It's playoff football time once again, and your Green Bay Packers are back in the dance tonight with an NFC Wild Card matchup taking on the Chicago Bears from Soldier Field in Chicago at 7 PM CST. The Packers finished the season with a 9-7-1 record, coming off their 16-3 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings, a game in which they rested many starters with their post-season ticket already stamped. The Bears finished the season with an 11-6 record and are following up their 19-16 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions. This is the third matchup between these two teams in six games, and this time the stakes are some of the highest seen between the two division rivals.  

The last time these two teams met was just before Christmas in a game the Packers would likely prefer to forget. Chicago came away with a 22-16 victory in overtime after a walk-off touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore sealed the game in overtime. Jordan Love exited the game early with a concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet shot from Bears lineman Austin Booker. Love did not return to action at all in the regular season, and tonight will be his first action since exiting that game. Malik Willis entered the game in relief and actually held his own, going 9/11 for 121 yards and a touchdown while also running the ball 10 times for 44 yards. The Packers likely could have had the game well in hand late, but after the Bears pulled within 7 with a field goal with just under two minutes remaining in the game, an onside kick was dropped by Romeo Doubs, leading to a Bears recovery and a game-tying touchdown. The Packers would surely like to put that game behind them and get a little revenge tonight.

Last week was just the epitome of a toilet bowl game. The Packers, with their playoff seeding already decided, rested starters and put practice squad QB Clayton Tune on the field to start. Tune went a very poor 6/11 for 34 yards and was sacked four times for a loss of 41 yards. This resulted in Tune's release on Tuesday and Desmond Ridder's elevation to the active roster. The Vikings, however, wheeled their starting offense and defense out onto the field as their season was over after that game, and they were trying to muster a bit of positivity heading into the offseason. Outside of them getting Justin Jefferson to the century mark for receiving yards, I can't imagine they're happy with the poor performance their young QB, JJ McCarthy, put up against a squad of mainly backup players for the Packers. Possibly the only positive coming out of that game for Green Bay was the play of rookie defensive linemen Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, who were all over the field, and also the newly acquired CB, Trevon Diggs, who looked right at home in Green Bay's defense. They may see some more snaps today as a result. 

It's a rubber match for all the 2025 season marbles today. Let's get into what we can expect to see.

What to See on Offense

This will be the first game action Jordan Love has seen since suffering a concussion the last time these two teams met. That was three weeks ago. Given these circumstances, there is a level of concern that Love will have a bit of rust to knock off tonight, but given that he has been practicing at least in a minimal fashion ever since the concussion, I would expect Love to get in the swing of things pretty quickly and he seems to think so as well, as indicated by him in his meetings with members of the media this past week. The Bears have not been very good at rushing the passer this season when it comes to pressure as a whole, but they did finish with 35 total sacks. Montez Sweat led the team with ten sacks, including one in each game against the Packers. 

The Packers will possibly be getting some help on the offensive line tonight as Zach Tom is questionable to return after going down against Denver four weeks ago. Tom was limited this week and then didn't practice on Thursday, but it begs the question of whether he was just given rest, as there seemed to be no indication that he'd suffered a setback. After Chicago's Austin Booker took two personal fouls for shots on Jordan Love the last time they met, the offensive line will hopefully be looking to get a little revenge and keep a clean pocket for Love tonight. Things could also get a little chippy in that regard, but the Packers need to do their best to stay away from flags. 

The Packers lost two receivers in the last two weeks to injured reserve. Savion Williams and Swiss army knife WR/CB hybrid, Bo Melton. While neither player was extremely productive, it is a tough loss of depth. The Packers will have their top receivers, though in Watson, Reed, Doubs, and Golden; however, Dontayvion Wicks will be OUT today, still recovering from a concussion. We'll see if Jakobie Keeney-James sees any action on offense being the 5th WR option. Chicago's secondary is good at taking the ball away, but outside of that, it can be exploited. In the first two meetings between these teams this season, the Packers put up a high number of 20+ yard receptions. The speed of Christian Watson and Jayden Reed is a problem for Chicago that the Packers can take advantage of. That being said, I'd love to see them also use Matthew Golden's speed tonight as a surprise playoff treat, but we'll have to stay tuned for that.  Luke Musgrave was also productive in the previous meetings between the Packers and Bears, and now is as good a time as any for the tight end to show out. 

For the first time in seemingly forever, Josh Jacobs is off the injury list. It's been a tough season for Jacobs, battling injuries, but the first time these two teams met, Jacobs was able to show out for 86 yards and a touchdown off 20 carries. The question tonight will be, which Josh Jacobs will we see? A healthy and well-rested Josh Jacobs, looking for revenge for the last time he was in Chicago and ready to prove he's still a factor? That's definitely the hope. In Jacobs' absence, Emanuel Wilson has proved to be a formidable RB2 as he averaged 5.9 yards per carry with 82 yards on 14 carries the last time they were in Chicago. 

Chicago's run defense has not been good this season, ranking 27th in the league and averaging 134.5 yards given up per game. They took one on the chops last week against Detroit, giving up 132 yards on the ground, and Green Bay will be looking to deal them that same hand.

If the Packers can get both Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson going in this game with Jordan Love having his way with the Chicago secondary, there could be a lot of points put up in this one. The key to this game, as it was the last time these teams met, is complementary football. The offense needs to extend drives and put up points to keep the defense well-rested and ready to go. As we saw in the second meeting of these teams this season, a tired defense struggles to put up a big fight. The offense must stay away from three-and-outs and put together some methodical drives in this one. 

What to See on Defense

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of 2025 has been the improvement of the Bears' quarterback, Caleb Williams. Or perhaps since he was the first overall pick in the draft, it's not a surprise but an expectation, that's for you to decide. Either way, Williams has flourished under Ben Johnson. However, he has had his struggles, especially against the Packers. The last time these two teams met, Williams wasn't able to accomplish much until the final two minutes of the 4th quarter and overtime. Williams, as we have seen, can be sharp, but he can also be inconsistent at times.

On Saturday, the Packers watched as Barryn Sorrell and Brenton Cox looked very good against the Minnesota offensive line, winning at the line of scrimmage, and putting pressure on the QB. In the absence of Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary is the de facto #1 edge rusher, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some extended action for Sorrell and Cox. Hopefully, some of the Lukas Van Ness we saw earlier in the season. Williams was in hell against the Packers the first time, getting chased by Micah Parsons. With Parsons out, the Packers need their other pass rushers to step up and make Williams uncomfortable once more. Gary has been the subject of boatloads of criticism as of late, and rightfully so, as he's barely made a tick on the stat sheet for weeks. Now's the time for Gary to set up and play playoff hero. 

One thing that will relieve Caleb Williams, however, is that he will likely have his full complement of receivers for the first time against Green Bay this season, as Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, who were absent from the last game, will be available. Green Bay's top corners, Nixon and Valentine, will need to be at their best, and it's not hard to imagine Trevon Diggs seeing extended action tonight, as Matt LaFleur put a lot of confidence in Diggs getting up to speed quickly. He was the Packers' top-rated CB against Minnesota last week. We'll see if the Trevon Diggs of old can show up and help the Packers tonight. The Bears' two good tight ends in Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet weren't huge factors in the second matchup between the two teams, but with more receiving weapons available to Chicago tonight, Green Bay will need to make sure they keep it that way before they're beaten in the middle of the field. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of zone coverage tonight for the Packers. Caleb Williams has done well against man-to-man coverage when he's been able to zero in on a matchup to pick on. 

In the running game, D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai once again pose a threat to the Packers' defense. They both combined for 120 yards on the ground in the first game and 108 in the second. Green Bay's front keeps being tested after injuries to Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Riley, and after Derrick Henry made the run defense look like a high school squad, there's no doubt Chicago is going to try to bully the Packers' defense in the same manner. Hopefully, the return of Jonathan Ford to the Packers' defensive front pays off in dividends. If defensive tackles like Ford, Stackhouse, Wooden, Brinson, and Brooks can clog up the line of scrimmage and allow linebackers like Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker to make easy stops, the Packers will be in business.

Extra Notes

I really don't want to talk about Special Teams heading into a playoff game. That area hasn't exactly helped us in those games in recent memory. But let's start with something good, here goes nothing.

Daniel Whelan won the punting title! That's right, Whelan's 51.7-yard average was good for number one in the league in 2025. I know I've already said he should be an All-Pro, and who cares about the Pro Bowl, but I'm saying it again. The Packers didn't need Daniel Whelan the last time these two teams met, but he's been a true weapon whenever he is needed. Chicago's punter, Tory Taylor, ranked just outside the top 10 in 11th with a 47.8 avg. 

Punt/Kick returning will be a point of interest today, with both Savion Williams and Bo Melton going on injured reserve recently. Who's going to return punts/kicks? There's a lot of chatter around the Packers putting former All-Pro return man Keisean Nixon back there, but I'm not banking on it. Against Minnesota, we saw Jakobie Keeney-James take two kick returns and Emanuel Wilson take one. I don't know how keen I am about having a practice squad elevation return kicks in the playoffs, but the Packers may have no choice. 

Returning for the Bears, once again, eyes will be on Devin Duvernay. He has been explosive this season for them, but against the Packers in the first two meetings, his numbers were fairly pedestrian. Hopefully, the Packers can maintain that success today. 

Brandon McManus has been perfect for a while now. It's nice not having to worry about a kicker, and that needs to continue today. Chicago's kicker, Cairo Santos, didn't get the chance to kick any field goals last week in the loss to Detroit, but in the three games before, he was 5/6 in field goals and 10/10 in extra points. That one miss coming at home against Cleveland when a 35-yard attempt DOINKED off the upright. Yes, I had to put that energy into the world for tonight.

In the End

This is only the third time the Packers and the Bears have faced each other in the playoffs in their storied history. The last time was the 2010 NFC Championship game in Chicago that sent the Packers off to win Super Bowl XLV. Coincidentally, Green Bay was the bottom "sixth seed" at the time, while Chicago was the second seed. The bottom seed is now seventh, which the Packers currently hold. Those 2010 season parallels just keep coming up, hopefully to the Packers' benefit in this one. 

Chicago is undoubtedly going to be loud and excited for this game. That's the one factor that works in the Bears' favor. The Packers need to quiet the crowd early so they can impose their will on Chicago and not let the Bears feed off the energy. 

This is it, there's no turning back. It's the playoffs. Against our biggest rivals. Win, or we're going home. Let's see each other here again next week, shall we? Go Pack Go.