CHICAGO — Seems, Aaron Rodgers could well well possibly had been only a co-owner of the Chicago Bears. Jordan Cherish appears to be like to be pleased left Soldier Arena with a half for himself.
Unique Green Bay Packers quarterback. Similar legend for the woebegone Bears.
On the identical subject where two years in the past Rodgers educated Bears’ devoted, “I tranquil have you,” after one other Packers’ win over their NFC North opponents, Cherish started his tenure powerful the identical ability.
A 38-20 victory in the significant game of the post-Rodgers period sent a pointed message.
“Nothing’s modified,” working advantage Aaron Jones acknowledged. “We’re tranquil the Packers.”
Whether or no longer or no longer Cherish has a 15-365 days plug in him to practice 30 years of Rodgers and Brett Favre, these are his Packers now. He waited three years as a backup to expose it and for no longer no longer as a lot as one afternoon, he made general supervisor Brian Gutekunst’s audacious switch to alternate as a lot as decide a quarterback in the significant round of the 2020 draft gape prescient.
It used to be the Packers’ ninth straight win over the Bears, but it felt fancy something powerful bigger than that.
“There could be a substantial-time perception in that locker room for Jordan Cherish,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged. “I mediate the guys, they’re going to rally around him. They’re enraged for him. They fancy him. They respect him. He comes to work each and on each day basis, huge perspective, huge energy. I mediate you seen that this day.”
And in the advantage of the doors of the Packers’ locker room, it can well well per chance possibly be heard, too. A cheer erupted when Cherish used to be presented with the game ball.
“It be positively been a in reality lengthy time coming for me, three years as a backup,” Cherish acknowledged. “Honest staring at, studying and growing, seeing this group work, it feels gorgeous to be available main these guys and be available fidgeting with them sooner or later and coming out with a dub is correct what we wished.”
Cherish made it gape easy in the starting set aside, with a scoring drive on the outlet possession. He showed patience in the pocket, double pumped to let Romeo Doubs advance originate and then hit him on a crosser for an 8-yard touchdown.
Then it regarded fancy a fight. It used to be a 10-6 game at halftime.
Then it regarded fancy a classic LaFleur offense. A unsuitable show cloak pass turned into into a 51-yard accumulate and plug for Jones, who capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plug. By the time Jones caught an option route for a 35-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-3 play, the Packers led 24-6.
A beautifully placed 4-yard recede for Doubs’ 2nd touchdown — which came after the most inviting right moment of subject about Cherish, who fumbled a snap only to recover and hit rookie tight cease Luke Musgrave for a 37-yard pass — gave the quarterback his third TD and a 31-14 lead. To that point in Week 1 of the NFL season, he used to be the significant quarterback to throw three touchdowns.
With a substantial aid from Jones, who had 127 yards and two touchdowns on 13 catches earlier than a tight hamstring ended his day, Cherish carried out 15 of 27 passes for 245 yards with out a turnover.
“I educated him that I mediate he’ll switch for 300 with three touchdowns, but he went for [almost] 250 with three touchdowns,” left guard Elgton Jenkins acknowledged. “Nonetheless we’ll take it.”
This used to be without perchance their most explosive receiver, Christian Watson. He used to be idle with a hamstring hurt, which is perchance a motive LaFleur shut down Jones early even even supposing Jones acknowledged he could well well possibly be pleased continued to play.
Cherish used to be notably precise on the cash downs, going 8-of-10 on third and fourth downs, changing seven of these for first downs.
“I truly feel fancy he typically is a top-5 quarterback,” Jenkins acknowledged. “I am consistently optimistic about my teammates, but I positively truly feel fancy Jordan can even be one amongst these guys.”
The one stat the truly mattered for Cherish on Sunday used to be this one: 1-0.
He is a lengthy ability from 24-5 — Rodgers’ legend against the Bears — but as cornerback Jaire Alexander acknowledged: “[The] Pack is advantage.”
Or even it underneath no conditions left correct on memoir of Rodgers left town for the Unique York Jets.
“I positively the old day used to be visualizing correct having a win, coming off the subject after a win; I kept telling myself, ‘I am going to play huge, we’re all going to play huge,'” Cherish acknowledged. “That’s what I kept telling myself over and all any other time. And wakened this day doing the identical part, correct visualizing that we had been going to accumulate this win and we had been going to play huge this day.”
