NFL Week 10 Preview: Packers at Bears

The Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears in Week 10 of the 2017 NFL season. PFF previews the top player matchups of the game.

PFFELO Ranking: 17

Coverage by: Sam McGaw

Matchup: Green Bay Packers offense vs. Chicago Bears defense

• WR Randall Cobb vs. CB Bryce Callahan – Quarterback Brett Hundley was at his best when he threw the ball to Cobb in the loss against Detroit. Cobb led the team with a wide receiver rating of 115.0 and an average of 1.66 receiving yards per route run. Most of his production this year has come from the slot, where he’s caught 23 of 30 targets for 240 yards and a touchdown. He averages 1.30 slot receiving yards per route run. Callahan ranks 47th among cornerbacks with a PFF overall grade of 77.3. He gives up an average of 0.87 receiving yards per coverage snap out of the slot.

• T Justin McCray vs. Edge Leonard Floyd – McCray returns as the Packers’ starting right tackle after Bryan Bulaga was recently ruled out for the year with a torn ACL. McCray played right tackle from Weeks 2 through 4 before playing left guard and left tackle from Weeks 5 through 7. 12 of his 15 total pressures allowed have come when he’s lined up at tackle. He has a PFF overall grade of 38.4. Floyd ranks 81st among edge defenders with an overall grade of 67.4. He’s forced 26 total pressures and has a pass-rushing productivity of 9.8.
• RB Aaron Jones vs. LB Danny Trevathan – Jones enters Week 10 ranked fourth among running backs with a PFF overall grade of 84.3. He has five runs of 15-plus yards, and 33.2 percent of his rushing yards have come on those 15-plus yard runs. Additionally, he averages 2.64 yards after contact and has a 35.7 elusive rating. Trevathan leads the Bears linebacking corps with 13 run stops. He’s tied for seventh among linebackers with an overall grade of 84.5. However, his run defense grade of 56.6 ranks 49th.

PFFELO Ranking: 21

Coverage by: Lorin Cox

Matchup: Chicago Bears offense vs. Green Bay Packers defense

• WR Dontrelle Inman vs. CB Davon House – Inman only played 39 snaps this season in Los Angeles before being traded to the Bears, but last year, he was the 32nd-highest graded wide receiver in the NFL at 79.3 overall. 61.9 percent of his routes run were out of the slot, but he is expected to take more of an outside receiver role in Chicago, where Kendall Wright is the highest graded wide receiver at 74.8 overall. House has had some up and down performances in his five starts this season, earning a 54.0 overall grade in the process. Only 52.4 percent of his targets have been caught this season, and opposing quarterbacks have an 81.3 passer rating when targeting him, both the lowest among Packers cornerbacks.
• G Kyle Long vs. DL Mike Daniels – Playing through an ankle injury and more recently a hand injury, Long has earned a career-low 74.8 overall grade so far but still ranks 22nd among guards. He has allowed two sacks, no hits and seven hurries this season on 138 pass-blocking snaps, giving him a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 94.2 that is tied for 70th at his position. Daniels has earned an 86.0 overall grade this season that ranks 18th among interior defensive linemen. He has two sacks, four hits and eight hurries this season on 140 pass-rushing snaps, and 54.7 percent of his snaps have come lined up across from opposing right guards.

• TE Daniel Brown vs. S Josh Jones – After the injury to Zach Miller in Week 8, Brown stepped into his role and played the most snaps of any Bears tight end in the fourth quarter. That was also the case over the final six games of 2016 when Miller got hurt. Over that span, Brown caught 16 of his 17 catchable targets for 124 yards, including 45 yards after the catch. Jones has been playing linebacker in the Packers’ “nitro” nickel package, and he’s been targeted 25 times this season, allowing 21 catches for 197 yards. He is tied for the second-most total stops on the Packers defense with 16.