Even after watching last season unravel in the worst possible way, trudging out of Soldier Field in defeat, the Packers doubled down on the combination of coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love.
It’s going terribly this season.
The Packers have scored the fifth-fewest points in the NFL, Love has his lowest passer rating as a starter, the ground game doesn’t exist and their only wins were ugly. It’s getting bleak, and here comes a Bears defense trending the complete opposite direction.
The Bears have rarely had good timing in the last few decades of this rivalry, but plenty is lining up in their favor as they head to Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has engineered a turnaround since allowing 37 points to the Panthers in the season opener and could accelerate that momentum with the potential activation of nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive lineman Shemar Turner.
Over the last three games, the Bears have allowed a league-low 28 points and 366 yards. They’ve also held opponents to a 70.0 passer rating, which should catch Love’s attention amid his struggles.
Those numbers come with an asterisk because two of the games were against the Vikings and Jets, but much of the defense’s recent improvement looks like it will translate against better opponents, too:
– Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo has a sack in each of the last three games.
– Allen continues to find playable cornerbacks even with Gordon out and Tyrique Stevenson playing inconsistently.
– The Bears are blitzing a lot, but it’s working and they’ve created pressure on 35.3% of pass plays.
Allen believes he’s seeing his system click into place in Year 2, mirroring the progress coach Ben Johnson has had with the offense. Six of his starters played under him last season, and the other five were ones he helped select.
“When you begin to see… guys playing within the scheme the way it’s designed and they understand that they can trust their teammates to do their job, that’s how it works,” Allen said. “When you see things that don’t work the way they’re supposed to, usually it’s a product of somebody being out of position.”
On top of everything else going the Bears’ way, the defense played just 32 snaps and was on the field for 17:15 in the win over the Jets. The 32 plays marked the third-lightest workload for a defense in the Super Bowl era.
“The pro is your body feels a little bit fresher, but the con is not getting enough live work,” defensive end Montez Sweat said. “You get better the more you play and you’re sharper, and now it’s almost like we skipped a week of playing.”
Seems like a good problem.
Anyway, with Love’s talent and LaFleur’s pedigree as a play caller, the Packers are bound to break through eventually, but at the moment, they look ill-equipped to humble the Bears’ defense.
Their inability to run is alarming. They’ve averaged just 58 yards rushing per game, which sounds impossible. Teams at the bottom of the league each season typically are at least in the 70s.
That’s a LaFleur issue, regardless of Josh Jacobs’ absence and an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranks last in the NFL. Coaches must be problem solvers.
Meanwhile, Love has completed just 56.5% of his passes and has an 86.5 passer rating. He needed a late rally to beat the Jets in overtime in Week 2, and the Packers went scoreless on their final three possessions last week while hanging on for a 17-14 win against the Buccaneers and backup quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Even if it’s merely a slow start, it’s jarring for the Packers. They’ve been in the top half of the NFL in scoring every season under LaFleur, and Love is coming off a career-high 101.2 passer rating last season. Nothing about them intimidates the Bears.