The Green Bay Packers have something of a problem. They are going into hostile territory Saturday to play the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Packers have not won a game since they defeated the Bears by a 28-21 margin in Week 14.
The Packers have lost 4 straight games since then and they are going into the playoffs with multiple issues. However, the health of their quarterbacks is not one of those problems. Jordan Love was healthy enough to play in Week 18 but head coach Matt LaFleur was not about to risk his health in a game that had no impact on the team's status as the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The biggest issue is how their defense is likely to perform against Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Micah Parsons is one of the three most impactful defensive players in the league but his season came to an end when he was injured in Week 15 in a loss to the Denver Broncos. It is up to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to come up with a strategy that keeps Williams from working one of the 4th quarter miracles that have become his signature.
The Packers may have a 4-game losing streak, but they still have massive confidence when playing the Bears. The quarterback triumvirate of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love have dominated the Bears since the 1990s. Going into Soldier Field and coming away with the victory is an ingrained habit for the Packers. They have won 15 of their last 17 games in Chicago and there is no lack of belief on the Green Bay sidelines.
Packers offense has multiple weapons
While it will ultimately come down to how well Love performs, he is not a one-man offense. He gets plenty of help from Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson in the running game. Jacobs ran for 929 yards and averaged 4.0 yards per carry during the regular season, and that's a big drop-off from the 1,329 yards he ran for a year ago. However, he has pounded the ball into the end zone 13 times and that makes him a major threat.
Wilson is an outstanding backup running back. He ran for 496 yards and 3 TDs in support of Jacobs and Love.
The quarterback completed 291 of 439 passes for 3,381 yards with an outstanding 23-6 touchdown to interception ratio. Love runs well enough to get away from the pass rush and buy time for his receivers. Willis completed 30 of 35 passes — a shocking 85.7 completion percentage — for 422 yards with 3 TDs. He may be the best backup quarterback in the league.
Jacobs is a huge Love supporter. “He’s a big reason why I even decided to come (to Green Bay). I believed in him before I even seen him on a day-to-day basis,” Jacobs said, per The Athletic. “Seeing him on a day-to-day basis, just the way he works and the type of leader he is and his throwing ability is crazy. He’s a special player, and I can’t wait for him to be able to have this opportunity to show the world.”
Wideout Romeo Doubs caught 55 passes for 724 yards and 6 TDs during the regular season. However, the most dangerous receiver is Christian Watson because he has the speed to run through the Chicago secondary. Injuries limited him to 10 games this season and 35-611-6, but he could be a huge difference maker in the postseason.
Rookie Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed are both explosive receivers, and if offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich includes them in the game plan, the Bears defense may not have an answer.
Packers defense must step up
The Packers ranked 11th during the regular season, allowing 21.2 points per game. Opponents gain an average of 311.8 yards per game against the Packers.
However, the big issue when playing against the Bears is finding a way to keep Williams in check during the fourth quarter. Coming through in the final moments spelled doom for the Packers in their Week 16 meeting with the Bears and it is clearly a concern in this game.
The Packers have to look to defensive end Rashan Gary to get to Williams. Parsons had 12.5 sacks but he is out of the picture with a torn ACL. Gary had a team-leading 7.5 sacks, 45 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
The other key players on defense include linebacker Quay Walker, who led the Packers with 128 tackles and added 8 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 5 passes defensed. Fellow LB Edgerrin Cooper had 118 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 passes batted down, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.
Safety Evan Williams led the Packers with 3 interceptions and he also had 100 tackles, 5 passes defensed and 4 tackles for loss.
