The Green Bay Packers are back in familiar territory for their postseason opener as they’ll head to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Saturday night.
The Bears are the NFC North champions and enter the postseason on a two-game losing streak after a 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions in their regular season finale.
The Packers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, although they chose to rest their starters in Sunday’s regular season finale. The league has wiped the slate clean, and now the Packers are looking to make a run toward the franchise’s 14th championship. That starts Saturday against their oldest rival..
1. Coaches and QBs
Fair or not, the NFL postseason is often about coaches and quarterbacks. From that standpoint, the Packers should have an advantage in this game. Experience matters in these games, and that’s especially true at quarterback.
Since 2014, quarterbacks in their first career playoff games are 11-22 straight up; furthermore, they’re 26-46 against the spread since 2003.
The Packers have a quarterback who has playoff experience. Matt LaFleur has been the head coach in the postseason as well. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will be making their postseason debuts. From that standpoint at least, the Packers have an advantage.
2. Hot seat?
Speaking of coaches, what must be going through the mind of the decision makers at 1265 Lombardi Ave. right now? The Packers started the season 2-0 and looked like a bona fide Super Bowl contender. While the team has been ravaged by injuries, nobody in Green Bay was expecting a nine-win season after the 2-0 start and trade for Micah Parsons.
If the Packers lose Saturday, it will be their fifth consecutive loss to end the season.
The Packers are 37-30-1 in in the last four seasons, and they have won one playoff game since 2020. That’s not going to cut it in Titletown. With LaFleur’s contract set to expire following the 2026 season, this could be a situation to monitor if the Packers fall to the Bears.
3. Rare experience
These two teams are part of the oldest rivalry in NFL history. They’ve played 212 times, including two postseason matchups. The two is the number that sticks out. For as long as both of these teams have been around, it’s been rare that both have been good at the same time.
Green Bay won the most recent playoff game, a 21-14 triumph at Soldier Field to clinch a trip to Super Bowl XLV.
Sunday’s game will be a bit of a rubber match in that regard. The Bears won the first playoff matchup, and the Packers won the second one 15 years ago.
Who wins this time?
4. Prime opportunity
With the matchup between the two teams set to fall Saturday night, that means the NFL will not broadcast this game with a national network. Instead, this game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime, which has had rights to postseason games under the league’s new broadcasting agreement.
What must George Halas and Vince Lombardi be thinking, with the league’s oldest rivalry set to be broadcast on a streaming service?
Who knows? But if you want to watch the game Saturday, you’ll likely need to check your internet connections to make sure everything is good to go.
5. New Man In the Secondary?
Trevon Diggs is in Green Bay now after being claimed off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys when he was released shortly after Christmas Day.
Diggs made his debut against the Minnesota Vikings and was in tight coverage on Justin Jefferson for a third down pass that fell incomplete, forcing the Vikings to punt.
Could Diggs be in line to start this Saturday against the Bears? Matt LaFleur would not rule that out, but it appears likely. The Packers have tried to put Carrington Valentine on the bench multiple times this year, including two separate times against the Baltimore Ravens.
Diggs, if nothing else, brings some ball skills to the Packers’ secondary, which they are severely lacking.
6. Pass Rush Juice?
There was not much to glean from the Packers’ 16-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium in the season finale, but one bright spot was the reserve defensive ends. Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox and Barryn Sorrell were disruptive against J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota offense.
Sorrell got the first full sack of his career and recovered a fumble that was forced by Cox. Could the Packers find some extra juice for their pass rush from the reserves over some of the players who have played more but disappointed for the last month of the season?
