Kudos to the NFL for scheduling the grandest game in professional football’s history for the grand finale of the 2023 regular season. It’s the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon. It’s two of the last three 0riginal franchises (Chicago Cardinals the other) from over a century ago, playing at the league’s oldest continuously used venue, meeting for the 206th time in regular season play. And for the Packers, it’s a date against their bitter rival with a playoff berth on the line. This is the very essence of the National Football League. It simply can’t be topped.
Want more? The Packers have won 797 regular season games in their history, number one all time, the Bears are second with 793. The New York Giants are a distant third at 726. These two franchises have the most NFL Championships, Green Bay out front with 13, Chicago 9. There are 58 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who have worn Bears (30) or Packers (28) jerseys, ranking one and two.
For the record, Green Bay leads the series with a 105-94-6 record, it’s a 1-1 split in the post-season.
It will take another six years before the second, most-played rivalry hits 200 games, the Bears and Detroit Lions are at 188 games.
This game has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old when I cried leaving Lambeau Field in November of 1968 after the Bears beat the Packers 13-10 on a free kick field goal by Mac Percival. I didn’t know the rule and couldn’t understand how Percival was allowed to kick the ball off a tee without anyone rushing. I attended another half dozen meetings in Green Bay through high school and the first game I covered as a reporter was the 1979 season opener at Solider Field. The Bears won that one by a field goal too, 6-3, on a day a dazzling first round draft choice had his career derailed. Eddie Lee Ivery blew out his knee on the third carry of his career. I witnessed Chester Marcol’s remarkable overtime touchdown run with his own blocked field goal to open the 1980 season. Bart Starr’s last game as head coach came against the Bears in Chicago on a bitter December day in 1983. Bad blood was spilled when Mike Ditka’s teams became dominant and eventual Super Bowl champions in 1985, embarrassing Forrest Gregg’s Packer teams 8 straight times turning William “The Refrigerator” Perry into a phenomenon. There was Don Majkowski’s Instant Replay game in 1989. Once Brett Favre arrived in 1992, the series took an astounding turn with Green Bay with 22 of the next 32. When Aaron Rodgers took over in 2008, the “owner” of the Bears won 25 of 30 games with the 2010 NFC Championship Game victory to boot.
The Jordan Love era began this year with the Packers posting a 38-20 victory on opening day. Sunday will be the 89th game I’ll have covered in the series and the 96th I’ll have witnessed. Every last one has been a treat. Looking forward to how the next chapter in the NFL’s grandest rivalry plays out.
When the Packers have the ball.
This will be a stern test. The Bears, despite the 7-9 record, will bring the league’s best rush defense to Green Bay. They give up a scant 84 yards a game on the ground. Chicago also leads the NFL with 22 interceptions, they’ve come up with 16 in just the last six games. If Love has learned anything from Rodgers during his apprenticeship, it’s the importance of taking care of the ball. Love has been outstanding down the stretch and he may have his full compliment of wide receivers at his disposal for the first time since training camp. Christian Watson has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, sitting out the season’s first three weeks for the same reason. After practicing twice this week, he was given Friday off to have things settle down before an expected return. Even without catching a single pass, Watson’s ability to stretch the back end of Chicago’s secondary will be important. Tight end Luke Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney in the L.A. Charger game but there’s a possibility he could return, teaming up with Tucker Kraft for a formidable tandem. The offensive line will have to contend with Montez Sweat, the former Washington Commander acquired in a mid-season trade. In just 8 games, he’s piled up 6 sacks to lead the team, earning a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster. A heavy rotation of defensive linemen around him are hard to move. Veteran inside linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards clean everything up on the ground with nearly 250 tackles between them. Chicago’s ball hawking secondary may be without first time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson, doubtful with a shoulder injury. With A.J. Dillon’s aggravated broken thumb forcing him to sit out this week, the run game will have to rely on Aaron Jones. The veteran running back may hold the key to the entire game plan. Remember when he was 100% on opening day? He scored touchdowns on the ground and through the air, piling up almost 130 yards of offense before pulling his hamstring, then spraining his MCL. It took until two weeks ago to get right again and what has Jones done? Busted off the first two 100 yard rushing days of the season. Just in time. While he will be hard pressed to hit the century mark on the ground, he will be a nightmare matchup in the passing game. It was just a quick curl route that connected on his 35 yard TD catch in Chicago and Jones wasted Edwards in coverage in a matter of steps. His home run potential should have Love consider getting Jones to the plate as much as possible, I believe he’ll be the difference maker.
When the Bears have the ball.
Contain and tackle. Two words for one player. Justin Fields. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry must have a plan to deal with Chicago’s quarterback who doubles as the Bears’ leading rusher again this season. Allowing Fields to get off-schedule creates the potential for explosive plays both on the ground and through the air if extended coverage breaks down. Complicating matters is the season long improvement in the connection downfield between Fields and wide receiver D.J. Moore, who has piled up 92 receptions for 1300 yards and 8 touchdowns. Make no mistake however, the Bears are run first, not only with Fields but Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson behind a mauling offensive line anchored by former Packer center Lucas Patrick. The Packers have been prone to giving up big rushing days, they can ill afford another. The front must neutralize blocks and the second level will have to finish with sound tackling fundamentals. De’Vondre Campbell, back from a sore neck that kept him out the past two games, along with Quay Walker, need strong games. The Bears convert third downs at just 41%, keeping Fields in third and medium to long situations will be a key factor. Chicago’s passing game consists of Moore and tight end Cole Kmet with 70 receptions. Speedster Darnell Mooney has been ruled leaving the Bears perimeter with rookie Tyler Scott, ex-Packer Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr. Two more former Packers back up Kmet at tight end, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis but they have just 15 receptions combined. The return of Jaire Alexander will be welcome but don’t expect the Packers to deploy him solely on Moore. The young corners of Carrington Valentine and Corey Ballentine held up well even in man coverage against the Vikings tandem of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison when Barry dialed up blitzes. A disciplined pass rush is a must to keep Fields pocket-bound as much as possible. If the power and QB run game is kept in check, Fields, three years into his starting tenure, has rarely been able to win games just with his arm.
The bottom line.
The Bears are in the same boat the Detroit Lions were a year ago. Eliminated from the playoffs despite an encouraging second half run with an opportunity to make a statement against a rival that has dominated the division for a generation. The Lions snuffed the Packer playoff dream and ended the Aaron Rodgers era, channeling that accomplishment to this year’s NFC North crown. Chicago won’t finish above .500 this year, they haven’t had a winning season since 2018, they haven’t won in Green Bay since 2015 and they’re sick of the Packers, having lost 9 straight games in the series. They believe delivering a knockout punch to Green Bay will propel them into 2024. The Packers on the other hand, do not want to have their season end at Lambeau Field for a third straight year. Nearly all of the players have little appreciation of the rivalry, but they are hungry to make their own mark. Having won essentially playoff qualifying games in a row, both on the road, has them tested. That youth could lead to unexpected mistakes which could keep this game close. A quarterback who waited patiently for three years for this moment, will ultimately seize it.
I like the Pack, 24-19.
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