Bears might be exactly what the Packers need now

Green Bay returns from its bye week with a trip to Chicago to take on the Bears. Packers Offense vs. Bears Defense Green Bay’s offense remains maddening. At times, they look like world beaters who could score every time they touch the ball. Other times, they cannot get out of their own way. In their big showdown against the Detroit Lions, they were penalized 10 times and threw a terrible interception that was returned for a touchdown. That sequence does not include three shotgun snaps that were botched with Elgton Jenkins filling in for Josh Myers, who missed the Lions game with a wrist injury. The talent in Green Bay can look overwhelming. The consistency? It has not been there. Jordan Love is perhaps the poster child of that statement. Green Bay’s offense can make a big play at a moment’s notice. Ditto for its quarterback. The issue with the quarterback is that big play can be made for either team. Matt LaFleur might be annoyed by comparisons that are being drawn to Brett Favre for Love, but they’re almost undeniable at this point. When the Packers entered the bye week, Love led the league in interceptions thrown with 10. He’s thrown two pick-sixes this season, including one that essentially ended the game against the Lions. Love has to be more consistent in the second half of the season. More importantly, he has to take better care of the football. To Love’s credit, he did say he has put the ball in jeopardy too many times in the first half of the season. The second half of the year is when Green Bay’s offense hit its stride. They’ll need to do so again to make a postseason push. Josh Jacobs will be a big part of that consistency. Jacobs ran for 95 yards on just 12 carries before the game got away against the Lions. Green Bay’s diverse receiving corps is still finding its way, but the most consistent of the group was Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed during the first half of the season. The passing game as a whole was a bit of a dud against the Lions and will be looking to rebound against the Bears. Chicago’s defense has been good under Matt Eberflus this season. At one point in the year, they led the NFL in opponent passer rating. Their pass defense is led by Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson and the outspoken Jaquan Brisker. Brisker has missed time with a concussion but should return in time for Sunday’s game. After last January’s loss in Green Bay, Brisker tweeted that that was ”the last one for awhile.” He’ll be motivated. Chicago’s defense did take a hit in recent weeks with Jaylon Jones and Andrew Billings being placed on injured reserve. Billings is one of their anchors in the run game but should cede more snaps to Gervon Dexter, the second-year man from Florida who is having a bit of a breakout season. Of all the issues in Chicago, their defense is not one of them. They entered Week 10 tied for fourth in the NFL in takeaways. Eberflus may be facing questions about his ability as a head coach, but his defense is very good. Packers Defense vs, Bears Offense Green Bay’s defense had some really good moments against Detroit, but there is some question as to how much was aided by the sloppy track. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both had nice moments against their defense, including Gibbs’ backbreaking touchdown that put the game away. Jared Goff was 18-for-22 and completed his first 11 passes of the game. The defense is good at getting takeaways, but there are questions as to what they’re capable of when those do not come. They should be getting some reinforcements back this week. Jaire Alexander missed the game against Detroit after looking like he was hobbled after the last play of the game against Jacksonville. Evan Williams also missed the game with a hamstring injury, and the defense struggled without him. The rest of the secondary all had rough moments against the Lions. Keisean Nixon in particular, struggled. He was beat for a touchdown on Detroit’s first possession. On the first possession of the second half, a holding penalty extended a drive that the Lions eventually ended with a touchdown. One seismic change the Packers made was to their front seven. Preston Smith was traded at the deadline for a seventh-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That means more snaps for the younger players in the room across from Rashan Gary. The spotlight goes squarely on Lukas Van Ness. The 13th overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft has had a disappointing season with one sack and two quarterback hits. He needs to be better and could be the key that unlocks a pass rush that has been middling for most of the year. This week’s challenge is different for Green Bay than Detroit. Detroit’s offense might be the best one the Packers will face this season. Chicago? They’ve been a work in progress. Caleb Williams has had some highs on the year, and looked every bit the top pick that he was in last year’s NFL Draft. His ability to make plays out of structure and arm talent have been on full display. At other times, he’s struggled to see the field and holds the ball for a long time. That results in sacks and unnecessary hits that have piled up on the young quarterback. The Bears’ offensive line has been beat up. Both of their starting tackles have been nursing injuries, and even if they play, they are clearly limited. This could be a prime opportunity for Green Bay’s pass rush to get right and force some takeaways. If Williams has time to throw, however, he does have some good pass catching options. DJ Moore has been one of the most consistent players in football since he was drafted. Rome Odunze has had some nice moments as a rookie, and the feeling is there’s more meat on the bone for him as we get to the second half of the season. Keenan Allen is a veteran, but he looks to be slowing down as he ages. Chicago’s run game can be dynamic with D’Andre Swift leading the way. Chicago’s best games appear to be when Swift has been the one to carry the day. Slowing him down should be a priority for Green Bay’s defense that finished the first half of the season in the top 10 of rushing yards allowed. Special Teams The special teams unit is coming off a poor performance in Detroit that started with a personal foul penalty on Nixon that negated a big return. Brandon McManus also had his first hiccup as a Packer. He had made a game-winner in each of his first two games as a Packer but missed a 45-yard field goal that led directly to a Lions’ field goal before halftime. The second half of the season could be a big one for Rich Bisaccia’s unit that has not given a good return on the investment the Packers have made in their decorated special teams coordinator. Chicago’s special teams are seemingly always good, and this year is no different. Deandre Carter has taken over full-time return duties with the trade of Khalil Herbert and Velus Jones getting released earlier this season. Tory Taylor averages 49 yards per punt and a 42.2 net yardage. Cairo Santos is Chicago’s kicker, and he’s a steady veteran for them. He’s missed two field goals this season and one extra point.