Three Reasons the Packers Won’t Make the Playoffs and Lose to the Bears
With a 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-go matchup in Week 18 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 had won four of the previous five games after winning two straight.
Will the past happen again? The Bears might spoil Green Bay’s postseason festivities for the following three reasons:.
1. Justin Fields and Khalil Herbert against the Packers
Khalil Herbert, the explosive running back for the Bears, is questionable due to a back ailment and missed 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 go with the rival Lions. This hasn’t been the season everyone was expecting.
He had 350 running yards and 0 touchdowns through Week 15. Herbert, though, rushed 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.
Defence coordinator Joe Barry remarked, “Even in years past when Montgomery was there, I’ve always felt the kid’s a heck of a back.” “As a runner, I have great respect for him.”
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 over the past three weeks, it has played fairly well.
Barry’s defence 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 totes (4.2 average) since giving up 209 rushing yards and a 6.1 average against the Giants.
There won’t be simply Herbert to worry about for the Packers. With a team-high 630 rushing yards, quarterback Justin Fields is ranked second at the position despite missing four games. (More about him in the “Big Matchup” feature on Sunday.) Physical runners Roschon Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) and experienced D’Onta Foreman (6-foot, 235 pounds) are Herbert’s backfield running mates. Additionally, their tight end Cole Kmet and receivers have combined for 26 receptions of the ball.
Barry remarked, “Whether it’s traditional runs or quarterback-design runs, they do a tremendous job running the ball.” The way they’ve been able to get their receivers in fly sweeps and other situations is excellent, in my opinion. They put you through a perimeter challenge. They can perform all of those actions in addition to lining up in smashball. There’s a reason they are second in the league in rushing.
It will certainly be a test for us, but what I think I’m looking for is consistency. Over the past few weeks, we have been quite constant here. This week’s task is to have a team that is proficient at running the ball and wants to run it, and to say, “Let’s go stop and knock it out.”
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2. 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 rushed 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 offence.
Pro Football Focus reports that as of Week 15, Jones had two runs of ten yards or more and forced eight missed tackles. He had nine runs of ten yards or more and forced eleven failed tackles in the last two games.
He is a dynamic athlete. Quarterback Jordan Love stated, “He’s eager to make that happen anytime he gets the ball.” “The defence has to concentrate on that because the running game has improved significantly and it clearly takes some of the air out of the passing game when you can just hand the ball off to him and make some big plays.”
Chicago has some of the best run defence in the nation. With 84.0 running yards allowed per game and 3.72 yards allowed per carry, the Bears rank first and fourth, respectively. In Week 1, the Packers, who used Jones for the majority of the game, averaged 2.9 attempts per game.
Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, the inside linebackers, defensive lineman Andrew Billings, and a strong secondary are leading this 11-man effort.
They’re just incredibly sturdy. They’re excellent, according to coach Matt LaFleur. “They provide excellent gap control, box loading, and coverage mixing. There isn’t really any weakness in their defence as a whole when it comes to their ability to go out and tackle.
“They have extremely physical corners. Though we all know how talented those backers are inside, I believe that when you look at teams that are good at tackling, you often expect it from the front seven. However, their back end is full of really skilled tacklers. That, in my opinion, merely makes running the football more difficult. We will have a challenging task ahead of us.
If the Packers are unable to establish a running game, Chicago’s defence will become increasingly formidable. that is to say…
3. Changes in Status
Turnovers are the most significant statistic there is. And in the latter stages, the Bears have been dominant. With 27 takeaways, they rank third, and with 22 interceptions, they lead. They have 16 interceptions and 18 forced turnovers in the last six games.
True, many of those were against poor quarterbacks, but Jordan Love is not a poor quarterback—he has only had one interception in the last seven games. However, five of those came against Jared Goff of the Lions, who had only seven interceptions in his past 14 games and is ranked ninth in passer rating.
“These guys read your eyes pretty well, so when you look to go throw to a receiver, they respond to that and make plays with the ball if you’re late or double-clutch it,” LaFleur said.
We talk a lot about zoning defences; these guys are like a puppet team; as you move, the defence moves as well, and they just click so beautifully together. It enables them to have a lot of ball play opportunities.
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With four interceptions, Edmunds, standout veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and outstanding rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson are tied for eighth place in the NFL. The former star of Wisconsin, Edwards, has three.
According to LaFleur, “those linebackers and all those players in the back end on their second level, they have really good ball skills.” Thus, you must arrive on time. You must have good rhythm. If something seems a little muddy, you have to be prepared to go on and possibly locate a checkdown.
Love will need to be protected, and the first step in that process for Green Bay is to keep Montez Sweat at bay. Sweat, who was acquired at the trade deadline, has six sacks in eight games, which is a team best. After he was here for a few weeks, the lessons became apparent.
Zach Tom, the right tackle, will be responsible for preventing Love from being beaten by the team’s best pass rusher, as he has for the majority of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, Sweat rushes from the left side of the defence 87% of the time this season.
This week, Eberflus stated, “He produces a pressure player from the front and, when you have that, then you can play coverage.” You can then change the coverages you have. You can disguise them and give them a different appearance. That must be really difficult for the quarterback. Therefore, it assists any defence when you have that pressure guy up front and you’re not bringing it from the second level. Tez has undoubtedly been a great asset. He has benefited the entire organisation.
