The NFL’s biggest rivalry is back in the spotlight this weekend as the Chicago Bears battle the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the first of two games in the next three weeks.
Currently, the Bears not only sit atop the NFC North standings, and they also hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But with two games against the Packers, the rivalry means more than it recently has over the past few seasons. Green Bay’s defense got a big boost this season with the acquisition of Micah Parsons, and the All-Pro pass rusher will create quite the intriguing matchup for the new-look Bears offensive line.
Here are the top three keys for the Bears offense as they look to keep their place in the division and conference, while also looking for their second straight win over Green Bay.
Improve in the passing game
At the beginning of this week, head coach Ben Johnson voiced his concern about the lack of success in the passing game, but he’s overall happy with quarterback Caleb Williams progress this season. Not only does Green Bay present a tough pass rushing defense, but their overall passing defense allows just 186 yards per game and the Bears have not been lighting up the stat sheet through the air. Johnson has now challenged his quarterback and the entire passing offense, it’s up to them to answer the call this week.
Continue to lean on the run game
It’s common sense that if one area of the offense is not working that a team must lean on another part, but it’s also common sense that the Bears best part of their offense is the ground game. When they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles last week, Chicago consistently leaned on the running game, but it was there scheme that made it impossible for the Eagles to stop. Rushing for 281 yards, the Bears used a healthy balance of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who each rushed for 100 yards, in different styles of rushing attacks keeping the defense on their toes the entire time. This Bears offensive line will look to once again dominate in the trenches.
Make red zone possessions count
While the Packers have a highly productive defense, they struggle in the red zone giving up touchdowns on nearly 60% of opponent trips. Chicago ranks 15th in the league with a 58.5% touchdown rate and an average of 26 points per game, so that offense needs to come in clutch when in favorable scoring opportunities. The biggest battle on the field might be between the 20s, as the Bears should be favored when entering the red zone. There have been many games where it feels as if they’ve left points on the field, and this will be a week where every scoring opportunity matters.
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