The Chicago Bears had the Green Bay Packers wobbling when they met Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Bears were the better team for much of the second half and were driving for the tying touchdown in the final minutes. If Caleb Williams had finished the drive and delivered a score, the Bears were likely to go for a winning two-point conversion.
Williams' attempt at a tying TD pass to tight end Cole Kmet was intercepted by Packers defensive back Keisean Nixon. Head coach Ben Johnson explained why the play failed.
“Nixon was man-to-man with DJ (Moore) and was trailing him and ended up falling off and making a play on Cole there,” Johnson said in his postgame remarks. “It was a good play by Nixon and yet I still don’t think if we get the spacing right and all that, and a good ball, that he’s gonna be able to cover both of those players like that.”
There were clearly a few moments of regret because the Packers had a 28-21 triumph and moved into first place in the NFC North. However, the Bears were quickly preparing for their Week 15 clash with the Cleveland Browns.
It seems likely that the Bears will be back in first place at the conclusion of Sunday's games. If Green Bay can't come up with the upset and the Bears beat the Browns, they will switch positions in the NFC North and Chicago will return to the top spot.
NFL's best pass rusher will sack Bears' Williams twice
The Browns (3-10) are in last place in the AFC North, but they have already beaten the Packers and they have one of the best pass rushers of the past 20 years in Myles Garrett.
The Bears are going to have to find a way to keep him ruining their pass blocking and getting after Williams. The quarterback has shown the ability to get away from the pass rush throughout the season, but Garrett is relentless, strong, speedy and skilled. He has a league-best 20.0 sacks to go with 53 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 32 quarterback hits, 3 forced fumbles and 1 pass batted down.
Even if Williams can avoid Garrett for much of the game, he is likely to get sacked at least once and hit hard on two or more occasions. That's not what will determine the outcome of the game. Quarterbacks get hit every game, including Williams. However, he must be able to put those plays behind him quickly and demonstrate he can get rid of the ball on time and accurately.
Williams has completed 249 of 431 passes for 2,908 yards this season with 19 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions this season. He has also rushed for 321 yards while averaging 4.94 yards per carry and scoring 3 TDs. The belief here is that Williams will throw 2 TD passes and run for an additional score as the Bears assert their will against the Browns.
If he can avoid throwing more than 1 interception and he does not fumble — a difficult ask against Garrett — the Bears have an excellent chance of holding up their end of the bargain and securing a victory.
Look for rookie tight end Colston Loveland to come up with a key play in the fourth quarter. If the game is tight in the final 15 minutes, Williams has shown he will look for Loveland. He caught the game-winning TD pass against the Cincinnati in Week 9 and he has caught 35 passes for 435 yards and 4 TDs. Look for Loveland to be decisive against the Browns.
Sweat will lead Bears defense with 1.0 sack and a forced fumble
The Bears are a tough, turnover-oriented defensive team this season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has built a unit that will attack and punch back when the opponents hit them with a long drive or a key play.
They have been especially strong at producing interceptions. Safety Kevin Byard has a league-leading 6 interceptions, while cornerback Nahshon Wright is right behind with 5 picks. Linebacker Tremaine Edmonds has contributed 4 interceptions and leads the team with 89 tackles.
However, the key to their success in this game will be the pressure they can put on rookie QB Shedeur Sanders. Edge rusher Montez Sweat has an extremely quick first step and he also excels at hand fighting. He leads the Bears with 8.5 sacks and he should get at least 1.0 in this game and also force a fumble.
A strong outing by the defense should propel the Bears to their 10th victory of the season.
