After bidding adieu to their bye week, the Green Bay Packers hope to score an elusive division victory by building on their dominance of a wobbling rival.
The Chicago Bears (4-5) can’t get much right lately, especially on offense, where new coordinator Thomas Brown is tasked with sparking a rapid turnaround against the visiting Packers (6-3).
After scoring at least 24 points in four of its past five games, Green Bay had little trouble moving the ball. Meanwhile, additional rest has allowed quarterback Jordan Love to create distance from knee and groin injuries that hobbled him during the first half of the season.
“Certainly, when you’re limited in your lower half as a quarterback, really any type of thrower, that can have a big effect on your ability to just move around in the pocket or throw accurately,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “So, it’ll be good to just get him some practice under his belt where he’s fully healthy.”
Offensive struggles continue to plague quarterback Caleb Williams and Chicago. The Bears allowed 10 sacks the past two games and scored just 27 points during the three-game losing streak they’ll carry into their first NFC North game of the season.
Some Bears fans chanted for coach Matt Eberflus’ firing during a 19-3 loss to struggling New England at Soldier Field last week. He’s 0-4 against the Packers.
On Tuesday, the organization sacked offensive coordinator Shane Waldron instead.
An attack led by Williams, the No. 1 overall draft pick, and flanked by multiple offseason acquisitions has sputtered to an average of 277.6 yards per game, third lowest in the league, and enters Sunday on a streak of 23 straight possessions without a touchdown.
The Bears are treading water in the division but opportunities to jump in the standings will be plentiful starting Sunday. After hosting the Packers, the Bears take on the Vikings (7-3), pay a Thanksgiving Day visit to the Detroit Lions (8-1) and start December with a trip to San Francisco (5-4).
If they stay on their feet during that run, they’ll get all three division opponents and the Seattle Seahawks before the regular season ends.
Injuries along the offensive line haven’t helped, leading to 38 sacks of Williams. Last week he started behind a line featuring two backup tackles. On Wednesday, Chicago released veteran guard Nate Davis, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal before last season.
Eberflus reiterated that he made the decision to fire Waldron. While players vented frustrations about the offense, they didn’t ask that Waldron be removed.
“They just want to do more,” Eberflus said. “Individually and as a group. They want to be more productive. More effective. Score points for our football team.”
Brown will pivot from passing game coordinator to take the reins as offensive coordinator. He was promoted to offensive coordinator during the season with the Carolina Panthers last season.
Green Bay has dominated the NFL’s oldest rivalry lately. The Packers boast a 10-game winning streak against the Bears, tied for most in the series and leading the way as the league’s longest current win streak by one team against an opponent.
The Packers have outscored the Bears by 127 points over that span behind an opportunistic offense and a defense that has limited Chicago to 20 points or less eight times while amassing a plus-19 turnover differential.
Green Bay, which has captured three of the past five NFC North titles, is off to a rare 0-2 start in the division but won four of five overall. The Packers lost 24-14 to the Lions in Week 9 but had more total yards, 411-261.
“We’ve been pretty good as a unit and it’s crazy, because it’s like we could be so much better,” Packers running back Josh Jacobs said. “So, I think that’s the fun part about the back end of the season is trying to chase the perfection.”
