Nearing the playoffs usually means growing excitement for fans of the top 14 NFL teams. For fans of the Green Bay Packers, the past two weeks have been among the most disastrous losses in franchise history. Despite their recent adversity, the playoff schedule currently starts with the potential for a Packers’ revenge game against the Chicago Bears.
Revenge served cold
A week after losing Micah Parsons to an ACL tear, the Packers found a new low in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. Not only did the loss mean their chances of winning the Division are less 30%, but the nature of the loss gave fans flashbacks to the 2014 NFC Division game against the Seattle Seahawks.
After losing Jordan Love to a concussion, Malik Willis and the Packers defense were playing winning football through the majority of the game. Just before the 2 minute warning the Packers were up 10 points with a 96% chance to win the game. Less than 10 minutes in game time later, the Bears walked off the field with a 46 yard touchdown to DJ Moore in overtime.
The combination of a Romeo Doubs fumble of the onside kick, a slew of penalties on the Packers defense to keep Chicago’s offense alive, a fumbled snap on 4th down in overtime, and a couple of blown coverages by Kesian Nixon are a horrible way to lose a game. It’s even worse when that all happens against your biggest rival and that outcome all but guarantees they will win the division.
On the other hand, all of these unlikely mistakes by the Packers were necessary for the Bears to win. The fact that the Packers made all of these mistakes on top of losing their quarterback and still go to overtime says a lot about the quality of these two teams. A wildcard rematch could favor the underdog of the Packers’ revenge game
Rest and Recovery
The Packers injury list looked like a CVS receipt going into the Bears game. 19 players were listed on the injury list, and 5 of those players were inactive due to injury. Among the missing players were former All-pro right tackle Zach Tom and Evan Williams who has gotten a lot of praise for his play this season.
Missing valuable players like these certainly made things more difficult for the Packers, and that got worse with the loss of Jordan Love and John Fitzpatrick during the game. While Fitzpatrick will not return this season due to an achilles tear, other key Packers will have the chance to contribute again soon.
The Packers have two remaining games this season. With a win or tie against the Baltimore Ravens or a Detroit Lions loss, the Packers will clinch a playoff spot as the 7th seed. If that happens, the final week of the season will be an opportunity for the starters to get healthy before the Packers’ revenge game in the playoffs.
Repeating History
The last time the Bears and Packers faced off in the playoffs, the Packers ended the season by bringing a new title to Titletown. Additionally, the game was played in Soldier field with the Bears as the 2 seed and the Packers as the lowest seed (6th as the 7th seed was not introduced until 2020). If the season ended today, that would be the exact situation for the oldest rivalry in football in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
Now it is often said that history does not repeat itself, but there are legitimate reasons to favor Green Bay in the potential Packers’ revenge game. The Packers won the first matchup between the two teams and lost the second in overtime after losing Love and committing a slew of unlikely and catastrophic errors. Playoff experience is important, and the Bears have not played in a playoff game since 2018 and the Packers have only missed the playoffs once in that same timespan.
Winning the Superbowl seems unlikely after losing Micah Parsons for the year, but that does not mean the Packers have nothing to play for. Knocking the Bears out of the playoffs would be a redeeming way to cap a disappointing end of a season of high expectations. More than that, it may be a sign the Packers roster is deep enough for a deep run in the playoffs despite their losses this year.
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