2021 Bye Week – That's What Cheese Said

Head Coach Matt LaFleur met with the media on Monday afternoon after Green Bay’s Week 13 bye. In his presser, he gave Packers fans plenty of reasons for optimism, including the potential return of three All-Pros. 

When asked whether or not the Packers could get back David Bakhtiari, Za’Darius Smith, and Jaire Alexander this week, LaFleur said “Potentially, certainly we hope so.” He added that the team would know more on Wednesday, and that each player’s injury is different so their timelines for return may also differ. 

While a Week 13 bye is the latest in franchise history, it did give the team some time to get healthy for the stretch run that sees three of Green Bay’s final five regular season games at Lambeau Field. 

“I hope it gets the guys kind of rejuvenated for the final push that we’re about to encounter,” said LaFleur. 

The 9-3 Packers will take on the division rival Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau, and Green Bay knows what’s at stake beyond just the NFC North, which can be clinched as early as Sunday night if the Minnesota Vikings lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. 

Currently, the Packers are in second place in the NFC behind the 10-2 Arizona Cardinals, but Green Bay holds the all-important tiebreaker. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also sitting at 9-3, with the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys not far behind at 8-4. 

“That’s the way it is every year,” LaFleur said of the competition atop the NFC. “The thing is, you can only control what you can control in terms of how you prepare each and every week.”

When asked if he’ll do any scoreboard watching down the stretch, LaFleur said not really. 

“I think if you start focusing on things outside of your control or outside of your football team, then you’re not 100% focused on the challenges that lie ahead for your team,” adding that Green Bay just needs to take care of its own business.

The bye week also allowed the Packers plenty of time to self-scout going into the home stretch of the regular season. As things currently stand, Green Bay boasts the league’s fifth best defense in points against (20.2 points per game) and the 15th best offense in points for (23.6 points per game). Green Bay is the league’s 25th ranked red zone offense and the 31st ranked defense. That said, the Packers defense is tied for fourth in the NFL in turnover differential at +9, and Green Bay has yet to lose a game this season when winning the turnover battle. 

The Packers have lived by the “next man up” mentality all season, and that could be the case again this week. The hope is that inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is able to return from the COVID-19/Reserve List by Friday, though he’ll be participating in team meetings via Zoom all week. 

Additionally, backup quarterback Jordan Love was added to the COVID-19/Reserve List on Monday, so it’s possible practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert will be taking first-team reps all week with Aaron Rodgers not practicing much on his injured toe. 

With the Bears coming to town Sunday for matchup No. 204 in the all-time series, LaFleur detailed some of the challenges that come along with playing division rivals twice a year. 

“I always think that the second time you play somebody it’s challenging for both teams because you’re going to rely on a lot that went right and/or wrong the first time you played, and you’re going to try to play that kind of chess game in terms of, how are you going to adjust,” he said. Green Bay still has second matchups against the Vikings and Lions to close out the regular season, too. 

“Every time you play the Chicago Bears, you know it’s going to be a physical, four quarter battle,” he added. “It’s Sunday Night Football in Lambeau. We know we’ll get their best shot.”

While the Bears at 4-8 are falling behind in the Wild Card race, they’d like nothing more than to play spoiler to Green Bay’s chances at the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The oldest rivalry in sports writes another chapter this Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT.