Cheese Curds, 12/11: Do the Packers really have a defense?

Judging solely by the Packers’ Week 1 win over the Bears, you’d be forgiven for thinking the NFC North would return to its “black and blue division” roots in 2019. Both sporting what appeared to be dominating defenses, the Packers and Bears looked primed for a season-long slugfest, shutting down opposing offenses with their voracious defenders.

Instead, the teams have gone in different directions on that side of the ball. Or rather, the Bears have largely maintained their reputation as a very good defense while the Packers have steadily declined over the years, feasting only on the weakest of opposing quarterbacks.

Those two season-long storylines could come to a head this weekend in Green Bay. The Packers will face another relatively weak quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky, though he has quite well, recently. Meanwhile, the Bears’ defense will have a chance to avenge its Week 1 performance, an overall good effort that came up just short. With plenty on the line for both teams, defense could still end up playing a huge role for both the Packers and Bears.

Packers have ‘got a defense,’ but it’s hard to figure | ESPN

A handful of Packers defenders are having solid individual seasons, but the overall effort seems less than the sum of its parts.

Allen Robinson wants to be Bears’ all-time leading WR | NFL.com

Remember when the Packers were in the hunt for Robinson’s services during the 2018 offseason? He seems to be enjoying life in Chicago. In just under two seasons there, he’s totaled 1,652 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s still a little more than 3,400 yards behind all-time Bears leader Johnny Morris, but a little help at quarterback could do a lot for his pursuit of the top spot.

Packers-Bears to play noon game at Lambeau Field for first time since 2008 | Packers Wire

Strange but true: the Packers and Bears will play in the noon slot for the first time in more than a decade on Sunday.

David Bakhtiari, Preston Smith continue to lead 2020 Pro Bowl fan voting | Packers.com

The Packers sport a few players who are at or near the top of their position groups in Pro Bowl voting. Do your part!

Maine girl’s message in a bottle found 36 years later | Bangor Daily News

She wasn’t sending out an SOS to the world, but an 11-year old girl from Maine was hoping for a letter back when she dropped a Coke bottle into the water at Cape Cod. Almost four decades later, she’s finally getting her wish.