NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Vikings

Bears

• Bears rookie WR Velus Jones, Jr. said that he is continuing to improve his work habits along with “becoming a pro” in an effort to get back on the field. (Courtney Cronin)
• Jones believes he has a good grasp on the playbook: “I felt like I definitely knew the playbook really well. Did I mistakes? Yeah. I know. Everyone’s going to make mistakes but it’s all about not making the same mistakes twice.” (Cronin)
• Bears WR coach Tyke Tolbert said he wants to see more consistency from Jones: “Consistency. Consistency with everything. And once he builds consistency, that will build some trust, and once we have trust, he’ll play more.” (Cronin)
• Tolbert is hoping to get WR Chase Claypool more involved this week: “Hopefully we’ll see more playing time from him. And we’ve always had a lot of plays in for him, but it’s just a matter how the game’s going, what plays are called, plays that are not called. We run the ball so well here so we do a lot of that stuff too. But there is a big package for him within our game plan. Just whenever you get to it, hopefully we’ll get to some of it this week and you will see it. We’ll see.” (Cronin)

Packers

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers admits that he needed to play better in Thursday’s loss to the Titans after going 24-for-39 for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

“I’ve got to throw the ball better than I did tonight,” Rodgers said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Not a lot of margin for error for us and definitely not against a team that gives you some opportunities. We’ve got to have those plays.”

Rodgers points out that his thumb injury forced him to have an inconsistent grip on the ball, which impacted the delivery of his passes. 

“I couldn’t tell you [or] point to one thing,” Rodgers said. “I’m not going to make excuses about my thumb. It’s been the same since [he hurt it against the] New York [Giants]. I don’t know. I’ve got to go back and look at it. I felt like fundamentally I was in a good spot. I just didn’t have the same type of consistent grip and ball coming out the same way. I threw a lot of kind of wobblers tonight. There was some wind. Just missed a few throws I should have had. Definitely the one to Sammy and the one to Allen.”

Rodgers is confident that they are capable of winning their final six games of the season. 

“If we play up to our potential, we can win our last six games,” Rodgers said. “I’m confident in that. Obviously, I’ve got to play up to my potential. Tonight wasn’t it.”

Vikings

When Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and HC Kevin O’Connell took over this offseason, most people expected them to dramatically tear down and rebuild the roster, as that’s what often happens in regime changes. Instead, Minnesota basically doubled down on most of the players already in the building, and it’s impossible to argue with the results. 

“I felt really, really good about the leadership that existed here,” O’Connell said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “When I think about some of the guys that have played for this team for a long time, they are really well-coached, are dynamic leaders in their own right, you can name the names. It’s the Eric Kendricks, it’s the Harrison Smith‘s, it’s guys like Patrick Peterson.

“On the offensive side, I truly think Kirk Cousins and his leadership ability to overcome adversity has been proven this year. And then we’ve got some dynamic guys — Dalvin Cook, Brian O’Neill, Adam Thielen. These guys help maintain a presence of poise, confidence and accountability. And then this was a tough football team, no matter how you looked at it.”