The Chicago Bears are on a roll. They have reeled off five consecutive wins, and the most impressive victory was their 24-15 Black Friday triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
Beating the defending Super Bowl champions at this point in the season is a major statement. There is no doubt that the rest of the league will take the Bears seriously from this point forward. However, the greatest thing that can come from that clear victory is the confidence that the Bears have in themselves.
Chicago had waited until the last moments of the fourth quarter to beat struggling teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears won those games based on their skill and execution, but they also received the breaks needed to execute at the right moment.
In beating the Eagles, the luck factor was not involved. The Bears defense shut down the Philadelphia offense, holding quarterback Jalen Hurts to 230 passing yards and preventing running back Saquon Barkley from delivering any big plays. Barkley was held to 56 yards and did not have a run longer than 15 yards.
A year ago, Barkley was a dominant runner who exceeded the 2,000-yard mark. The superstar running back has not been able to get untracked this season.
Packers present a different kind of challenge for the Bears
The Bears demonstrated against the Eagles that they can play effective team defense. However, they have not come close to dominating this year. The Bears rank 27th in yards allowed as they are giving up 359.0 yards per game. That puts them just below the Baltimore Ravens and just above the Pittsburgh Steelers. Neither of those teams have played up to expectations this year.
They also rank 25th in points allowed as opponents are scoring 25.6 points per game.
They don't have any one player who is leading the way and telling his teammates to jump on his shoulders and follow his lead. But they have several players who are coming through at big moments. Safety Kevin Byard has 6 interceptions and cornerback Nahshon Wright is right behind him with 5 picks. Defensive end Montez Sweat has picked up his level of play in recent weeks and he has a team-leading 7.5 sacks. No other Bear defensive player has more than 4.0 sacks.
The Bears passed a major test against the Eagles. Now they face the archrival Green Bay Packers and the two teams will meet twice in the next three weeks. The Bears (9-3) lead the Packers (8-3-1) by one-half game, and these games will clearly have a huge impact on the NFC North battle for first place as well as seeding in the NFC playoffs.
If the Bears are going to be effective against the Packers, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is going to have come up with his most effective game plan. The Packers are not the most consistent offensive team, but they have enough weapons to cause problems for the Bears. The Packers rank 13th in yards per game, averaging 340.6 yards per outing. They are also 13th in passing yards and 16th in rushing yards. They are 10th in scoring, averaging 24.5 points per game.
Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs are major weapons that the Bears must contain
While the Packers have not had a dominant offensive season, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur knows that Jordan Love is capable of a huge performance in the biggest games. He came through in dynamic fashion at the conclusion of the 2023 season when the Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round and they nearly defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs.
Love completed 16 of 21 passes and threw for 272 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions against the Cowboys. He was also effective against the Niners, but San Francisco rallied with 10 points in the 4th quarter to end the Packers season.
Love is motivated to take the Packers further this season. He has completed 242 of 361 passes for 2,794 yards with 19 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
If Josh Jacobs can give the Packers an effective ground game against the Bears, it should open things up for Love. Jacobs has rushed for 731 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He is coming off a knee injury, but he returned to the lineup in Week 13 against the Lions and he had 17 carries for 83 yards. He should be capable of a solid effort against the Bears.
If the Bears are forced to defend the Green Bay running game, wide outs Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks and Matthew Golden are all capable of making key plays. Doubs has a team-leading 45-542-5, but Watson is their most dangerous big-play threat. He has played in just 6 games, but he is healthy again and he can torment the Bears with his game-breaking speed.
The best chance the Bears have in this game is limiting Jacobs and making the Packers as one-dimensional as possible.
