Packers Won’t Make the Playoffs and Lose to the Bears….
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin: With their 4-8 record, the Green Bay Packers were effectively out of business in 2022. The same thing happened in 2023 following 2-5 and 3-6 starts, which were followed by humiliating back-to-back defeats by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. The Packers hosted a win-and-in Week 18 matchup against the quickly rising Detroit Lions in 2022 after winning four straight games. They were defeated. The Packers will host a win-and-in game in Week 18 of 2023 against the Chicago Bears, who have won four of the previous five games, after winning two straight.
Will the past happen again? These three factors suggest that the Bears might upset Green Bay’s playoff hopes.
Khalil Herbert and Justin Fields against the Packers: Khalil Herbert, the explosive running back for the Bears, is questionable due to a back injury. He did not practice on Friday. It is anticipated that Herbert will play, though. The Bears gave Herbert, who averaged a strong 5.7 yards per carry in 2022, the running game keys and allowed David Montgomery to sign with the rival Lions. This hasn’t been the season anyone was expecting. He had 350 rushing yards and 0 touchdowns through Week 15. Herbert, though, carried 20 times for 112 yards and one touchdown against the Cardinals and 18 times for 124 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons in back-to-back victories. In those games, he scored seven of his fifteen runs of ten yards or more.
Defense coordinator Joe Barry remarked, “I’ve always thought that kid’s a heck of a back, even when Montgomery’s been there in years past.” “I have a great deal of respect for him as a runner.” Of course, there’s really not much to say about Green Bay’s issues in stopping the run. The Packers rank 26th in terms of yards allowed per carry (4.50) and 28th in terms of rushing yards allowed per game (131.6). But for the past three weeks, it has played fairly well. Barry’s defense has held the Buccaneers to 99 yards on 27 attempts (3.7 average), the Panthers to 96 yards on 25 tries (3.8 average), and the Vikings to 67 yards on 16 carries (4.2 average) since giving up 209 rushing yards and a 6.1 average against the Giants.
The Packers will have to contend with more than just Herbert. Quarterback Justin Fields, despite missing four games, ranks second at the position with a team-high 630 rushing yards. (More on him on Sunday’s “Big Matchup” story.) Herbert’s backfield running-mates, Roschon Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) and veteran D’Onta Foreman (6-foot, 235 pounds), are physical runners. And their receivers and even tight end Cole Kmet have gotten the ball 26 times. “They do a great job running the ball, whether it’s conventional runs, quarterback-design runs,” Barry said. “I think they’ve done a great job of getting their receivers in fly sweeps and all those things. They challenge you on the perimeter. They can line up in smashball and do all those things, as well. They’re second in the league in rushing for a reason. “So, it’s going to be a great challenge for us, but I think the consistent part of it, that’s the thing that I’m looking for. We’ve been consistent pretty good here the last couple weeks. So, that’s the challenge this week, is having a team that is good running the ball, wants to run the ball, and the challenge is, ‘Let’s go stop and knock it out.’”
The Bears versus Aaron Jones Why are the Packers winning two straight games? Of course, Aaron Jones’s play at running back is a good place to start. After battling injuries throughout the season, Jones is back to full health after a knee injury. He carried 21 times for 127 yards (6.0 average) against Carolina and 20 times for 121 yards (6.1 average) against the Vikings. Matt Eberflus, the coach of the Bears, stated this week that Jones is the obvious conduit for their offense.