The Green Bay Packers (8-3-1) and Chicago Bears (9-3) are heading toward the rivalry’s most important game in years. The winner of Sunday’s showdown at Lambeau Field will take over first place in the NFC North and instantly become the favorite to win the division with four games to go in 2025.
Here are the potentially game-deciding matchups for Packers-Bears:
Packers QB Jordan Love vs. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen
The Bears defense lives off takeaways, so protecting the ball will be vital for Jordan Love and the Packers. There will be opportunities for big plays down the field in the passing game, but Love must avoid becoming over-aggressive and putting the ball in harm’s way. Safety Kevin Byard leads the NFL in picks; he can tempt quarterbacks into bad decisions, and he’s always in the right spot. Cornerback Nahshon Wright is long and has tremendous ball skills. The Bears are 8-0 when getting at least two takeaways and have just one total takeaway in their three losses. The Packers are 7-0 when they don’t commit a turnover this season.
Packers pass-rush vs. Bears offensive line
A big test is coming for the Packers defensive front. From left guard Joe Thuney to the right tackle Darnell Wright, the Bears have elite pass protectors. It will be difficult to consistently beat Thuney, center Drew Dalman, right guard Jonah Jackson and Wright for pressures in the traditional dropback passing game. At left tackle, the Bears are expected to start rookie Ozzy Trapilo, potentially providing a path to Caleb Williams. Can the Packers consistently pressure a young quarterback who prefers to hold the football? Williams is actually holding the ball longer than any NFL starter right now, so pressure can still arrive even if the Bears focus protection on Micah Parsons and quick pressure doesn’t happen.
Packers defense vs. Caleb Williams as a scrambler
The Packers have tremendous respect for Caleb Williams’ ability as a scrambler. He’s both powerful working through sack attempts and a terrific combination of quick and fast as a runner, complicating the task of getting him to the ground whether he’s in the pocket or scrambling to the perimeter. The key will be keeping him boxed in and collapsing the pocket around him without providing obvious run lanes. The Packers defense has allowed a league-low 108 rushing yards to scrambling quarterbacks this season, in part due to the team speed on defense and in part due to teams wanting to get the ball out fast and negate the pass-rush. Williams will hold the ball, evade pressure and extend plays, and he’ll take off if there’s a lane. The Packers must limit Williams’ impact as a scrambler and force him to be a pocket passer.
Packers run game vs. Bears defense
All eyes will be on the Bears run game, which produced almost 300 total yards last week in Philadelphia. And there’s no doubting that the Packers front will have its hands full with an elite Bears offensive line and two quality running backs. But the Packers have their own burgeoning run game coming into this matchup, and while the Bears did an admirable job holding Saquon Barkley under 60 yards last week, the Chicago defense is still giving up 5.2 yards per carry this season. The Bears rank 24th in PFF’s run defense grade and 26th in ESPN’s run stop win rate. The Packers plugged in Sean Rhyan at center and rookie Anthony Belton at right guard and the run game is starting to gain traction. Can the Packers pound away with Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson in a cold weather game in Green Bay?
Jordan Love from clean pockets vs. Bears secondary
Jordan Love from a clean pocket has been arguably the best quarterback in football this season. He has been extremely accurate, willing to attack downfield and consistently hitting explosive plays. The Bears are struggling to pressure the quarterback this season, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in both pressure rate and time to pressure through 13 weeks. This is an opportunity for the Packers to hunt more explosive plays. Also, keep a close eye on third down. The Bears are last in pressure percentage on third down this season, while Love has been the NFL’s most successful passer on third down. That’s a big advantage for Green Bay. If Love can hit explosives from clean pockets and stay clean on obvious third down passing situations, the Packers are going to score, and potentially score a lot.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Bears: 5 key matchups to watch in Week 14
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
