The Chicago Bears will battle the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in a crucial NFC North showdown for first place in the division.
The Bears have made a tremendous statement to the NFL in their first year with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who has yet to have a full and healthy starting roster once this season. Allen will not get that chance this season, as top free agent signing in pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles injury he suffered earlier this year.
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Just last week, Chicago got their top two cornerbacks back on the field in Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, as they both have missed most of the season due to injuries. The Bears defense leads the NFL in takeaways this season with 26, and they’ve relied on getting those turnovers as a way to swing momentum in their favor during their nine wins this season.
Taking on a Packers team that has plenty of weapons on offense, Chicago’s defense will have to continue to ride their momentum and keep their consistency. Here are the top three defensive keys for the Bears as they head to Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Keep the takeaways coming
No matter what the matchup has been, Chicago continues to capitalize on the opportunities to create turnovers. Even when facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, a team that committed very few turnovers, Chicago was able to force two, with an interception and a critical forced fumble on the Tush Push by Nahshon Wright. Green Bay has the least amount of giveaways in the NFL this season, so getting the ball against this offense will be a big feather in the cap of this Bears defense.
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Rattle Jordan Love
Packers quarterback Jordan Love is coming off a four-touchdown passing performance against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, which has been the time of the year when Love thrives. According to ESPN, in 24 career regular-season games that have taken place in November or later, Love has combined for 37 touchdowns, six interceptions and has a completion percentage over 65% during that span. Love has had up-and-down performances throughout the season, some of which have had him looking like a MVP candidate, and other performances that makes the questions and criticism come pretty heavily.
Keep Green Bay out of the red zone
One of the biggest success areas for the Packers has been their touchdown rate in the red zone, where they have a 67.4% touchdown rate on the year. Chicago’s defense does take the ball away, but with the momentum that Love and the Packers have right now, the Bears will have to keep them out of the end zone and hold them to field goals at every chance they get. It’s simple to say that stop the touchdowns will lead the Bears to victory, but for a defensive unit that allows 61% touchdown rate in the red zone, Chicago is going to have to step up in a big way in the red zone.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers: 3 keys for Chicago’s defense in Week 14