CHICAGO -- Damarious Randall had no explanation for what happened on Sunday afternoon, whether the Green Bay Packers cornerback was talking about why he got benched or what happened when his defense blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead.
When it came to his benching, he said: “Ask my coaches. Don’t ask me. Ask my coach.”
And the way the defense played at the end?
“We won the game,” Randall said after Sunday's 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears. “There’s nothing to be disappointed about. We’re still in the playoff race, and we’ve got Minnesota [at home] next week.”
In explaining the former, Packers coach Mike McCarthy was somewhat vague.
“Performance and some things,” McCarthy said when asked about the decision to take Randall off the field after he gave up an 8-yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery. “There was a change up there and, not getting into specifics of scheme, some of the things they were doing.”
McCarthy made no mention of any issues with Randall’s groin injury, which kept him out of six games earlier this season, and Randall declined to discuss his health.
A week earlier, Randall picked off two passes during a six-takeaway performance by the Packers' defense against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
Although Green Bay forced four turnovers against Chicago on Sunday, including three interceptions of Matt Barkley, the three fourth-quarter drives by the Bears that ended with two touchdowns and a field goal will linger for the Packers.
“Man, we’ve just got to find a way not to relax, not to take our foot off the gas, and keep going,” said safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who twice picked off Barkley. “I think we got a little too comfortable. We’ve just got to find a way to finish ballgames. We won the ballgame, first and foremost, but I understand what you’re saying, and I understand what you’re seeing; but we’ve just got to find a way to finish and play for four quarters.”
The Packers’ defense forced only two punts; they came on the Bears’ first two series of the game. When the Packers didn’t force turnovers, they gave up points. At least defensive back Micah Hyde stopped the bleeding late when he broke up a third-down pass with less than 90 seconds to play to hold the Bears to a tying field goal that set up Aaron Rodgers' last-minute heroics.
Just don’t call what happened in the fourth quarter a defensive collapse around Julius Peppers.
“If that happens and we win, then we’re fine with it,” said Peppers, who had a strip sack and a fumble recovery to start the second half. “Things like that happen. You can’t shut a team down for four quarters. Well, you can, actually. But most of the time in the NFL, coaches are smart and they make adjustments, they do things different. They had a little success in the second half that we were fortunate to put a stop to it and get out of here with a win.”