Can the Green Bay Packers' defense pressure Caleb Williams? Will Jordan Love outduel the Chicago Bears' scrappy secondary? These key matchups will decide this huge NFC North matchup in Week 16.
We can confidently say that this is the biggest game between the Green Bay Packers and their biggest rival, the Chicago Bears, since two weeks ago. Two week ago, the Packers beat the Bears at Lambeau Field, 28-31.
All jokes aside, in reality, this is the biggest clash between the two historic franchises since Week 17 of the 2023 NFL Season. In that game, Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for a 48-yard touchdown on fourth-and-8 to win the game with under a minute on the clock. By winning that game, the Packers also won the NFC North.
Flash forward to 2025, and the Packers haven't won the North in the Jordan Love era. The last time they won the division was in 2021 when Rodgers was the league MVP.
It's been a drought of sorts, but the Pack are 4-0 against the division this season, and with a win at Soldier Field on Saturday night, they can basically lock it back up. Playoff seeding is also on the line, so this is a massive game.
If the Packers want to win, they'll have to first win these three in-game matchups.
Packers EDGE Rashan Gary vs. Bears QB Caleb Williams
This is probably the most important matchup in the entire game. A few weeks ago at Lambeau, Williams was able to get out on the edges and hurt the Pack, especially in the second half. Head coach Ben Johnson got him on the move via designed bootlegs (especailly to the right), and his speed made it hard for even Micah Parsons to track him down.
Well, the Packers don't have Parsons anymore thanks to a torn ACL he suffered against the Denver Broncos, but they still do have Rashan Gary.
Gary has been underwhelming in the second half of this season (he hasn't notched a sack since late October), but he does have the speed and athleticism to chase Williams down if and when he gets out of the Pocket.
The Packers need Gary to step up in a huge way with Parsons out, and it has to start in this game against the Bears.
Packers QB Jordan Love vs. Bears' secondary
If the Packers want to continue to be considered contenders without Parsons in the lineup, Love is going to have to step up and prove that he can consistently play at an MVP level. We've seen that level at times this season, but can he do it when everything is one the line over these next few weeks?
That's a question Love has to answer, but it starts with besting a Chicago secondary that can be very adventageous.
Safety Kevin Byard III has six picks on the season. Cornerback Nashon Wright has five. C.J. Gardner-Johnson has had picks in two-straight games, including an interception off Love, and Jaylon Johnson is always a threat.
If Love can play clean and not turn the ball over, this Packers offense has the firepower to hang 30-plus on the Bears. It may need to in order to win.
Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker vs. the Bears' running game
The Bears have a great running game. Everyone knows that at this point of the season, and you can bet that Johnson is going to do everything he can to pound the rock against a Packers front four that's without Parsons and Devonte Wyatt.
The Pack doesn't necessarily have the talent anymore to stop Chicago's defense up front, but they do have two of the best linebackers in the NFL in Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper -- who are both fantastic against the run.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is going to have to find ways to keep blockers off Walker and Cooper so that they can track down De'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai before they get a head of steam.
This could be a big game to use big rookie defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse (6-foot-4, 327 pounds) as a one-technique run-stuffer and look for defensive end Lukas Van Ness (6-foot-5, 272 pounds) to play a bit more inside at three-technique, perhaps, since he's finally healthy and he's proven to be a good run-stopper.