Saturday night at Soldier Field represents one of the most consequential games in recent franchise history for the Chicago Bears.
After coming up short at Lambeau Field two weeks ago, falling to the Green Bay Packers, 28-21 after a back-breaking Caleb Williams interception in the end zone in the waning moments, in a loss that sank Chicago from the No. 1 seed in the conference to the No. 7 seed, the Bears have the chance to return the favor against their reeling division rivals.
Head coach Ben Johnson’s team enters Week 16 as the current No. 2 seed in the NFC, with the chance to take a big step towards the hats and t-shirts that accompany a division championship, while keeping hope alive in the race for homefield advantage in the playoffs by knocking off the Packers.
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Not everyone, though, is convinced that the Bears have what it takes to dispatch the Packers, even with All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and running back Josh Jacobs’ availability a major question mark.
NFL Media analyst, and former front office executive Marc Ross has a bold prediction that isn’t likely to sit well in the Windy City.
“Some might count the Packers out as serious contenders after Micah Parsons’s season-ending injury,” Ross writes for NFL Media. “But they come up with their strongest effort of the year Saturday. The Packers go turnover-free on offense against a Bears defense that leads the NFL in takeaways. They also limit Chicago’s rushing attack to fewer than 100 yards to complete the season sweep and take over the NFC North lead.”
In addition to being a revenge situation, this is a significant leverage game for the Bears, as well.
Chicago currently has a 79% chance of making the playoffs, which improves to 94% with a win on Saturday night but torpedoes to just a 61% chance with a loss, according to NextGenStats.
Against that backdrop, while boasting a defense that leads the league in takeaways, backing the NFL’s second-leading rushing offense, the pieces are in place for Johnson’s team to notch a statement victory. The outcome on Saturday just might determine the Bears’ trajectory the rest of the season.
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