The 6-3 Packers, fresh off a bye, head to Soldier Field this week to take on the 4-5 Chicago Bears. Per the dope sheet, dating back to 2000, this is the third time the Packers will play the Bears coming out of a bye week (2014 and 2021), but the first time they’ll travel to Chicago for the game. For what it’s worth, Green Bay won the other two contests. Here are six things to keep in mind going into Green Bay’s third NFC North matchup.

1. History in the Making

The Packers are on a 10-game win streak against the Bears, which ties the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series (The Packers also won 10 straight between 1994-1998). Per the dope sheet, the Packers have a plus-127 scoring differential during that 10-game span. They’re plus-16 in turnover differential with 19 takeaways and only three giveaways, and have allowed 20 or fewer points in eight of their 10 wins. 

Building on that, the Packers have not allowed more than 28 points in 17 straight games at Soldier Field, including the playoffs, which ties the longest streak by an opposing team at Soldier Field since the Minnesota Vikings did it from 1971-1988.

It’s one of the most historic rivalries in sports for a reason. The Packers and Bears have met 208 times, including postseason, which is the most in NFL history. Green Bay took the lead in the series in 2017 and now sits at 106-94-6 all-time versus Chicago. Also worth noting, Matt LaFleur is undefeated against the Bears during his tenure as Green Bay’s head coach. 

2. New Look Offense

After the Bears lost to the Patriots last Sunday 19-3, Chicago decided to move on from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is expected to replace him. The team only put up 142 total yards of offense against New England, their lowest output of the season with 69 passing yards and 73 rushing yards. It’s a move that could rejuvenate the team or exacerbate the existing problems with the offense. 

The Bears haven’t scored a touchdown since the fourth quarter of their Week 8 contest versus the Commanders. In fact, Chicago’s only points have been four field goals in the team’s last two games. The team finds itself on a downward spiral, losing three straight games after winning four of their first six to get to 4-2 earlier this season. 

Chicago’s offense currently ranks 24th in the NFL in points for, averaging 19.4 points per game. The team is 30th in total yards, 25th in first downs, 30th in passing yards, 27th in net yards gained per passing attempt, and 28th in rushing yards per attempt.

On third downs, the Bears are 31st in the league converting only 28.7% of attempts. But interestingly, Chicago climbs all the way to eighth in red zone percentage, scoring touchdowns on 61.9% of attempts. To be fair, that’s only 21 attempts in nine games so it’s a relatively small sample size, but still a good conversion number. So if the Bears do find themselves in the red zone, they’re likely to put up some points, but the problem is getting there in the first place. 

3. The Quarterback in the Room

Expectations were high for the first overall pick of the draft, Caleb Williams, when he was selected by Chicago to finally be the franchise quarterback that’s eluded the Bears for decades (arguably, franchise history). 

And for what it’s worth, it’s hard to blame Chicago’s offensive struggles on the quarterback. Williams has nine touchdowns with five interceptions for a completion percentage of 60.5% through nine games. He’s averaging 198.3 yards per game and has picked up 14 first downs with his legs, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the ground. But he does have four fumbles and he’s been sacked a whopping 38 times, which leads the league. 

His trio of wide receivers looked like it could be one of the best in the NFL…on paper. Instead, the unit has struggled alongside Williams this season when it comes to production. Rookie first-round pick Rome Odunze leads the team with 414 receiving yards but has only caught one touchdown. D.J. Moore leads the team in receptions with 40 and isn’t far behind Odunze with 398 receiving yards, but leads the team in touchdowns with three. That’s tied with tight end Cole Kmet. Lastly, new addition Keenan Allen rounds out the room with 241 yards and two scores.  

D’Andre Swift is the primary threat out of the backfield, and he’s averaging a modest 4.0 yards per attempt. He’s got four touchdowns on the season but is averaging roughly 62.7 yards per game. If the Bears want to make Sunday competitive, they’ll largely need to do so through Williams’ arm. Or, they could lean on their defense, which we’ll talk about…now. 

4. A Pawsitive Sign

If there’s one thing for Chicago to be optimistic about through nine weeks, it’s the state of the defense. The unit ranks seventh in the league in points against, allowing an average of 18.6 points per game. The defense is also first in the league in passing touchdowns, allowing only six through nine games. The team has eight interceptions, led by Jaylon Johnson who has two. That means six other defenders have one pick this season. 

The Bears are also first in the NFL in red zone defense, allowing a touchdown on only 37% of trips. Gervon Dexter leads the defensive front with four sacks so far this season and 13 quarterback hits. He’ll need to be the primary focus of Green Bay’s offensive line.

If the Bears have a weakness on defense, it’s defending against the run. The team is 28th in the league against the run, allowing 4.8 yards per carry. On the flip side, the Packers rank fourth in the NFL in yards per attempt, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. The team is also fifth in rushing attempts and third in yards, averaging 154.8 yards on the ground per game. Josh Jacobs has 762 rushing yards this season with three scores. He ranks fourth in the NFL in yards behind only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Chuba Hubbard. 

However, Green Bay’s offensive struggles continue in the red zone, with the team ranked 29th in red zone offense. On 34 trips, the Packers have only managed to score a touchdown 16 times, or 47.1%. It’s time to right the red zone ship on Sunday and stop leaving points on the board. 

5. It’s All Love

Jordan Love’s second season as a starter has certainly had its share of ups and downs. For every “wow” throw he makes, there’s another decision that leaves us scratching our heads. I’m willing to chalk a lot of that up to him playing through injury. The bye fell at a needed time, and we should be seeing a close-to-100% Love on Sunday in Chicago. 

Love has thrown 15 touchdowns this year and 10 interceptions, which is tied for the most in the NFL with Geno Smith and Sam Darnold. He’s taken only seven sacks this season and is playing behind one of the best offensive lines in football. Now that he’s another week removed from the groin injury, we’ll hopefully see a more comfortable Love who’s able to step into his throws against Chicago. 

In Love’s two career games against the Bears, he’s thrown five touchdowns with zero interceptions and has been sacked twice. He’s thrown for 245-plus yards in both contests and has a passer rating over 123.0 in each. In fact, his two games against Chicago last season remain two of the highest passer ratings of his career. Love has yet to play an interception-free game this season. 

Interestingly, the Bears boast a higher turnover differential than the Packers, with the Bears sitting at plus-eight and the Packers at plus-six. The Bears defense has 16 takeaways this season, which isn’t far behind Green Bay’s 19. Both teams can capitalize on turnovers at any point, but Love playing a clean game would go a long way towards victory on Sunday. Being another step towards fully healthy should help with that, too. 

6. Setting up the Stretch Run

Per the dope sheet, the Packers are 28-11 in games played after the bye week (7-5 in 2023, 3-1 in 2022, 4-1 in 2021, 9-3 in 2020, 5-1 in 2019) since 2019 when Matt LaFleur became head coach. This is the first time since 2009 that the Packers will play NFC North teams going into and coming out of the bye. 

Sitting at 6-3 in a hotly contested NFC, the Packers will need to keep that winning momentum going in order to secure a playoff spot. Currently the seventh seed if the regular season were to end today, the Packers finish the season against teams with a combined 38-35 record. That includes playing the entire NFC North again, the 4-5 Seahawks, the 5-4 49ers, the 3-6 Dolphins, and the 3-7 Saints. 

Given the Lions and Vikings sit atop the North and are currently the first and fifth playoff seeds, respectively, a win on Sunday against Chicago will help the Packers keep pace and stack wins against NFC opponents. After having played the entire AFC South already this season, only the Dolphins remain as Green Bay’s final AFC opponent. Every NFC win is going to matter down the stretch, especially as tiebreakers against some possible playoff teams. 

Unfortunately for Chicago, it isn’t going to get any easier in the coming weeks. The Bears have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, and Green Bay will be their first division game this season, meaning they still have to play the Lions and Vikings twice, too.

The Packers have proven during LaFleur’s tenure that they know how to get hot at the right time, coming out of the bye and making a push into the playoffs. Those efforts kick off Sunday against a division rival. You can bet the team will wake up with their you-know-what hot.