CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears were sitting atop the NFC with five straight wins and nine in the previous 10 games going into their most recent meeting with the Green Bay Packers.
They came up short when Caleb Williams got intercepted in the end zone. They won't have to wait long for the rematch.
Chicago and Green Bay meet for the second time in three weeks, this time at Soldier Field on Saturday night with first place in the NFC North on the line
and Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons out with a season-ending knee injury. Both teams have a chance to clinch a playoff spot.
“It’s another game,” Williams said. "Go out here and do my job, play well. Start fast, get the energy going for the team and we’ve got a real shot to go win the game.”
Williams made it clear after the Bears' 31-3 romp over Cleveland last week that he was looking forward to the rematch with the Packers. It's not hard to see why.
The Bears (10-4) were threatening to tie or take the lead, only to come away with a 28-21 loss at Lambeau Field when Williams got intercepted in the end zone by Keisean Nixon with 22 seconds remaining on a badly underthrown pass to Cole Kmet. The loss knocked Chicago from first to seventh in the NFC and into second place in the division behind Green Bay.
Chicago bounced back in a big way against Cleveland and regained the North lead with the Packers falling at Denver. Even worse for Green Bay (9-4-1), Parsons tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the third quarter, a massive blow for a team that came into the season with Super Bowl hopes after acquiring the two-time All-Pro from Dallas just before the opener.
“Just understanding what’s in front of us, understanding that we’ve still got the pen in our hand,” Packers defensive end Rashan Gary said. “We can still write our story.”
With or without Parsons, Bears coach Ben Johnson sees a difficult task.
"It’s a really good football team and a really good defense,” he said. “I know you kind of lock in on one player, because he does garner a lot of your attention when you go against that defense, and yet, they have some high-caliber players throughout, on the defensive line, the linebacking core and on the back end. Just because one player goes down, that doesn’t mean that this is going to change a whole lot for them.”
Parsons’ injury means the Packers will need all their healthy pass rushers to raise their games. Perhaps nobody is more equipped to do that than Rashan Gary, who has 46 1/2 career sacks.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Gary, who had 7 1/2 sacks in Green Bay’s first seven games but none in the seven games since.
“I’ve just got to be myself,” Gary said. “You know, when guys are thinking that they need to do more than what they’ve been doing, you start to strain, start to try to find plays that’s not there.”
Chicago and Green Bay can clinch playoff spots with a win plus a loss or tie by Detroit against Pittsburgh. The two teams also would get in with a tie if the Lions lose.
Green Bay is looking to reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years under coach Matt LaFleur, while Chicago is trying to make it for the first time since 2020. The Bears have just three trips to the postseason since the 2006 Super Bowl season.
Parsons isn’t the only notable Packers player who could be missing for Saturday’s game.
Injuries knocked out wide receiver Christian Watson (chest/shoulder), safety Evan Williams (knee) and right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee) from the Packers’ loss at Denver. Running back Josh Jacobs said he reinjured his knee early in that game, though he continued to play and scored two touchdowns.
The status for each of those players remains uncertain.
“Definitely, it sucks to see guys go down that are key points for this team,” Williams said. “But it’s also an opportunity for more opportunities for other people. And that’s pretty cool to see, to see other people get their shot, and to get to see what they get to do with their time on the field.”
Though the Bears have a chance to add to their division lead, wins over the Packers are rare for them.
Green Bay has dominated the NFL's longest-running rivalry in recent decades, going 30-6 against Chicago since the start of the 2008 season. That includes the 2010 team winning the NFC championship game at Soldier Field en route to capturing the Super Bowl title.
The Packers won 11 straight against the Bears before losing last year's finale at Lambeau Field. Green Bay has won six in a row in Chicago.
The Bears have won five straight at Soldier Field since a season-opening loss to Minnesota. It's their best home winning streak since a six-game run in 2005.
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