Yes, it is better to have Aaron Rodgers than Brett Favre.
In the frigid temperatures Monday night at Soldier Field, Rodgers didn’t play like the California boy he is. So what if he wore long sleeves? He didn’t wear gloves, and he threw the ball with authority and took control of the game.
In the freezing temperatures at Soldier Field one year ago, Favre threw two interceptions as his team was blown out. Afterward, he complained about the cold.
It also has been better to have Rodgers than Kyle Orton this year, as Rodgers has clearly outplayed Orton in both of their meetings this season. Rodgers and Orton were from the same draft class in 2005, and neither the Packers nor the Bears committed to starting the players until this year.
It is interesting — and revealing — that the Packers already have committed to Rodgers for the long term by signing him to a new deal, while the Bears have yet to extend Orton’s contract. Rodgers has earned the Packers’ trust. Whether Orton can do so with the Bears remains to be seen.
In the biggest game of the season for the Bears, one of Orton’s most impressive plays was a tackle of Charles Woodson. But that was after the cornerback had intercepted Orton on a pass he shouldn’t have thrown.
Orton threw another interception with 9 minutes 36 seconds left that stopped what could have been the game-tying drive. The Bears took a nine-play drive to the Packers’ 34 before safety Nick Collins stepped in front of Orton’s throw and returned in 28 yards.
Monday night Rodgers had a lot more chances than Orton. Part of that was because he was getting results with his passes. Part of that was that he has superior targets to throw to.
On the Packers’ second possession, Rodgers threw a pretty pass to Donald Driver of about 50 yards, and Driver had his man beat on a post route and the safety help was late getting over. It appeared Driver could have caught the ball, especially if he had laid out. But instead of giving the Packers a 6-0 lead, the pass fell to the ground.
They tried the same play again in the second quarter, and Driver was open again, running past Corey Graham. Rodgers’ pass was on target, and Driver dived for this one. He caught the ball but couldn’t hang on.
For all of Rodgers’ chances, the Packers’ biggest play of the first half came from backup Matt Flynn. In punt formation on fourth-and-2 from the Bears’ 37, the rookie quarterback lined up as an upback, took the snap and ran 6 yards for a first down.
Four plays later, Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 7-yard touchdown pass in front of Trumaine McBride, giving Green Bay the first points of the game.
Rodgers did a nice job of avoiding pressure. When Danieal Manning came clean on a first quarter blitz, he hit Rodgers and wrapped him up but couldn’t bring him down before Rodgers threw the ball away.
On another first-half play, defensive tackle Anthony Adams had Rodgers by the ankles, but Rodgers threw the ball away before Adams and Alex Brown could get him on the ground.
It ended up being a significant play, because on the next play Rodgers threw a short pass to running back Ryan Grant, who went 17 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Rodgers’ first-half interception was somewhat fluky. The Packers chose not to pick up Manning on the same blitz the Bears had used earlier, instead calling for a quick throw to the area Manning vacated. But Manning got his hands on the pass and batted it into the air. It landed in the arms of Brown for an interception.
Rodgers didn’t have to rally the Packers from a deficit. He hasn’t been able to do that in seven prior chances this year, which is the main reason he has come under some criticism.
You can say this about Rodgers: Maybe he has not been the solution for the Packers, but he has not been the problem.
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Pocket presence
Comparing the evenings of quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Kyle Orton.
COMPLETIONS
RODGERS 24
ORTON 14
ATTEMPTS
RODGERS 39
ORTON 27
YARDS
RODGERS 260
ORTON 142
TD-INT
RODGERS 2-1
ORTON 1-2
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dpompei@tribune.com.
