The Chicago Bears (11-6) earned their first playoff berth since the 2020 campaign in head coach Ben Johnson's first season at the helm, but a familiar foe stands before them for the Wild Card round in the Green Bay Packers (9-7-1).
The Bears and the Packers are more than familiar with one another, having already played 212 times throughout their long-standing rivalry. Their 213th meeting will not only mark their third in 34 days but also the third postseason meeting between the two proud franchises.
The teams split their two most-recent matchups, which both ended dramatically in the games' final seconds, but if the Bears want to win the one that matters and host their first divisional round game in 15 years, they must accomplish the three following things:
Get points on the board early
Johnson's arrival in Chicago has revolutionized the Bears' offense, helping sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams break the franchise's single-season passing record, but the offense simply has to find a way to score early on Saturday night.
The Bears' 25.9 points per game rank ninth in the NFL, but their 11.5 first-half points per game match the league's exact median. Scoring early has been a problem for this otherwise prolific offense, especially lately. Since their first matchup against Green Bay, the Bears have been held scoreless through the first quarter in all three of their most recent inter-divisional outings, including two scoreless first halves against the Packers in Week 16 and the Detroit Lions in Week 18.
The Bears have proven that they can still find a way to win without scoring points early, but against a known divisional foe, the offense would be smart to hit the ground running against a defense that allows just 21.2 points per game, the 11th-best average in the NFL. It may come tough against the Packers, who are one of four teams that allow less than 9.0 points on average in the first half, but the Bears have the weapons on offense to put up points and avoid the need for a miraculous comeback as they have needed in their previous two matchups against Green Bay.
Re-establish the rushing attack
The Bears' offense has repeatedly flexed its muscles in the run game this season, resulting in a per-game rushing average of 144 yards, the third-best in the league, but its performance in recent weeks has left much to be desired.
In their final five games of the regular season, the Bears were only able to surpass that total once, recording 150 rush yards as a team in their overtime win against Green Bay. While the Bears needed an extra frame in the win in order to surpass their rushing average, the team's 65 rushing yards against Detroit a week ago marked their lowest total of the season, and their first sub-70-yard performance since their week four win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the Wild Card game slated to be a cold, windy, and potentially drizzly affair, the matchup may be the perfect time for the Bears to reestablish their identity on the ground against a Packers defense that has allowed over 130 rush yards in four of their last five games, including allowing over 300 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens in their Week 17 loss. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai may not pose the same threat as Baltimore's Derrick Henry, but together, the duo could influence the outcome of the game by returning to dominant form against a porous rush defense.
Generate pressure without blitzing
After a decent start to the season, the Bears' pass-rush has been spotty in recent weeks, and the defense must find a way to pressure Jordan Love without committing extra bodies to the line of scrimmage.
Finishing the regular season with 35 total sacks, the seventh-worst mark in the NFL, the Bears have recorded more than two sacks in just two of their final eight regular season outings. That includes a five-sack performance in their dominant win against the Cleveland Browns, but in that same span, the defensive front has been held sackless twice, though those performances came in wins against the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nonetheless, the Bears have struggled to generate a pass rush, resulting not only in a low sack total but also in easier completions downfield for opposing quarterbacks. The Bears will certainly bring their fair share of blitzes against the Packers, although the defense will be without one of their better second-level blitzers in safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
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Still, it would be all the better to go after Love with the front four alone, which would put more bodies in the secondary and potentially more turnovers, an area where the Bears have excelled this season.