For a majority of this Chicago Bears’ roster, their Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field will be the players' first experience in the playoffs.
Players like Joe Thuney, Tremaine Edmunds, and Kevin Byard III have been a part of deep playoff runs with their previous teams, but for guys like Montez Sweat, this will give him an opportunity to make it out of the Wild Card round for the first time in his seven-year career.
The Bears’ defensive end shared what it means to be a part of the postseason for the first time since the 2020 season.
“It’s everything,” Sweat said. “You’re usually packing the cars up, sending everything back home to home base, and getting ready for the offseason. So it feels good preparing for the postseason right now.”
Montez Sweat is ready for his moment in the postseason with the Bears
In the lone game that Sweat played in the playoffs, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end finished with four total tackles, two quarterback hits, and a sack in the 31-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One of the key reminders for players like Sweat, who don't have much playoff experience, is not to lose focus on the fundamentals. The Bears’ defensive end seems to have an understanding of that important concept.
“You just try to keep the main thing, the main thing,” Sweat said. “All the outside factors and people that's not in the building and the man in the arenas, those things really don't matter. You just kind of focus on the game plan and winning the game, really.”
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Sweat will have to take that focus and mindset into Saturday night against quarterback Jordan Love and the rest of the Packers’ offense. Sweat finished with a team-high 10 sacks on the season, and he will have to add more impactful plays like that throughout the postseason.