For a while, the Packers were thinking of starting their Lambeau Field renovation early since they weren’t using the end zones anyway. They had scored one touchdown in a loss against the Jets and none in a win against the Eagles, and here they were down 24-3 getting booed at their hallowed home in a game against the hated Bears.
How low can they go?
Brett Favre came back but fell short, a story that no longer holds much drama or promise, not when there have been so many glorious finishes in days gone by. The Packers have now lost two in a row at Lambeau to the Bears for the first time since Mike Ditka’s last two visits in 1991 and ’92. They have lost five of their last eight games at home and the only consolation in Sunday’s 27-24 defeat was that their referendum to rebuild the place already passed Sept. 12.
Their fast finish against the Bears didn’t come close to masking a start so horrid that 59,869 fans had to wonder whether the plane circling above with the banner thanking Brown County voters could stay in the air.
“I never saw a start of a game where more could go wrong,” said coach Mike Sherman.
After rookie Gary Berry was wheeled off on the opening kickoff, Favre threw an interception on the first play, leading to a 7-0 hole. Then on consecutive plays, there was a hold by backup center Mike Flanagan, a false start by backup tackle Mark Tauscher, a hold by receiver Bill Schroeder on Dorsey Levens’ longest run of the day (14 yards), an injury to fullback William Henderson, a Favre pass thrown behind Levens, a sack, and a bad punt.
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“No way we overlooked this game,” said a “numb” Sherman. “We talked about how we’d rather play a 4-0 team than an 0-4 team. We talked about it being our first NFC Central game. We didn’t lose because we overlooked the Bears.”
Safety LeRoy Butler agreed: “You had to assume they’d play great; they beat us last year here.” But Butler also said: “They tried to give it to us in the fourth quarter, but we wouldn’t take it. It just comes down to we haven’t developed a killer instinct yet to let a team of this magnitude come in and beat us.”
Magnitude isn’t the first word that comes to mind when watching a 1-4 team beat a 2-3 team, not in an NFC race where the undefeated St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings are already running away with the regular season. There are a lot of games to play, Favre reminded his listeners, but he didn’t need to say that both his Packers and the Bears have a long way to go.
If rebuilding is the best either can realistically count on this year, the Bears certainly had a leg up Sunday in a comparison between their No. 1 draft choice, Brian Urlacher, and the Packers’ No. 1 choice, Bubba Franks. It was Urlacher the Packers had their eye on last April, but they needed Franks to replace tight end Mark Chmura, one of many cohorts who have deserted Favre in recent years, leaving him like a gunslinger without ammo.
There were seven dropped passes by Packers on Sunday, including a touchdown in the gut of Henderson and a third-down drop by Franks with 11 seconds left.
“No one let anybody down,” Favre kindly insisted.
Favre said “nothing much surprises me anymore,” but he admitted that being down 24-3 “surprised everyone–us, them probably.” Still, he wanted to give the Bears “some credit,” such as on the first play of the game.
“Urlacher pushed Bubba wide and I lost sight of [Tony] Parrish and he stepped in front of it,” Favre said of his interception.
Chalk one up for Urlacher. It was Franks’ first start because Tyrone Davis is one of many Packers nursing injury. With three starts under his belt at middle linebacker, Urlacher was suddenly the old pro in this matchup. Urlacher also harassed running back Ahman Green–another wanting Packer backup pressed into subbing for a hobbled Levens–into a fumble and dropped passes.
“Without looking at film, I think for the most part he did a good job covering the backs,” Favre said. “He runs well. It’s not easy to cover any back.”
Cade McNown outrushed Levens and Green combined, scrambling 10 times for 51 yards and the first touchdown on an option rollout, the touchdown that ultimately made the difference.
“We couldn’t contain Cade McNown,” Sherman said. “It seemed like he was avoiding tackles regularly.”
Said Butler: “He took a lot of hits today. For a guy coming in with so much criticism, he came in and played pretty good.”
Sacked five times, McNown completed only one more pass (11) than he had runs.
“Now that may surprise me,” Favre said, “if he can keep running around like that and last. But if anybody can, it will be him.”