The Green Bay Packers are licking their wounds after a devastating loss against the Chicago Bears on Saturday night at Soldier Field.
They have no time to sulk, as they have a big game coming up Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. The Packers still control their own destiny in terms of their playoff hopes, but they were dealt a serious blow with Saturday’s collapse in Chicago.
This week, they face an unfamiliar opponent in the Baltimore Ravens, who have business of their own to tend to. The Ravens are still fighting for a playoff berth, and a division title is likely the only way they’ll be able to get in. They need to win this game, too.
Here’s more in our weekly six pack.
1. Bouncing Back
It’s hard to quantify just how improbable Saturday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears was for the Packers. It was the first time the Bears had won at Soldier Field against the Packers since 2018. Furthermore, the Packers held a 16-6 lead late in the game that shrunk to 16-9 when Cairo Santos made his third field goal of the night.
All they had to do was recover an onside kick, something teams across the NFL were doing 92% of the time this season, and they likely could have run out the clock.
Instead, Romeo Doubs bobbled the ball, and the rest is history.
It’s hard to compare anything to the 2014 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, but the comedy of errors to finish Saturday’s game felt exactly like that all the way down to Doubs botching the onside kick. Now, the Packers have to bounce back against a playoff quality team in what could be their final home game of the 2025 season.
2. Needing Help
Had the Packers won on Saturday night, like they looked destined to do, they would have controlled their own destiny to win the NFC North. Instead, now they need to win their remaining two games, while also having the Bears drop their final two against San Francisco and Detroit in the regular season finale.
The Packers can still make the playoffs, but having to travel for three road games on the path to a potential Super Bowl run seems treacherous at best. Any team’s best bet in the NFC playoffs is going to be playing at home as much as possible during the playoffs.
Green Bay likely lost a chance at the second seed in the NFC playoffs with Saturday’s loss, but still have hopes, albeit slim, for a division title.
3. Uncommon Opponent
The Baltimore Ravens feel like a team that has been around for a long time, but they’ll celebrate their 30th anniversary during the 2026 season. Between the relative youth of their franchise and the fact they’re in the AFC, the Packers and Ravens have only played seven times.
The Packers have largely been dominant in the series, with Baltimore’s wins coming in 2005 and 2017. Both of those Packer teams missed the playoffs in those respective seasons.
4. Who is Under Center?
This is likely a question that should have led off the column, but it is a fair one at this point. Jordan Love left Saturday’s game with a concussion and was ruled out after the teams left the locker room at halftime.
Concussions are unpredictable, so it’s hard to make a call one way or the other on Love’s status for this game.
5. Backup Plan
To further that point, should Love miss Saturday’s game against the Ravens, the Packers are fortunate to have one of the best backup quarterbacks in all of football.
Save for one play in overtime, Malik Willis dazzled in relief against the Chicago Bears, completing nine of 11 passes and adding 44 yards with his legs. It is rare that a team feels good about their backup quarterback situation, but the Packers are one of those rare exceptions. The only question now is whether Willis will be able to fetch a contract to compete to be someone’s starting quarterback in 2026.
6. King Henry
Lamar Jackson is one of the big storylines coming into this game, but so too is the man who shares the backfield with him. The Packers are coming off three consecutive physical games, with two against Chicago and one in Denver against the Broncos.
Derrick Henry is not slowing down with age, as he is likely to top 1,200 yards rushing again this season, and has extended his career running alongside Jackson in the backfield.
The Packers’ run defense, which has mostly been a strength this season, will need to be ready for another tough challenge on Saturday night.
