Week 14 Preview
It’s Packers Week and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s a heavyweight showdown. The Bears march into Lambeau as the NFC’s top dog and rulers of the North. This is your week 14 preview.
When/Where:
📅 Sunday, December 7th
🕔 3:25
📍Lambeau Field, Green Bay Wisconsin
💰 Odds:
Bears +6.5 +270
Eagles -6.5 -340
O/U 44.5
The Weather:
Low to mid 20s Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of light snow or flurries.
🧸Our Bears:
Caleb Williams and the Bears have ripped off five straight wins to climb into first place in the NFC North and the top spot in the NFC. Their latest statement came in Philadelphia, where they imposed their will from start to finish. Chicago hammered the Eagles on the ground, rolling up 281 rushing yards in a 24–15 victory. With the run game in full control, the Bears dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes and steadily wearing down the Philadelphia defense.
Now the focus shifts to Green Bay, where the Bears hope to finally exorcise the demons of their past nightmares at Lambeau.
The Bears will roll into Lambeau, carrying a heavy wave of momentum.
They also get a major boost on defense as the “man with the green dot,” T.J. Edwards, returns to anchor the middle. It’s much-needed depth for a unit that continues to improve as it gets healthier.
Offensively, Chicago plans to bring the same bully-ball approach that overwhelmed Philadelphia last week. The Bears enter the game ranked second in the NFL in rushing offense at 153 yards per game, and since the bye week they’ve been even better, averaging 180 on the ground. That physical identity will again be central to their game plan.
Caleb Williams will look to rebound after what was arguably his toughest outing of the season. He completed just 47.2 percent of his passes for 154 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and a blah 56.9 passer rating. Weather may have played a role, and there’s confidence inside the building that Williams will respond with one of his best performances of the year. Still, if the Bears are going to win, the formula is clear: they must run the football. Chicago is undefeated (6–0) this season when rushing for at least 140 yards, but just 3–3 when finishing below that mark.
The challenge? Green Bay’s defense has been one of the stingiest in the league. The Packers have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (284.8) and the fifth-fewest points per game (18.8). Against the run, they’ve been especially tough, going 3–0 this year against two of the league’s top four rushing attacks. They held Detroit to an average of 82.5 rushing yards across two matchups and limited Washington to just 51 yards on the ground, impressive against teams averaging more than 135 rushing yards per game on the season.
Defensively, Chicago’s improving health is just as significant. With Edwards returning, and with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon expected to play a larger share of snaps after being limited last week, the unit is positioned to take another step forward. Against Philadelphia, the Bears unveiled an unexpected wrinkle: after blitzing at just a 27 percent rate on the season, they sent pressure on 44.1 percent of Jalen Hurts’ dropbacks. The strategy paid off, as Hurts went just 5-for-15 for 50 yards and an interception against the blitz, a brilliantly executed plan that caught the Eagles off guard.
If that unpredictability continues, and if the defense builds on the momentum created by its renewed health, Chicago has a real chance to make a statement and pull the upset at Lambeau.
🧀 The Cheeseheads:
The Packers’ season appeared on the brink after back-to-back losses to Carolina and Philadelphia sent them spiraling. But since that low point, Green Bay has completely flipped the script, vaulting back into the conversation as a legitimate contender for the Lombardi Trophy. Jordan Love has been the catalyst - delivering two of the best performances of his career and has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions during the turnaround.
Micah Parsons has been equally dominant, piling up 6.0 sacks and 22 pressures over that stretch.
Entering Sunday, Love ranks near the top of nearly every major efficiency metric: second in total EPA, first in EPA per play, first in passing EPA, ninth in success rate, third in CPOE, first in clean-pocket EPA, second in clean-pocket success rate, and third in non–play-action EPA. Simply put, he’s been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in football.
The ground game has received a lift as well. Josh Jacobs returned from his injury on Thanksgiving and ran effectively, logging 17 carries for 83 yards (4.9 yards per attempt) and adding one reception for eight yards. Since joining the Packers vs our Bears, he’s totaled 120 rushing yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. That's good for 4.6 yards per carry, along with five catches for 60 yards. Watson, returned to injury Oct. 26, since then he's been a major spark, posting 21 receptions for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and an impressive 17 yards per catch.
Defensively, the Packers have been nothing short of ferocious. In three games against the NFC North, Parsons alone has recorded 5.5 sacks, 45 percent of his season total. The unit as a whole is allowing a league-low 3.3 percent explosive-play rate and a league-best 4.2 yards after catch the second-fewest in the Next Gen Stats era. They’re also one of the most reliable tackling teams in the NFL, missing tackles on just nine percent of attempts - the second-lowest rate in the league.
Parsons remains the closer for Green Bay’s defense. His 12.5 sacks rank third in the NFL, but he leads the league with seven fourth-quarter sacks. Among players with at least 100 fourth-quarter pass-rush snaps, he ranks fifth in pressure percentage (18 percent) and is tied for third in fourth-quarter pressures (25). He lines up everywhere, and the expectation is that he’ll frequently test rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo, to see if he can exploit Chicago’s rookie second-round tackle.
💪Key Matchups:
Bears’ Run Game vs. Packers’ Run Defense
Chicago has emphasized the ground game this season. 153 YPG, and 180 YPG since the bye. If the Bears establish the run early, they force Green Bay’s defense to commit more resources to stopping it, potentially opening up play-action or passing lanes. Over the past 5 games, the pack have allowed 628 yards for 125 YPG!!
Bears Front 7 vs Love
Since the back-to-back losses, Jordan Love has bounced back by throwing 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Lions let him sit comfortably in the pocket with almost no pressure, and he picked them apart. If the Bears can’t generate a pass rush, it could be a long afternoon for Chicago. Sweat and Booker need to assert some dominance Sunday.
Ben Johnson vs Jeff Hafley:
The Lions averaged thirty points against the Packers last year, as Ben Johnson’s offense ran circles around Hafley’s defense. The biggest difference now is Micah Parsons, if the Bears can somehow neutralize him; the Bears should have tremendous success.
🔮The Prediction:
The rivalry is back, and the Bears and Packers feel evenly matched. Chicago’s playbook under new head coach Ben Johnson keeps improving each week, and over the last six games he’s orchestrated the best rushing attack in the NFL. The Bears fully intend to run the ball early and often. The Packers know what’s coming, making this a classic unstoppable force versus immovable object matchup. On a cold, blustery northern-Wisconsin afternoon, expect a rock fight.
Playing the Packers has been a losing proposition ever since the days of Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Last season’s finale was Chicago’s first win over Green Bay since 2018; they pulled off the win as 10-point underdogs.
A win this Sunday would give the Bears two victories at Lambeau Field in the same calendar year, something that has never happened in 106 years of Bears football.
There’s no denying a new culture has taken root in Chicago, one that many outside the building may not fully see yet. But this Sunday offers a chance to make a statement - to show the league and the world that things really have changed.
And let people know, They’ve arrived!
I dropped the ball last week picking the Eagles. Not this time! The Bears roll!
🐻 Bears 24 🧀 Packers 23
