The Chicago Bears are hosting their bitter rivals the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL playoffs. It’s the first time the Bears have made the playoffs since the 2020 season and first time winning the NFC North since 2018.
The Bears have made quite the turnaround in Caleb Williams second season as quarterback. Following the disastrous 2024 campaign led by head coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired midseason, the Bears hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
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Johnson has completely rejuvenated the Bears offense. Williams threw for 3,942 yards, the most in a season by a Bears quarterback. He is also sixth in the league with 27 touchdowns and only has seven interceptions.
The Bears have also dominated the ground game. They rank third in the league with 144.2 rushing yards per game with D’Andre Swift leading the team with 1,087 rushing yards.
The Bears will face a familiar opponent, that being the Packers. These two teams are quite familiar with each other, as this is the 213th time meeting, but only the third time meeting in the playoffs. The teams split the regular season series 1-1 this season.
The Packers have had their struggles this season. Quarterback Jordan Love and running back Josh Jacobs have struggled to remain healthy. Star tight end Tucker Kraft tore his ACL back in November and first round pick receiver Matthew Golden has struggled to maintain consistency.
With that being said, the Packers have found a way to make the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record, which includes losing their last four games. Love and Jacobs will be active, and will hope to make a difference against a subpar Bears defense.
As for the Bears, that will have to turn to their bread and butter with the run game. They ran for 150 yards last matchup against the Packers, and it may help them win this one.
