The Chicago Bears will face off against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for a divisional showdown that has much more significance and implications than originally expected.
Currently, Chicago sits atop not only the NFC North but the entire NFC, holding the No. 1 seed entering Week 14 in the NFL, while Green Bay is second in the division and in the sixth seed in the conference.
Advertisement
With two games over the next three weeks between these two franchises who will have the heat on this epic NFL rivalry turned up just a bit more. This is also the first meeting for head coach Ben Johnson in the Chicago-Green Bay rivalry, although he has plenty of familiarity after being the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions the previous three seasons.
Here are three reasons for optimism as the Bears look to continue their winning streak and get the first of two matchups against the Packers.
Ben Johnson’s success vs. Packers
Before becoming the head coach of the Bears, Johnson had nothing but success against Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. During his introductory press conference in Chicago, Johnson confidently stated “I really enjoy beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” referring to their Lions-Packers matchups, and he’s 5-1 in those games. Johnson will have to back up those words for the first time on Sunday, and it would go a long way not only to continue to emphasize his impact on the franchise and city of Chicago, but to keep their place atop the conference and division.
Advertisement
Current momentum
Both the Packers and Bears are coming off big wins, but none feels as big as Chicago defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, while Green Bay lost to the Eagles at home. The stakes have not been this big at this point in the season in ages, but there’s no denying the current momentum that the Bears have. Not only are they on their second winning streak of the season, winning five consecutive games, while Green Bay has won three straight after losing two big games at home.
Getting healthier
There’s no better time for a NFL team to get healthy, and the Bears are right there entering Week 14, getting linebackers T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell back in the lineup. Edwards, similar to Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, has missed most of the season due to lingering injuries, and now the veteran linebacker will join the latter two back in the lineup. Even with Edwards, Sewell, and Tremaine Edmunds all missing action, the Bears linebackers core played well, especially D’Marco Jackson who had 20 total tackles over the last two games. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has not had a fully healthy roster at all this season, but he’ll get a big boost with the return of the linebackers on Sunday.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers: Reasons for optimism for Chicago in Week 14
