For the second time in two weeks, the 9-4-1 Green Bay Packers will face the 10-4 Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North. On top of that, whoever wins this game can clinch a playoff spot if the Detroit Lions lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The biggest story going into this game has more to do with a player who won't be on the field as opposed to the individuals participating in this matchup. This will be Green Bay's first game since defensive lineman Micah Parsons was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
“It was also a double whammy for us, just losing some pieces that are critical for our success,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said after the 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos. “But that's the name of the game. I told the guys, nobody's going to feel sorry for us, and we’ve got to rally around one another, and everybody's going to have to elevate their play.”
Outside of Parsons, the Packers have a laundry list of injured players, including running back Josh Jacobs, who has been dealing with a knee issue for several weeks. Though his status is up in the air for Saturday, Jacobs sounds like he’s going to play.
“Sometimes, you've got to talk to yourself, man. It was hurting when I was running… But that’s just a part of it, man. Sometimes you've got to talk to yourself in this game,” Jacobs said on Tuesday. “I mean, if it's up to me, I'm going to try to go… I think it's harder for me to watch games than it is to play hurt. So, for me, I’d rather try to contribute in some type of fashion - even if it's in a limited fashion - than just sit there and watch the whole time.”
Other players on the injury report for Green Bay include starting offensive tackle Zach Tom and wide receiver Christian Watson, who both had to leave the game against the Broncos early. Watson practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday, and "he's improving," according to Matt LaFleur. With all of Green Bay's injured players, LaFleur is being secretive regarding who will be ready to play this weekend.
“We all know the magnitude of this game. It's going to be a great challenge for us in their house. [We] just saw them two weeks ago. So, it should be pretty exciting,” LaFleur told reporters on December 16th. "Everything's up in the air. You guys will have the pleasure of seeing what we do on Saturday night."
Understandably, this game will be very different from the first time around, with Micah Parsons unavailable to play. Despite Parsons' absence, Bears head coach Ben Johnson knows that Green Bay will not roll over and let Chicago have this game.
“I mean, they're changing, right? Micah’s out, and so you're trying to forecast what they might do to match certain personnel groups or slow down our run game, and that's a difficult thing to do when that injury happened last game,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “We’ve got to be prepared to adjust and play accordingly.”
Though the Bears struggled in the first half of their game against the Packers, they flipped a switch and scored on three straight drives in the second half of that matchup. Despite losing the game, it feels like Chicago was able to figure out a blueprint that they can use this weekend to beat Green Bay.
“I think - anytime you play a team in the division - there's certainly elements you look at from the first game of what you did well, what you didn't do well, and you try to make sure that you don't make the same mistakes and try to continue to attack them in a certain fashion,” Ben Johnson said. “There are things that I thought we did well that first game. Particularly in the second half, we played a lot better on offense in that regard.”
One player who did particularly well against the Packers was Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Even though he threw the game-losing interception, he still tossed two touchdowns and made several incredibly impressive throws. Williams is looking forward to getting back at Green Bay this weekend.
“I'm excited for it. I think everybody's excited for it… We feel as if we let them off the hook, and part of that was us starting slow,” Williams said on December 16th. “Part of that was the explosive plays and allowing something that we've been pretty good at so far this year for all sides of the ball. We want to go out there and play our brand of football. It gives us the best shot to go win the game. And that's starting fast, playing physical, executing plays the way that we know we can. Offense, defense, and special teams. Like I said, we're excited to go showcase that.”
Prediction for Green Bay Packers (-1) @ Chicago Bears
Micah Parsons covered up a lot of the weakness of the Packers' defense. Everybody thinks that Green Bay is excellent at defending the pass, but they're 20th in opponent completion percentage (65.5) and 16th in opponent passer rating (91.7). Keep in mind, those were the numbers with Parsons on the field wreaking havoc on opposing QBs. Without him, it will be incredibly difficult for Green Bay to generate a pass rush and throw off Caleb Williams' timing. The only way the Packers win this game is if they score on almost every possession, and that will be hard to do with snow and rain expected this weekend. The Bears' rushing attack will allow them to control the clock and beat Green Bay.
Prediction: Bears 23 - 21 Packers
How to watch Green Bay Packers (-1) @ Chicago Bears
Packers @ Bears starts at 8:20 p.m. EDT at Soldier Field. You can watch it on Fox or stream it via the Fox Sports app or YouTubeTV.
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