Week 18 Insights for Bears at Packers: What will the Bears' defense have to prepare for against Jordan Love and/or Malik Willis at quarterback?
The Chicago Bears are getting set to face off against the Green Bay Packers in the regular season finale on Sunday and looking to steal a win in Lambeau for the first time since 2015.For the Bears, the team will be looking to end the season in the win column and avoid a potential 11-game […]
The Chicago Bears are getting set to face off against the Green Bay Packers in the regular season finale on Sunday and looking to steal a win in Lambeau for the first time since 2015.
For the Bears, the team will be looking to end the season in the win column and avoid a potential 11-game losing streak. For the Packers, the sights are set on the playoffs with marginal reasons to put up a real fight in Week 18.
Leading up to the Week 18 divisional matchup between the oldest rivalry in football, I spoke with Wendell Ferreira, who covers the Packers for A to Z Sports, to see what has changed for the Packers since Week 11 and what the Bears should be prepared for this time around.
The Packers have seemingly struggled vs. Man, is that the blueprint for Bears' DC Eric Washington?
The difference in efficiency for the Packers' offense against zone and man is really staggering. Between Weeks 11 and 16, they were 1st versus zone and 25th versus man in EPA/play. However, I don't think this is on Jordan Love as much as it is on the wide receivers. The Packers have a good group, strong depth, but the lack of a top guy has an impact here.
If the Bears can play man at a higher rate, that's probably the way to go. But at the same time, I would think it's harder to replicate what the Vikings did on Sunday without the same level of pass rush. I expect Matt LaFleur to have more answers against man, and if the offensive line holds up, Love can take advantage of some favorable matchups.
Can Chicago look to get the run game going again vs this Packers' defense?
Since Week 12, the Packers have been third in rush EPA and first in rush success rate on defense. The Bears might want to have a high volume of runs and high total numbers, but it has been extremely difficult for opposing offenses to run efficiently against the Packers lately, and I would doubt the Bears will be able to do so, especially with some issues along the offensive line.
How can the Bears look to create sacks and avoid sacks on both sides?
On Caleb Williams, I would think it's more about him. The Packers edge rushers haven't been effective this year outside of a couple games against bad offensive lines, but if Williams holds the ball too long, they might get some effort pressures.
On the other side, it's really difficult to sack Jordan Love. First, the Packers have a top pass-protecting offensive line. And second, Love is the best quarterback in football avoiding pressures to turn into sacks. Now that he's fully healthy, it has been more evident. For the Bears to get some pressure and affect Love, the big first step is to put the Packers in unfavorable third-down situations, which is when Love can get a little anxious in the pocket or try to do too much.
What should the Bears expect if Malik Willis gets playing time and the starters rest?
Based on what Matt LaFleur said after the Vikings game, I would expect the starters to play. He wants to finish off the season on a higher note and avoid a 1-5 divisional record in the season. But if the Packers decide to rest some top starters, including quarterback Jordan Love, Malik Willis has proven this year to be a very capable backup.
He was solid against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, extremely efficient in a pass-heavier gameplan against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. He also had some good plays against the Jaguars and Saints entering during the games. With Willis instead of Love, the Packers would lean more onto the rushing offense, and LaFleur has shown creativity to use Willis' athleticism as a part of the plan. The unit loses explosiveness and passing upside, but it's still capable of putting up points.
NFL makes a final call on when the Packers and the Bears will play in Week 18
Packers backups might play a lot
