When the Bears have the ball
Caleb Williams quarterbacks a Bears offense that finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in scoring (9th with 25.9) and total yards (6th with 369.2) per game after finishing in the bottom five in both categories last year.
Williams threw for a Bears single-season record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 90.1 passer rating. He also totaled 388 yards and 3 touchdowns and reduced the number of sacks he had from 68 last year to 24 this season.
The former USC star has thrown two touchdown passes in each of the Bears’ last five games, totaling 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. His career interception percentage of 1.2 is the lowest in NFL history among passers with at least 1,000 attempts.
Williams was at his best late in games, rallying the Bears to six wins this season after trailing in the final 2 minutes, the most by an NFL team since at least 1970.
The Bears’ ground game is powered by running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, the only teammates in the NFL to rush for at least 750 yards this season. Swift set career highs with 1,087 rushing yards and 1,386 scrimmage yards.
According to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, the key to running the ball effectively against the Packers on Saturday night will be “getting back to the fundamentals that we’ve been preaching since we got here.”
“It’s not a sexy answer and yet that’s really what it is,” Doyle said. “It’s our ability to clear the ball, all in unison, communicating, our backs on their rails, our perimeter players ready to hit. That gives you confidence going into a game like this, especially playing defense for the third time in six weeks. But we certainly feel comfortable with our running game and want to be able to use it as a strength.”
The expected return of wide receiver Rome Odunze after missing five games with a foot injury should provide a boost to the offense. In the first 12 games of the season, he had 44 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns. The ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft from Washington is also a fan of the downfield blocker.
Other key weapons in the passing game include receivers DJ Moore (50 receptions for 682 yards and 6 touchdowns) and Luther Burden III (47-652-2) and tight ends Colston Loveland (58-713-6) Cole Kmet (30-347-2).
One of the Bears’ main goals Saturday night will be to get off to a good start. They were held scoreless in the first half in each of their last two home games against the Packers and Lions and scored just three points in the first half in their first meeting with Green Bay on Dec. 7 at Lambeau Field.
“We definitely need to start fast, and that’s the message for the last two weeks,” Swift said. “I don’t feel like we did that at all, but we know we can’t pass up any opportunities on Saturday.”
Green Bay counters with a defense that ranks 11th in the NFL in points allowed (21.2) and 12th in total yards (311.8), 18th against the run (117.7) and 11th against the pass (194.1).
After star defensive end Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15, the Packers went 0-4 and their defense allowed the most rushing yards (170.8 per game) and recorded the fewest sacks (3) in the league. Parsons led Green Bay with 12.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits and had eight pressures on Dec. 7 against the Bears.
“Losing a player of that caliber, things have to change a little bit,” Doyle said. “You saw schematically some adjustments. In the beginning, they were really trying to put you in these one-on-one situations where they could isolate Micah. They changed it a little bit, and yet the rest of the unit is a very good unit.
“They’re good on defense. The forward is certainly very talented, and the backs are flying all over the place. We certainly think they’re a worthy opponent. We have our hands full, and yet we feel like we can come out and attack this defense.”
Key matchup: Bears receiver DJ Moore vs. Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon
After Nixon sealed Green Bay’s 28-21 victory over the Bears with a late interception on December 7 at Lambeau Field, Moore beat Nixon on a 46-yard TD in overtime 13 days later at Soldier Field.
