The Green Bay Packers will end the 2024 regular season with a visit from the Chicago Bears, who have lost 10 straight games since starting 4-2. Coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired after 12 games, is no more. He is currently serving as interim coach under Thomas Brown, who is 0-4 since taking over.
Under Brown, the Bears have scored less than 20 points in all four games and have a point differential of -63. Chicago, however, will be motivated to end a losing and disappointing season on the right foot at Lambeau Field, where the Bears haven’t won since 2015.
Here’s a closer look at the Bears in Week 18:
Last week (lost, 6-3 to Seahawks)
Jason Myers made a 27-yard field goal, Cairo Santos made a 42 and Myers made a 50 just before halftime to wrap up the score in a gray, almost impossible-to-watch battle of teams now eliminated from postseason contention. The Bears finished the game with just 179 yards, including 76 passing yards, and Caleb Williams’ delayed interception sealed the deal. The rookie quarterback took seven sacks for a loss of 46 yards. D’Andre Swift threw for 81 total yards and DJ Moore caught six passes. The Bears sacked Geno Smith three times and restricted the Seahawks passing yards to just 143 yards. Incredibly, the highlight reel of the game below is about eight minutes long.
Playing quarterback
First overall pick Caleb Williams will soon be coming off a disappointing rookie season. He was sacked 67 times, an NFL record, in part because of his offensive struggles, but also because he had a hard time adjusting to playing quarterback at the professional level. His improvisational style often gets him into trouble. His pass efficiency is 87.7 despite just six interceptions, and his 40.5% success rate ranks 31st out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks. Williams has the robust arm and creativity to try to make any shot, but his completion percentage is just 61.7 and he has 18 turnover-worthy plays. He is athletic and talented as a scrambler, something the Packers saw in their first meeting. The key will be to allow Williams to play in the pocket.
Line of scrimmage
Despite all the sacks allowed, the Bears rank ninth in PFF’s pass-blocking class, highlighting how vital the quarterback position is to avoiding sacks. Chicago will not miss Braxton Jones, arguably the team’s best blocker, after he suffered a season-ending injury. The Bears complete their starting five at the end of the season. Chicago is averaging just 4.1 yards per carry on the ground, including 3.8 yards from running back D’Andre Swift. Defensively, the Bears are giving up 4.7 yards per carry and have just 37 sacks in 16 games. Chicago ranks near the middle of the pack in both run defense (18th) and rushing defense (14th). The Bears have four players with at least 30 pressures: Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, DeMarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor. Sweat and Taylor had plenty of Geno Smith last week.
Turnover
In fact, the Bears have a plus-8 turnover differential, ranking ninth overall. They only have 14 picks and Caleb Williams has only picked six, but the Bears have actually handed out awards in four straight games. The defense has 22 tackles, including 11 fumble recoveries. The Bears are good at rebounding the ball, and Jordan Love has to defend the ball under pressure. The Bears produced 13 takeaways during a 4-2 start. Since then, they have only nine.
Injury situation
Defensive lineman Andrew Billings, safety Jaquan Brisker and left guard Braxton Jones are on injured reserve. Starting guard Teven Jenkins missed last week with a calf injury. Safety Elijah Hicks and reserves Travis Homer and Tarvarius Moore also did not play.
Players worth knowing
DL Gervon Dexter: The sophomore inside rusher has 38 pressures and 22 stops. Inside he is destructive.
CB Kyler Gordon: The slot corner has three fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and nine total tackles. He had a great performance against the Seahawks and can impact the game in many ways.
WR DJ Moore: The veteran receiver leads the team in receiving yards (89) and receiving yards (880), but will need a substantial game on Sunday to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his career.
RT Darrell Wright: With Braxton Jones absent, Wright is arguably the Bears’ best available blocker. On Sunday he will fight Rashan Gary.
