The Green Bay Packers are set for a trip to Chicago to face their long time rival, the Bears, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This will be the third time the Packers play the Bears in the playoffs. It will also be the third time the Packers see the Bears this season and the third time in six weeks. There are a few keys to victory for the Packers but there are a few things that the Packers must avoid as well.
The Packers fell to the Bears three weeks ago in Chicago in a loss that took a complete collapse from Green Bay. Despite the list of things gone wrong in the final moments of that game, the Packers went 0-5 in the redzone, including a fumble at the Chicago 3 yard line. Better redzone production would have changed the outcome. The Packers will certainly need to punch the ball in this time around. When the chance to score points presents itself, the Packers must capitalize. A healthy Josh Jacobs, who is no longer on the injury report, should be a major benefit for Green Bay.
The second key for the Packers will be ball protection and minimizing turnovers. The Chicago Bears defense thrives off of turnovers. Give the Bears credit, when an opportunity to create a turnover presents itself, they jump all over it. The Chicago defense is #1 in the NFL in takeaways per game and the Bears rank #1 in turnover margin. However, the Bears defense ranks 23rd in points per game and 29th in yards allowed per game. Green Bay should be able to move the ball and if they can fix their redzone woes, points will be there for the Packers taking.
The Packers Must Nots in Chicago
The Bears offense is explosive. They can score points and they can be effective. Chicago runs the ball well. The Bears rushing attack ranks 3rd in the NFL in yards per rush and rushing yards per game. After Derrick Henry’s dominant performance vs the Packers two weeks ago, Green Bay’s run defense is a concern. Jeff Hafley and co will need to find a way to limit the Bears rushing attack.
Ball control, both time of possession and ball security, will be massive in this game. Green Bay cannot afford to let the Bears run the ball and control the clock. The Packers did possess the ball for almost 39 minutes in Chicago in the last game. There is no doubt that they will need to find a similar recipe for success. In the Bears recent back-to-back losses, Chicago possessed the ball for 24:15 minutes against Detroit and 26:27 minutes against San Francisco. The Packers defense struggled to slow down the Bears in the second half of the first game in Green Bay. As a result, the Bears were able to score 18 second half points.
This playoff game will most likely be a back and forth exchange of punches. Green Bay will have their high moments but they will have their low moments in this game as well. Adversity has hit this Packers team at an extraordinary rate over the past four weeks. Hopefully, that prepares the Packers to handle the moment when they absolutely must in Chicago on Saturday night. Green Bay, Jordan Love, and Matt LaFleur have the advantage with their recent playoff experience. Hopefully, those lessons from the past pay off against the Bears.
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