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The Chicago Bears (4-5) take on their NFC North rival the Green Bay Packers (6-3) in Week 11 at Soldier Field on Sunday. The Bears enter the game with Thomas Brown as the new offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron was fired following an embarrassing home loss to the New England Patriots, 19-3. Chicago hasn't scored a touchdown in two consecutive games and has lost three straight.
Related: Bears fire OC Shane Waldron, promote Thomas Brown to replace him Follow us on Facebook Meanwhile, the Packers are coming off a bye week following a loss to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Nov. 3. They had won four consecutive games prior to that but are 0-2 against NFC North opponents this season.
The Bears will begin a three-game stretch against NFC North opponents this week. The Packers have the all-time edge in the series history, 107-95-6. The Bears have lost 10 consecutive games to Green Bay dating back to Sept.
5, 2019. The last time Chicago was victorious was on Dec. 16, 2018 at Soldier Field.
Here's a look at some predictions and what to expect for the latest installment of this rivalry this weekend. Why I'm Confident Josh: Bears Defense With how much the team has relied on the defense, it’s understandable that the unit is starting to crack. However, the group has been particularly good at generating takeaways (tied for seventh in NFL) and only nine teams have more turnovers than the Packers.
Plus, no quarterback has thrown more interceptions than Jordan Love, who has 10 INTs in just seven games. Tommy: Bears Defense This has been the one constant all season and it's expected to remain that through the season. If Chicago wins this game, its defense will have its fingerprints all over the game.
There's not much else to be confident about regarding this team otherwise. Related: Chicago Bears injury report: 2 out, 2 questionable Why I'm Concerned Josh: Packers Rushing Attack We’ve reached the “it’s hard to pick just one” section of our article, and I’m going with Green Bay’s ground game. The Packers average the third-most rushing yards per game and only four defenses have allowed more yards per carry than Chicago’s.
Tommy: Everything, Basically The offense now has a shift from Waldron to Thomas calling plays but Matt Eberflus — who remains on the hot seat — is still the head coach. The history between the two teams playing on Sunday doesn't bode well either for the Bears. Key Matchup Josh: The Trenches Chicago’s offense all starts up front and the Bears’ offensive line has been decimated by injuries.
We’ll see who is able to play this weekend but, regardless, the group has to at least be OK in the running game and give Caleb Williams a chance. If not, it’ll be another long day. Tommy: Bears Rushing Attack vs.
Packers Defense The biggest key to balancing out this offense all season has been a successful ground attack, and that'll be key to getting a win against Green Bay. The Packers have allowed 4.2 yards per carry and 113 rushing yards per game to opponents.
Bears running back D'Andre Swift has shown some glimpses of what he can be but the team overall hasn't shown any consistency in the ground game all year. All Eyes On Josh: Caleb Williams The No. 1 pick is on his second offensive coordinator after just nine NFL games that were mostly filled with struggles.
He hasn’t scored a touchdown or even completed at least 54% of his passes since Oct. 13 in London, and he’s averaged just 156 passing yards over the last three games. It’s hard to expect big improvement just a few days after a coordinator change but the Bears need to see some improvement.
Tommy: Matt Eberflus Mistakes like sending a pass rush on the final play of the half against the Cardinals that resulted in a long touchdown run won't do Eberflus any favors in saving his job. It's expected at this point that all play calls will be under a microscope as general manager Ryan Poles mulls over what's next for this franchise. Prediction Josh: 27-10 Packers It might feel like a win if the Bears reach double-digits offensively but the Packers will be motivated and rested coming off a bye and Chicago’s only motivation seems to be to ensure a coaching change.
Tommy: 34-17 Packers It's unlikely that much will change for the Bears this week against their rival. A win seems out of reach but if they somehow accomplish that, it could be a job-saving win for Eberflus. If not, he could be closer to heading to the exits.
Season Records Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
