It's the last of a three-divisional game stretch, and this one may be the biggest of the three. The Green Bay Packers are hosting the Chicago Bears today at Lambeau Field with kickoff slated for 3:25 PM CST. The 8-3-1 Packers are coming off their 31-24 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, showing a bit of a return to form of the team we saw early in the season.  The 9-3 Bears are floating high on cloud nine right now after their 24-15 Black Friday victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, perhaps cementing the question of whether or not they are "for real." The stakes are high today with the top spot in the division on the line. 

The last time these two teams met was January 5th of this year, where Chicago pulled off a 24-22 victory in the final seconds. And Bears fans haven't let us forget that despite not having defeated the Packers since 2018, they're "undefeated vs Green Bay in 2025." After losing Christian Watson to a season-ending ACL injury and having Jordan Love get a little banged up, let's be honest, the Packers kind of mailed it in with their ticket to the playoffs already stamped. Malik Willis entered the game more than halfway through, completing 10/13 passes for 136 yards compared to Jordan Love's 7/12 for 69. Granted, every game in the great rivalry counts, but the Packers seemed to pack it up in this game, having nothing to gain, while the Bears were playing for pride, and that's exactly what they got. I'm sure many players and fans alike are hoping for a little revenge today. 

Last game, the Packers completed a season sweep of the Lions. Something they surprisingly have not achieved since 2020. Jordan Love had a great game, completing 18/30 for 234 yards and four touchdowns, with Micah Parsons leading the way on defense with 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and four QB hits. Last week, I talked about the Packers needing to contain Detroit's running game and put up points on offense to force the Lions to play catch-up, allowing the Packers' pass rush to take over, and that's exactly what they did, limiting Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to only 90 yards between the two. The Packers will need to do something similar today to stop Chicago.

We've got a bit of pride, and the division lead on the line today, let's get into what we can expect to see. 

What to See on Offense

After a four-game streak with only two touchdown passes total, Jordan Love unloaded on the Detroit Lions for 234 yards and four touchdowns en route to being voted the NFC offensive player of the week. Was it a matter of Matt LaFleur finally unhooking the leash on his quarterback? Is the Jordan Love Toyotathon really on? We'll have to find out over the next few weeks.

Today, Love faces a Chicago defense that ranks 22nd with an average of 225.2 passing yards allowed per game. But while the Bears may give up yards through the air, there's one thing they are good at in the secondary, and that's taking the ball away. Led by safety Kevin Byard with six and cornerback Nahshon Wright with five, the Bears have 17 interceptions this season. Jordan Love has been the stingiest he's ever been in his career, with only three interceptions thrown this season, so this may not be a big deal, but Chicago will be ready to change that, and Love needs to ensure he doesn't go back on how well he's done in that category this year. 

Jayden Reed has been activated from injured reserve. He is questionable today, but the word is that he will be active for the first time since week 2 today. If Reed is available, he can provide the Love with a YAC target he's been lacking since Tucker Kraft suffered his season-ending ACL injury five weeks ago. Matthew Golden is questionable but is closer to returning as well, and with all the other capable options at receiver, this could be another big game for Jordan Love. 

The Bears are hovering towards the bottom of the league in sacking the QB, with only 23 sacks so far. The only real pass rush threat for Chicago is Montez Sweat with 7.5 sacks so far. As of late, the Packers' offensive line has done an excellent job of keeping Jordan Love on his feet, and I'd expect more of that today. 

On to the running game. Josh Jacobs averaged 4.9 yards per carry last week with a 19-carry, 83-yard game. Chicago's defense has struggled against the run this year, ranking 27th against the run, allowing 133.8 rushing yards per game. It's worth noting, however, that the Bears' defense did shut down Saquon Barkley last week, only allowing 56 yards. However, this was only on 13 carries due to Philadelphia playing catch-up for most of the game; he still averaged 4.3 yards per carry with a long of 15 yards. 

Everyone has been talking about the Bears' rushing attack this week, and I'll get into that in a little bit, but what the Packers need most today is for their offense to be dominant and not turn the ball over. I believe they have the chance to do that today. If that happens, it will erase any Bears' rushing attack as they then have to play catch-up.  

What to See on Defense

Please make no mistake about it, the Bears are different this year. In his rookie season, Caleb Williams struggled, but this year he's lined up with about what you can expect from a second-year first-round QB on the rise. Chicago does have an improved offensive line, which has kept Williams upright, allowing only 19 sacks on Williams this season. For reference, Jordan Love is just below him with 17 sacks against. Part of this is due to Williams' ability to escape the rush. Williams has also improved in the interceptions column, only throwing five so far this season. 

Chicago's receivers are led by Rome Odunze with 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns, followed by DJ Moore with 38 for 502 and three touchdowns. However, Rome Odunze will not be playing today as he is out with a foot injury. Luther Burden III provides Chicago with big-play ability, and the Packers will need to have a strong game from their secondary to keep this one in check. Last week, the Packers were inconsistent, allowing Jameson Williams to have a huge game with 7 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. They allowed too many big plays from Williams, which they'll need to limit today, as the Bears' offense can struggle a little bit with consistency in the passing game, but can make you pay with those random big plays out of nowhere. 

The Bears also have the tight end duo of Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. Loveland had a slow start to the season, but as the season went on, he's found more consistency in reeling in around four targets per game. 

Today, to prevent Chicago's offense from finding a rhythm throwing the ball, the Packers' secondary will need to tighten up and play a better game than they did against Detroit. They will need their pass rushers to help out as well. Micah Parsons was brilliant last week against Detroit, collecting 2.5 sacks and wreaking all kinds of havoc for Jared Goff. Caleb Williams is more mobile than Goff, so the Packers will need to keep Williams in the pocket to allow Parsons & company the opportunity to be game-wreckers. 

And now the running game. The Packers, unfortunately, lost Devonte Wyatt for the season on Thanksgiving and need to fill the gap he leaves against the running game. Running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have combined to be a very formidable duo, with 1,365 yards between the two, with 255 of those yards coming against the Eagles' defense last week. Ben Johnson built a bully in Detroit through the ground game, and that is absolutely what he is building in Chicago now as well. 

This might be the main source of worry for the Packers today. Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden will be counted on the most to fill in for Devonte Wyatt, but Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse will be called on to assist as well. The Packers rank towards the middle of the pack against the run, but that is going to be tested today in droves. The best thing for the Packers' defense today may be for the offense to score early and often, forcing the game into Caleb Williams' hands and right into the capable arms of the Packers' pass rush. 

Extra Notes

Kicking hasn't been a concern for a few weeks (proceeds to knock on wood) as Brandon McManus has been perfect since returning to the lineup. Bears kicker Cairo Santos has had some struggles this season, but he seems to have righted the ship as well, being perfect in the last two games. 

Daniel Whelan continues his bid for an All-Pro nod at punter, still ranking second in the league at the position, while Bears' punter Tory Taylor is ranked about in the middle of the pack.

Kick return is where the Packers are going to need to step up on Special Teams. Devin Duvernay has been dangerous as of late for Chicago, which begs the question of how the Packers will handle kickoffs. Last week, McManus put most of his kickoffs in the endzone, resulting in a touchback and giving the Lions good field position at the 35. It used to be that a touchback would completely cancel out an explosive returner, but now, if you do that, you give the offense only 65 yards to pay dirt. The Packers will need to be disciplined on Special Teams today to make sure this game is settled between the offense and defense and no surprises elsewhere. 

I keep waiting for a spark from the Packers' return game, but it just never seems to come. I'd like to hold out a little hope that we may see a spark eventually, but I'm not really counting on it today. 

In the End

It's been a long week of back and forth between fans and even a few jabs taken by players. This might be the biggest Packers/Bears game played in a while. It's for the division lead and perhaps a shot at the #1 seed if other games go the Packers' way. Last year, the Bears, in my opinion, got a bit of a cheap win in Green Bay and have not stopped talking about it. It's time for the Packers to get their revenge. 

Next week, the Packers will be heading to Denver for another big game. Hopefully, we'll be heading into it high off a big divisional win and holding a lead on the NFC North.