The Chicago Bears (10-4) will battle the Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) on Saturday night, where Chicago is looking to get revenge after their Week 14 loss and remain atop the NFC North.
Once again, the Bears and Packers will be playing for first place in the NFC North and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. This time, Chicago gets to host this must-see game that will be broadcast in prime time for all the football world to see. The Bears’ 28-21 last-minute loss to the Packers left a sour taste in players’ mouths, and now they’re focused on evening the score and recording the biggest win in recent franchise history.
The Bears have an opportunity for redemption against the Packers while also putting some distance between them and first place in the NFC North. Can Chicago even the series against Green Bay? Our Bears Wire staff make their game predictions for Bears-Packers in Week 16:
Alyssa Barbieri (11-3): Bears 31, Packers 24
When I predicted the Packers to beat the Bears back in Week 14, I did it knowing I was picking Chicago to defeat Green Bay two weeks later. And now, the stage is set for the Bears to even the series with a big win over the Packers in prime time at Soldier Field.
While it’s only been two weeks since these teams last played, there’s been a lot that has changed. Most notably the loss of star Micah Parson, who tore his ACL in a loss against the Broncos last week. The Bears have also bounced back into first place in the NFC North and second in the division after a dominant win over the Browns. And, once again, this Chicago-Green Bay matchup will have significant playoff implications.
The Bears have been ravaged by injuries all season, and now that the defense is getting healthy, the injuries are finding the offense with receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III ruled out. But the Packers are also banged up, including the loss of Parsons, as well as injuries to receiver Christian Watson, running back Josh Jacobs and offensive tackle Zach Tom, whose statuses are up-in-the-air.
I feel more comfortable about Chicago’s chances in this game after they fell just shy of forcing overtime or beating Green Bay two weeks ago — and that was after an ugly first half where they trailed by 11. The Bears now have the benefit of the home crowd — which will be rocking in the franchise’s biggest game in recent history — an offense that found balance in the run and pass and a defense that remains the league’s best at taking the ball away.
I’m not predicting a huge win by any means, because even without Parsons, this is a good Packers team. But, if Chicago can get off to a fast start, they might control this thing from start to finish.
Brendan Sugrue (7-7): Bears 27, Packers 21
I felt confident going into the first Bears-Packers matchup only for them to get stonewalled in the first half and be unable to climb all the way back to steal a win. I haven’t learned my lesson because I am more confident that a Bears win is coming than I was back then.
It feels just like yesterday, and yet so much has changed. Green Bay is coming off a big loss on the road while dealing with numerous injuries at key positions, most notably losing Micah Parsons. Even though the Packers are still in prime playoff position, those types of games can break teams. I have my doubts that Matt LaFleur can pick this group back up on a short week against a Bears team that is bullying opponents left and right. And keep in mind that teams are 1-5 the week after they play a game in Denver against a formidable Broncos team.
The Bears have their own injuries to manage, which could become problematic. If both Luther Burden and Rome Odunze can’t go, their wide receiver room will take a hit. Fortunately, the offense can attack teams in many different ways, and Ben Johnson knows what buttons to push. They should be fine against a weakened Packers defense that allowed Bo Nix to have a field day.
As far as the Packers offense is concerned, Josh Jacobs and Zach Tom are banged up, while Christian Watson is going to try and play with a nasty shoulder injury. Jordan Love was able to pick apart this defense once, but he didn’t look the same against Denver’s defense once a few of those players went out. We’ll see what the final injury report looks like, but I’m not expecting them to be at their best.
The Soldier Field crowd is going to be raucous, and the atmosphere will feel like a playoff game. The Bears proved they weren’t going to let their last loss spiral into a losing streak, and they’re refocused on the task at hand. It’s time to show they can be a great team and be in the conversation as a legitimate Super Bowl contender with a win on Saturday.
Mike Pendleton (10-4): Bears 34, Packers 24
Immediately following the Week 14 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the players on the Bears roster made it clear that they wanted to get revenge as soon as possible. They took out some of that frustration against the Cleveland Browns, but they have to carry that play over into Saturday night.
Green Bay will have quite the challenge in their first full game without Micah Parsons but they held Chicago’s offense to just 32 first half passing yards, before the Bears put together a furious comeback in the second half. That comeback would ultimately come up short as Caleb Williams threw an end zone interception on the final play, which lit the determination of Chicago’s young quarterback as well.
Having to change their defense on the fly, coming into enemy territory with revenge on the minds of the Bears, this is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining games of the entire NFL season. Chicago knows what to correct offensively, and if they can replicate their hot start from last week, they should be able to pull off the victory at Soldier Field.
Vinnie Parise (9-5): Bears 24, Packers 20
The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are rarely ever this good at the same time. There haven’t been enough games between the two with this much on the line. Decades shouldn’t span them, but that’s been the case. It’s mostly the Bears fault for being incompetent for most of the 21st century.
This game has a claim to be the biggest regular season game in the modern era. In 1985, they were never not going to win the division. In 2006, the same thing. Even in 2018, they had a stranglehold on the division and playoff spot for the entire year. Here in 2025, they could technically win 10 or 11 games and miss the postseason.
Ben Johnson’s team failed to get the job done at Lambeau Field in Week 14. Well, here in Week 16 at Soldier Field, it’s time to flip the script. This team has won big games all season long, and now is not the time to fold. Losing wouldn’t make anyone lose trust in what they are building, but it would put a fork in the road for 2025. The Bears have what they need on every unit of the football team, now they need to go out and execute.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers predictions, picks: Who wins in Week 16?
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Brendan Sugrue, Mike Pendleton and Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
