While the Packers panic about the health of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the other team was playing its backup quarterback too.
And the results were vastly different.
Bears quarterback Josh McCown was smooth and efficient in last night’s 27-20 win over Seneca Wallace and the Packers, a calming presence for a team that might not be without starter Jay Cutler much longer.
“It would be hard to find one better than this,” McCown said, via Scott Krinch of CSNChicago.com. “They’re all special though at every level, from back in high school to Sam Houston State, to now, they’re all special. This is neat, this is really neat because it means so much to our team, it’s a divisional opponent, it’s for the division lead, all those things that factor in to this. So it’s very special, I’m very thankful. Right now, I’m just enjoying it.”
McCown has an easy going, aw-shucks demeanor that has made him popular (and contributed to his continued employment) for years. But the 34-year-old can also make a play, as he did in several instances last night.
He was sharp from the start, throwing a strike to Brandon Marshall for an opening-drive touchdown that set the tone for the night. But he was also a good-enough 3-of-5 for 28 yards on the final 18-play drive which ate nearly nine minutes off the clock late. He finished the game 22-for-41 for 272 yards, with two touchdowns and a 90.7 passer rating.
“He was actually better than what I thought he was,” Packers defensive end Datone Jones said. “A lot of times, those passes, he wasn’t just sitting back in the pocket completing them. We got him off the spot running and was completing long passes. A lot of times, it wasn’t like we weren’t getting pressure. We were getting pressure, but he was just moving, which a great quarterback does.
“He stepped up tonight.”
The Bears would prefer he didn’t have to many more times, but it’s good to know they have a reliable guy in case.