The records say this game isn’t worth watching. The Green Bay Packers, down to their very last breath at 4-8, meet the even more sorry 3-9 Chicago Bears at Soldier Field at 12:00 PM Sunday. Since the turn of the 21st century, the NFL’s oldest rivals have resided together at the bottom of the NFC North Division only once, in 2017, when the Packers finished an Aaron Rodgers broken collarbone season at 7-9 with the Bears bringing up the rear at 5-11. Still, there won’t be any less interest than there was when the Packers first played their neighbors to the south actually known as the Bears way back in 1923. Sunday’s contest mark’s the 206th meeting in the NFL’s oldest rivalry. Regardless of record or circumstance, this game matters. To the legions of fans behind both franchises and to the league as a whole. The NFL should never brush off the rich history of this series. It would only diminish the contributions and importance of Curly Lambeau and George Halas who laid the groundwork for what the game of professional football has become.
You know what they say about rivalries….Throw out the records. Both sides would like to in 2022. But play on they must and I for one am looking forward to laying witness to the 85th edition as a reporter. Count up another seven I attended as a child and you can understand why Green Bay vs Chicago is my favorite game, and most meaningful game of every year.
So how will this one play out?
When the Packers have the ball.
There’s never a dull moment with this 2022 Packer team, unless it’s a sharp pain. They had one Friday that delivered a curve ball to Head Coach Matt LaFleur. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari tweeted Friday afternoon that he felt an abdominal pain and after consulting the team physician, found himself in the hospital undergoing an appendectomy. He’s been ruled out for the game now that his appendix is out. What’s next? Offensive line options include moving veteran Elgton Jenkins out to tackle or inserting rookie Zach Tom who’s handled this pinch hitting role before. The better news is Aaron Rodgers and his recovery from the rib injury that knocked him out of the Eagles game last Sunday. Rodgers didn’t practice Wednesday but did some throwing the next couple of days and did not have a game day designation on the week’s final injury report. This will be the 37th game he’s started against the Bears and talks glowingly about the rivalry, especially playing at Soldier Field. This might be a game where he won’t need to throw all that much. The Bears defense ranks 27th in rushing yards allowed and points allowed. They have been crippled by injury and front office decisions. Before the trade deadline expired, Chicago unloaded their two best defenders in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith to acquire draft picks to build around their young quarterback. Now injuries are piling up with safety Eddie Jackson landing on injured reserve this week and two promising young defensive backs are questionable to play.
A.J. Dillon authored several punishing runs last week, including his 20 yard touchdown and Aaron Jones displayed his playmaking ability in both the run and pass game, snatching a 23 yard touchdown catch. Both should be utilized heavily this weekend.
The return of Romeo Doubs (questionable with an ankle) could give the downfield passing game a boost. Expect much more attention paid to Christian Watson since he began his NFL Rookie of the Month in November run with a hat trick of touchdown grabs against Dallas and now up to six in the past three weeks.
Sammy Watkins had his best game as a Packer in week 2, catching 3 balls for 93 yards in the 27-10 win at Lambeau.
Chicago’s defense will fight hard, but the Packer offense which put up 33 points against the league’s second best scoring defense in Philly last week, should keep the momentum going unless another offensive lineman suddenly shows up at an urgent care center.
When the Bears have the ball.
Justin Fields returns this week. The unquestioned center piece of Chicago’s future hopes missed last week’s blowout loss to the Jets with a left shoulder injury. It’s not the upper body that will concern the Packers. After giving up 157 rushing yards to Jalen Hurts a week ago, they’ll need to be much sharper against this youngster who broke the league’s single game quarterback rushing record just a few weeks ago with 179 yards against Miami. Teaming with hard running David Montgomery, the Bears have the NFL’s number one rushing offense, averaging 192 yards a game. If the Packers can’t hone their tackling skills, they could be in for another long afternoon. The Bear offensive line is a mauling unit that Green Bay’s front 7 must match. If the run game is slowed, Chicago’s feeble passing attack (131 yards a game, ranked dead last), won’t inflict much damage. They also lost their top weapon for the season when Darnell Mooney was placed on injured reserve. Mooney had a team high 40 receptions for 493 yards and two scores. The Packers can’t sleep on tight end Cole Kmet either. Hold the point of attack and contain Fields before he finds escape routes will force Chicago to make plays in the air, which they haven’t been able to produce consistently all year.
The bottom line.
The winner of this one will have league-wide bragging rights. Both franchises have 786 wins all-time, sharing the record for most in NFL history. I think the Packers, who have won seven straight in the series, will make it 8 and finally move past Chicago for number one.
I like the Packers 23-16.
