The Chicago Bears are getting set to play one of their biggest regular-season games in recent history on Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers. The Bears lost a close one to the Packers in Week 14, but things will be a lot different this time around, despite it being just two weeks later.
The Bears, like in the last meeting, enter this game in first place in the NFC North. The winner is going to walk away with the top spot, which is just like the last matchup. A loss for Green Bay and a win for Chicago in Week 15 is the reason that the standings look as they do right now.
Green Bay may have won the first matchup, but there are three reasons that Chicago has the advantage this time around.
1. Bears have home-field advantage
It’s hard to beat a division rival twice in a single season. It’s even harder when the team that lost the first one will be hosting the second. Playing at Soldier Field is not going to be easy for the Packers. It is going to be a hostile environment.
The weather is never an advantage for the Bears when the Packers are involved. It’s just as cold as their place. In fact, how much has “Bear weather” actually helped historically? With that said, playing this one at home with one loss to them at Lambeau Field already should be an advantage to the Bears trying to bounce back.
2. Packers are coming off rough loss to Broncos
Teams that play the Denver Broncos are an ugly 3-10 the following week. It’s almost like when you play the Broncos, they hand you two losses. Well, Green Bay was defeated by Denver last week. It was a well-fought game by the Packers for most of it, but they came away banged up and with another loss. If history repeats itself, the Bears are going to face a team struggling one week after playing the Broncos.
3. Injuries to key players will hurt Packers’ chances
The Packers suffered some significant injuries within their lineup against the Broncos. The Bears have the most man-games lost of any team in the NFL, but not nearly the injuries of consequence that the Packers are dealing with. The Packers might be without Christian Watson, who suffered a chest/shoulder injury last week. Watson is the number one receiving target for quarterback Jordan Love. He played a key role in the Packers’ offense, beating the Bears two weeks ago, and it sounds like he’s going to be a game-time decision. Running back Josh Jacobs is also banged up, and it’s probably a bigger likelihood that he sits than Watson after not practicing all week.
The biggest blow is the loss of stud[pass rusher Micah Parsons. Outside of the quarterbacks, this is the biggest loss that either team could have. Parsons has a case to be considered the best player in the NFL. He is certainly the best player on the field when these two match up. Two weeks ago, Parsons tortured Caleb Williams (even if he didn’t get a sack). Despite having an elite offensive line, there was nothing that the Bears could do to slow Parsons down. He can play defensive tackle, he can line up as a linebacker and make a late push, he can line up on either edge, and he disrupts plays no matter what style they are. He’s one of the true unicorns in the entire league. There is no other defensive player like him.
There are plenty of reasons for the Packers to believe that they can still find a way to win this football game, but the examples laid out here are perfect reasons for the Bears to go into the game with some confidence that they can get it done. This isn’t about beating the Packers. It’s about winning a division and securing a playoff berth.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 reasons why Bears have an advantage over Packers
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
