Windy City Gridiron
Let’s get into it.
I could spend some time praising the Bears’ beatdown of the Cleveland Browns, but you’ve seen those articles already.
I could spend some time talking about Caleb Williams’ ridiculous touchdown pass to DJ Moore and how it looks identical to Joe Montana’s throw in the 1981 NFC Championship Game, known as “The Catch.” However, I have already done that (with video proof!).
It’s time to talk about what matters: Packers week.
This isn’t just any kind of Packers week; this is possibly the most important regular-season Packers week we’ve seen in years and years.
Packers week was big two weeks ago; this one is even bigger. There’s less room for error at this point with what will be just two games to go in the season.
If the Bears win this, they’ll be up 1.5 games on the Packers and take a strong position to win the NFC North for the first time since 2018. If the Packers win, they’ll move back into first place in the North and control their own destiny to move into no worse than the 2nd seed in the NFC playoffs.
Packers fans are already making a lot of noise. My mentions are full of “The Packers can’t possibly win this game, they are too hurt.” It sets them up nicely to say, “Hey, the Bears beat an injured team, they can’t beat us when healthy,” and if the Packers win, it’s “The Bears can’t even beat us when we are injured.”
Block out that noise. The NFL is a war of attrition. The Bears have dealt with injuries all season long, and it’s certainly fortunate for them that this is arguably the healthiest they’ve been all season long. The Bears survived without their best defensive player, Jaylon Johnson, for months.
Is Jaylon as impactful as Micah Parsons? Of course not. But these things happen. I don’t cheer for injuries, but they happen, and it’s how it goes. Nobody is going to feel sorry for anybody in the NFL.
The Bears dealt with Khalil Mack dealing with injuries basically every year but 2018, and he was rarely his full, impactful self.
I’m not crying for the Packers, but I do think this game looks like a game the Bears can and will win.
The Packers are about a point or a point and a half favorite, and in Chicago, with a couple of the key injuries they have, I just don’t see it. I think the Bears win this, and they win it by more than a score.
I think we are going to see a Packers defense that’s far more vulnerable than the one with Micah Parsons. Parsons is the only true, consistent pressure creator on the team. Rashan Gary is not it. He can get to the quarterback without question, but he doesn’t do it consistently. We are going to see a very different Packers defense out there this weekend.
So feel confident and embrace this. The Bears are...
