This article could realistically be only one sentence. That sentence would read, “Beat the Chicago Bears.” That’s all the Green Bay Packers need to get into the playoffs. This won’t be the same Bears team, however. Like the Packers, the Bears identity has changed a lot throughout the season.
The Bears have improved both sides of the ball, but most noticeably on the defense. They are only allowing 84 yards per game on the ground. That is good enough for the number-one run defense in the entire NFL. That is a far cry from what the Packers faced in week one. With all that being said, let’s look at the three keys to beat the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay Packers Must Force Justin Fields to Stay in the Pocket
Justin Fields has been better under pressure this season as opposed to when the pocket is kept clean. The biggest reason for this is the use of his legs. He has a knack for escaping pressure with his legs and making plays downfield off-schedule. However, when you give him a clean pocket to throw, he sometimes becomes fraught and bails out early wrecking route combinations.
If you can force him to stay in the pocket, he may run himself into a sack or two. Field’s is also dead last in the league in the “time to throw” rate. On average, he takes 3.4 seconds before the ball leaves his hand.
The other big reason that keeping him in the pocket is important is what he can create as a runner. When teams play man against Fields, he prefers to take a deep shot or try to make plays with his legs. This season, he accumulated 346 scramble yards. That ranks third in the NFL behind Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, and he has played four fewer games than both players.
Fields also leads the league in scramble time to throw. When scrambling, his time to throw increases to 6.09 seconds. That is a long time for a defense back to be in coverage, resulting in some off-schedule plays that help keep drives alive. Long story short, keep him in the pocket and make him beat you as a passer. The defense should be in good shape.
Tackle DJ Moore
In my opinion, DJ Moore is the best player on this Bears offense. PFF has DJ Moore graded out as the 8th-best receiver in the NFL this season. He is 7th among receivers in yards after catch with 516. He also has the 2nd fewest drops among players with over 80 targets. So, I believe the key to stopping DJ Moore is tackling. Don’t let him turn a five-yard slant into a 30-yard explosive play.
Moore is also very active in wide receiver screens. He is one of 15 players in the NFL who have been targeted over 14 times on a wide receiver screen this season. The Bears have got the ball to him targeting him 19 times, and has caught all 19 of those screens for 88 yards.
Stay the Course on Offense
This season has been about improvement. They are molding rookies and second-year players into good NFL players. The most significant improvement, in my opinion, has been from number 10. If Jordan Love and this Packers team can stay the course and continue to improve, the sky’s the limit for them. The Packers were in this same game last season. When the Packers lost, all the blame fell squarely on one person’s shoulders: Aaron Rodgers.
Jordan Love Is the Leader Now
For the past ten years, this team has felt like the Packers will go as far as Aaron Rodgers can take them. Even when the defenses were terrible, and skill position players were top-heavy, we always credited Rodgers for winning and blamed him when they lost. I’m not saying that the same isn’t true for Jordan Love because quarterbacks have more control over the game than any other player.
However, this team feels like a “team,” not just one super-hero player. They feel together. To use a bad analogy, Jordan Love feels like Dominic Toretto in the Fast franchise. He’s all about “Family”. Hosting team dinners for the team every week means more than just being a good leader. It also makes him more approachable and on an equal playing field with the rest of his teammates. Rodgers had aged out of that role and didn’t connect with the younger players. Now, with Jordan Love, this team feels together and ready to conquer the NFL.
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