Preston Smith’s words lead Packers’ defensive…

GREEN BAY – Preston Smith didn’t like what he was seeing as the Packers went into the locker room at halftime, down by six, to the Chicago Bears Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

So, after quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Head Coach Matt LaFleur spoke their piece, Smith stepped forward and let everyone, in all three phases, know what Green Bay put on the field in the opening 30 minutes wasn’t good enough.

“He was like, ‘We don’t play like that,'” cornerback Rasul Douglas said. “We’ve got to play better in all three phases. Most of the defensive guys, we play all special teams and defense. All the points came from that. He was just upset. We were all upset. This ain’t it. We don’t lose at home.”

Smith’s words resonated with his peers, as Green Bay’s defense responded with a dominant second-half performance to pace the Packers in their eventual 45-30 victory over the Bears.

Proving there was substance in his halftime words, Smith led the way with a strip-sack of quarterback Justin Fields on the Bears’ second play of the third quarter. It was a catalyst for the defense, with Rashan Gary recovering the loose ball at the Chicago 23.

On the very next play, Rodgers found running back Aaron Jones in the middle of the field for a 23-yard touchdown to extend Green Bay’s lead to 35-27 at the time.

Chicago’s next three possessions all ended in three-and-outs, as the Bears managed just 17 total yards of offense between the start of the third quarter and when Chicago received the ball back, down 45-27, with 4 minutes, 33 seconds left.