Packers Affected by Saints Bounty Suspensions

The NFL closed their books on the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal on Wednesday by handing down stiff penalties to players who were viewed as ringleaders, and one of those suspensions will affect the Bears.

Anthony Hargrove, a defensive end who played for the Saints for two seasons but is now with the Packers, will miss the first half of the 2012 season.

Those eight games includes the Bears' week two meeting with Green Bay. Not only will he not be available to rush Jay Cutler during that game, but his absence will take a toll on the Packers as they try to repeat as NFC North champions.

But Chicago shouldn't jump up and down just yet. The Packers will still have plenty of options to send at Cutler. Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and A.J. Hawk have all wreaked havoc on the Bears in the past. Losing Hargrove won't change that.

However, the Bears' biggest rival lost a defensive weapon for eight games because he got caught doing something stupid. That is at least worth a smile.

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