Aaron Rodgers Names Surprising Bears Defender He's Worried About in Week 15
Aaron Rodgers is among the most respected players at his position, for good reason. The Green Bay Packers QB is known as an absolute maestro on the field, as his vast array of crazy throws and poised rollouts have helped inspired the latest generation of passers. You wouldn't expect there to be many defenders capable of striking fear into the seasoned veteran.
Well, ahead of Green Bay's Week 15 matchup with the Chicago Bears, Rodgers mentioned a rather surprising defender who he's always on the lookout for: inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.
When asked about the #Bears defense this week, the first number Rodgers mentioned was 44:
— John Doran (@JohnDoranTV) December 13, 2019
"44 I've always thought is a really solid player. I don't want to butcher his last name, but he rocked me a couple years ago. I know where 44's at most of the time when he's in the game." https://t.co/NyMf9XkBKL
Rodgers' shoutout to "44" was unexpected, as the Bears defense has several more well-known stars, including the likes of Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Jackson. However, the hard-hitting linebacker has been a key component of the Bears turnaround, serving in a lead-by-example role for the defense.
The surging #Bears have steadied things since a rocky start, with LB Nick Kwiatkoski (41:20) telling RapSheet + Friends: “It was time to step back and refocus. As a team we bought in.” More from him, Mike McCarthy, @TomPelissero & @judybattista here: https://t.co/yGplUseycG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2019
Kwiatkoski has been an underrated gem in the middle of Chicago's defense this season, earning an overall grade of 79.8 (a nearly elite score) from Pro Football Focus thus far in 2019.
The 26-year-old didn't see a single snap in the Week 1 matchup between the Packers and Bears, but he's started each of the past four games for Chicago, and Rodgers has taken notice.