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The Packers are no longer in first place in the NFC North. After wrestling that position away from the Chicago Bears with a 28-21 victory in Week 14, they gave it right back a week later when the Packers lost to the streaking Denver Broncos. While the Packers were losing in the Mile High City, the Bears were beating the Cleveland Browns.
There are 3 weeks left in the season, and the Packers still can take care of the division and earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a series of losses by the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Packers took a huge blow in their loss to the Broncos as edge rusher Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL and is finished for the season. He was the biggest difference maker for an excellent Green Bay defense and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and head coach Matt LaFleur are going to have to figure out how to best defend without him.
The pressure will clearly be on the Green Bay offense to produce consistently over the final 3 weeks of the season. In addition to quarterback Jordan Love, the Packers will need big-play production from running back Josh Jacobs as well as wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson during the final three games of the season.
The Packers face the Bears at Soldier Field in Week 16 before they host the Baltimore Ravens in their Lambeau Field finale in Week 17. The Packers will close the regular-season schedule with a road game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were expected to contend for the NFC North title this season, but they are in last place in the division after a brutal midseason stretch.
The Packers have owned the Bears for more than 3 decades. Green Bay has had a sensational edge at quarterback through the decades with Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Love at quarterback, while the Bears have tried to battle with a collection of mediocre to poor signal callers.
They are hoping that Caleb Williams can defy that description, and he has shown significant improvement in his second NFL season. Williams excels at getting away from the pass rush and he also has the ability to pinpoint his passes on occasion. The Bears need Williams to show off his fastball with greater accuracy, and if he can do that against the Packers, it could cause huge problems in the rematch between the two rivals.
If the Bears are able to win the second meeting between the two teams in 3 weeks, the Packers will have a 2-game losing streak as they prepare for the Ravens.
Baltimore (7-7) has not had a great season, but the Ravens are still alive for the AFC North title. Head coach John Harbaugh excels at preparing his team for key games, and the Ravens have demonstrated through the years that they can play solid football...
