Christian Watson's previous dominance against Chicago haunts them. His health status could swing the playoff-clinching NFC North showdown this weekend.
The Chicago Bears fell to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 by a score of 28-21.
The loss left them the No. 7 seed after entering the weekend as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It also gave the Packers the division lead.
The Bears are in a similar situation in Week 16 after the Packers lost to the Denver Broncos 34-26, handing the division lead back to Chicago. The Bears are now the No. 2 seed heading into the second matchup with the No. 7-seeded Packers.
This time around, the Packers will be without edge rusher Micah Parsons and potentially some other starters. Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's loss to the Broncos.
Josh Jacob (knee) and Christian Watson (chest) are also dealing with injuries but were listed as questionable on the Thursday injury report, via ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The last time that Watson faced the Bears, he went off for 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Chicago could catch a break if he's unable to play on Saturday.
Outside of Watson, the Bears were able to do a good job of holding the rest of the Packers' receivers in check. Bo Melton had his one reception for a 45-yard touchdown, but Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, John Fitzpatrick, Chris Brooks and Jacobs all finished with under 40 receiving yards.
This is also good for the Bears due to Kyler Gordon's latest injury issues. So far this season, he has dealt with hamstring, calf and groin injuries. He was supposed to play in Week 14 against the Packers, but suffered a groin injury in pregame warmups and has been placed on the injured reserve, ending his season.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been the nickel corner when Gordon has been out. Gardner-Johnson had a tough time guarding Watson in the first game and got burned for a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Without Watson's two touchdowns, the Bears would have won the first matchup 21-14, and we could be talking about a different scenario heading into Saturday's game. However, the Bears are in a position where a win could punch their ticket to the postseason.
If the Bears win on Saturday, a Detroit Lions loss would clinch a playoff berth for the franchise for the first time since 2020. The Lions are 8-6 and take on Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Saturday's game kicks off at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC, as Bears fans everywhere will be awaiting the status of Watson.