Green Bay travels to Chicago to face the Bears in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The game will be played at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Packers’ offense vs. Bears’ defense
The last time these two teams met also happens to be the last time the Packers’ full starting offense played. Jordan Love left in the first half with a concussion and has not been on the field since.
Love just finished up a season where he had his first passer rating over 100 for a full year. He was establishing himself as a fringe MVP candidate when he left the Chicago game with a concussion.
Green Bay’s passing game has been able to find some holes in Chicago’s secondary. The first time the two teams met, all three of Love’s touchdown passes were more than 20 yards. Chicago’s slot defenders and safeties are good at a lot of things, but they are not particularly fast. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed could both play a big role in Green Bay’s passing game being successful this time around against Chicago.
The biggest question mark for the Packers right now is the health of Josh Jacobs. He missed Sunday’s game against the Vikings but has not looked healthy since his 40-yard touchdown run against the Denver Broncos in mid-December.
He struggled against the Bears, including a fumble in the red zone that took points off the board, and followed that up with his least productive game as a Packer. The Packers are hoping a week off for Jacobs means he’ll have fresh legs against Chicago’s porous run defense.
On the offensive line, Zach Tom should be back in the lineup this week after missing the last three games with a knee injury. If he’s able to play, the Packers’ offensive line may have a score to settle against Chicago’s Austin Booker, who hit Love twice in the first game at Soldier Field with his helmet.
Defensively, Chicago’s hallmark is being able to take the ball away. Kevin Byard and Nashon Wright have both been ballhawks in the secondary. Chicago only had one takeaway the first time these two teams met, with Love throwing an interception to Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on the game’s opening possession.
The second time the two teams met, they forced Jacobs to fumble and also recovered a fumble from Malik Willis and Sean Rhyan in overtime.
If Chicago’s defense does not take the ball away, they struggle and did so in both matchups against Green Bay. The Packers moved the ball almost at will the last time these two teams met but did not finish in the red zone. Green Bay absolutely needs to be better in that area this time around.
Dennis Allen is one of the most respected defensive coordinators in football, so the chess match between Allen and Matt LaFluer is one to watch.
Packers’ defense vs. Bears’ offense
The last two possessions against Chicago and the ensuing four quarters against the Baltimore Ravens are some of the worst football Green Bay’s defense has played under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
They blew a lead against the Bears in the final minutes before losing the game in overtime. They followed that up by getting rolled over by Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens for more than 300 rushing yards.
There is no cavalry coming. Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt are done for the rest of the season. The guys who are active are the ones who are going to be playing Saturday night.
One new guy who has entered into the secondary is former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs was claimed on waivers before the Packers’ season finale against the Vikings and looks like he will be in line to start this weekend over Carrington Valentine.
Green Bay has overall performed really well against Chicago for the vast majority of both games. The second halves have been their bugaboo with Caleb Williams finding rhythm after the break.
The key to Chicago’s offense is their run game. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are two tough runners that can make plays after contact. The Packers’ ability to tackle in space is paramount this week, as it was the first two times they met.
The biggest key to this week’s game is keeping Williams in the pocket. When he escapes, he’s as dynamic as any player that lines up under center. He’s a gifted runner who can make any throw on the field. The Packers also need to do a better job of getting him on the ground. They’re pressured him a bunch in the first two games but only have one sack to show for it. In postseason games, big plays often are the ones that swing the game. The Packers need to make more of those than Chicago does.
Special Teams
The good news for Green Bay’s special teams is that Brandon McManus appears to have shaken off a midseason slump to return to the form we saw out of him a season ago.
The first time these two teams met, special teams was virtually non-descript. Green Bay shut down Chicago’s return game. The second time, however, was an abject disaster with one fatal error being the difference between Green Bay winning or having to go to overtime.
The Packers have certainly had their fair share of special teams errors that have cost them in big spots.
They cannot afford any critical errors like that with their margin thinner than it ever has been this season.
