Eddie Lacy rolled into the back of Linsley’s leg while being tackled on a run play.

“Offensively, defensively, they were the most physical team”, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine the Packers reverting to the poor play that plagued them during their recent three game skid.

Jeffery has been limited to five games due to various injuries and sat out Sunday’s 17-15 home defeat to Denver with groin and shoulder injuries. When he did have a chance to redeem himself, he fumbled. The X-factor in these games remains Green Bay’s dominance over Jay Cutler, who has beaten the Packers only once since Dom Capers took over as defensive coordinator in 2009. The Vikings ran into a buzzsaw last week.

“Bart’s been such a great encouragement to me since I was drafted here (in 2005), and I really have appreciated all of our conversations over the years with him and his lovely wife (Cherry)”, Rodgers said. Defensively, Green Bay is allowing 19.8 points and 368.6 yards per game.

After suffering through historically bad defenses the last few seasons, the young and retooled Bears defense is starting to gel and find some footing. The Vikings didn’t beat a team past year that finished with a winning record and they have no wins this season over a team that now has a winning mark.

The Bears’ remaining schedule has three games on the road against teams that are. This week’s game looked to be a huge one as two classic NFC North rivals faced off, possibly with the division on the line. “Everybody contributed and we got back to playing the style of football that we like to play”.

Making his first career start on his 25th birthday, Osweiler came out on the first Denver possession of the game and found a wide-open Demaryius Thomas for a 48-yard touchdown pass. That would be his only score of the game, as he balanced some nifty play action that frequently found the Chicago defense out of place with some clunky stretches. Aaron Rodgers is completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions. Mason Crosby kicked five field goals, all from more than 40 yards, including one from 52.

Wide receiver James Jones, held without a catch last week in a loss to the Detroit Lions, caught five balls for 106 yards and a pretty, toe-dragging touchdown along the left sideline, which essentially iced the game. Kicker Blair Walsh missed the extra point. He has also been sacked 13 times in the past four games.

Rodgers knew Newman was in the vicinity of Jones but didn’t hesitate to unload in Jones’ direction on the long pass, saying he didn’t think the throwing window was too tight.