Bears running back Matt Forte was just about the only Bears offensive player to enjoy success against the Packers in their two meetings in 2011.
He gained 311 yards from scrimmage in those two games, an incredible figure for a running back on a team that scored 17 combined points in two losses. After we talked to Forte about his contract, PFT asked him about the challenges of facing the Packers.
“The Packers are tough to figure out,” Forte said. “They do so many different things and really it takes a half to figure out what we can do against them.”
Forte said the Bears were able to “settle down” against the Packers in the NFC Championship after halftime. Staying patient is easier said than done.
“The tough thing is they have a good offense,” Forte said. “If you are trying to figure out what to do against them while they are scoring points, you get behind easily.”
So what makes them so tough to figure out?
“They do a lot of different blitzes. They put a lot of pressure on your protection. You look at film and they blitz safeties, nickel guys, linebackers; they do cross-blitzes; they line up linebackers at defensive end and defensive ends at linebackers. It’s a lot to prepare for,” Forte said.
Pittsburgh’s shaky pass protection has surely learned this fact in film study last week. And the Steelers don’t want to wait until halftime to start figuring the Packers defense out.