Packers: Five players key to victory in Week 12 vs. Bears

2. Dean Lowry

Last week against the Colts, Kenny Clark finally came alive. Clark was more active on defense than we had seen in 2020.

Much like the entire team, the defense did a great job against the Colts and the run game in the first half but then fell apart in the second. If the Packers want to duplicate their first-half performance, Dean Lowry is going to have to pick up his game and prove he’s worth that big contract.

With the salary cap likely being below the current number in 2021, every team will need to do some cap maneuvering. With the contract he signed last season, Lowry is a likely cut candidate.

His play hasn’t yet justified the high dollar numbers but with a second-half surge, he can make that decision much more difficult.

The defense could also get some help from their coordinator. Mike Pettine’s refusal to break from his dime defense has been at the heart of the Packers’ run problems. Too often Green Bay has found themselves with the wrong personnel on the field when teams decide to run.

It took eight straight runs from the Colts for Pettine to finally put some extra meat on the field.

With Mitchell Trubisky starting and David Montgomery returning from injury, the Bears are likely to test Pettine’s stubbornness and run right at the heart of the defense.