Packers GM Brian Gutekunst made it clear during last week’s NFL scouting combine that being “aggressive” in free agency doesn’t necessarily mean Green Bay will sign a ton of players right off the bat. Instead, the first-year general manager simply wants to be in more conversations than the team was under his predecessor and mentor, Ted Thompson. Whether this means that they sign more veteran leadership or players at key positions of need remains to be seen as free agency doesn’t start officially until March 14th.
The Packers might be the ideal destination for Wilkerson given all that has transpired so far in the offseason. New Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was one of the driving forces behind the Jets’ decision to draft him with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He showed an upside in his first two seasons under Mike Pettine’s defense, so there’s a comfort level with the scheme. Since 2011, however, his stats have taken a dive. In the last 28 games (27 starts), he’s compiled only 8 sacks along with 59 total tackles. Wilkerson had 10.5 sacks in 2013 and 12 sacks in 2015, his two most productive seasons.
Green Bay was one of the worst defensive units at constantly getting pressure on the QB. They only compiled 37 total sacks, 14 forced fumbles, and 54 interceptions. Wilkerson could end up being the difference maker up front on defense that the Packers need. Current Green Bay defensive end Mike Daniels has been adamantly trying to recruit defensive talent to come play in Green Bay along with offensive tackle David Bakhtiari. Let’s hope the recruiting tactics end up working out in Green Bay’s favor.
The trio up front of Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, & Muhammad Wilkerson could possibly end up wreaking havoc on opposing QBs. It would certainly provide a boost up front that Green Bay’s defense desperately needs. I would think that Wilkerson had Green Bay first up on his list for organizational visits for a reason. He would most definitely be a welcome & needed addition & would certainly make a positive impact on a rather negative defense. GM Brian Gutekunst was quoted at the NFL combine last week in regards to free agency saying: “Our big thing is, let’s be exceptionally prepared to pull the trigger if the right opportunity presents itself.” Green Bay has the right defensive staff for Wilkerson & a championship mindset. The right opportunity seems to be here, time to pull the trigger.
The Packers face another early Sunday game on the road, this time a trip to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears.
The Packers are 4-1 after their 25-22 overtime win at Cincinnati while the Bears are 3-2 after winning 20-9 on the road vs the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Packers get their first look at Justin Fields up close. He brings a lot of hype with him but he is still a rookie. The Cleveland Browns provided a great blueprint by pressuring him all game long. The Packers have been doing a decent job lately of getting after the quarterback. Keep it up, especially in a game like this one.
Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams keep finding ways to get it done on the field. Their patchwork offensive line will need to hold up in this game. The Bears aren’t very good on offense so they thrive on getting turnovers and shifting field position. It’s important for the Packers to finish drives with touchdowns. They didn’t do enough of that against the Bengals and it almost came back to bite them.
Mason Crosby will look to rebound after missing three field goals and an XP last week. He made his final field goal to win it so hopefully that will put positive thoughts in his head. He had a game back in 2018 where he missed a lot of kicks at Detroit, but I remember that he was sent out there late in the game to try a field goal to hopefully get his mind right again. It worked and he carried that positive momentum into future games. Let’s just hope last Sunday was a fluke.
The Bears have two wins against teams currently with winning records in the Bengals and Raiders, so the Packers can’t overlook this team. You could argue that they faced the Raiders at the right time with LV coming off a short week after playing on a Monday night and also dealing with the Jon Gruden email scandal, but they still found a way to win just like they did against the Bengals.
Coach Matt Nagy is on the hot seat, and that got red hot after their disaster of a performance at Cleveland. They rebounded to win two straight however. They aren’t out of the woods yet, but a win over Green Bay would put another jolt of energy into the organization and the fanbase, especially since wins over the Packers have been few and far between lately. They have not had consecutive wins over the Packers since 2007. The Bears also have a tough stretch of games coming up, so if they don’t win this game, their chances of winning the division may take a big hit.
It’s possible the Packers won’t be making too many more trips to Soldier Field. The Bears are making plans to move out and into a new stadium elsewhere. Perhaps they should have done that all along instead of renovating Soldier Field in the early 2000s.
The winner of this game will be in first place in the NFC North for at least a week. This is a golden opportunity for the Packers to put a bit of distance between themselves and the rest of the division. The Packers also have some tough games (at least on paper) coming up soon, so in addition to the rivalry, they need to win games like this one.
I look for the Bears to play ball control and keep away from Rodgers. It’s important for the defense to get off the field. The Bears know they can’t get in a shootout with the Packers and expect to win. I expect the Bears to put up a pretty good fight but the Packers to ultimately take control and get this win. Wherever you are, have a great time as we cheer the team to victory this weekend.
Green Bay finds itself clinging to its playoff hopes heading into a critical week 15 division battle with the rival Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. The Packers are coming off of a 34-20 win against Atlanta at Lambeau Field; it was the first win under interim head coach Joe Philbin. The 34 points scored were also the most points Green Bay has scored thus far all season. The Bears meanwhile are coming off of a huge 15-6 upset win over the Los Angeles Rams in Chicago. Their defense held LA to a season low in yards (214) and points (6). They also forced 4 turnovers (all interceptions).
Green Bay’s game also featured two key turnovers; both from the same player. CB Bashaud Breeland had a pick-6 of Atlanta’s Matt Ryan as well as a fumble recovery. Offensively, Green Bay looked good. Rodgers went 21-32 for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Aaron Jones also had 2 touchdowns to go along with 78 rushing yards on 17 total carries; good for 4.9 YPC. It was a great win for Green Bay and provided some much needed momentum and confidence heading into this game with Chicago.
This will be the 198th renewal of the oldest rivalry in the NFL. Green Bay leads it 97-94-6. The most recent victory coming in week 1 of this year at Lambeau Field. After Rodgers went down with a knee injury in the first half, (3-7 for 13 yards), Green Bay was down 20-3 late in the third quarter. Then Aaron Rodgers came back and led a 17 point come from behind victory; going 17-23 for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was the largest comeback victory in franchise history. This game will be one of the toughest for Green Bay.
The Bears are currently 5 point favorites. The over/Under is at 45.5. Chicago’s defense is VASTLY improved from week 1. They have an elite secondary consisting of CBs Prince Amukamara & Kyle Fuller, Free-Safety Eddie Jackson, and Strong-Safety Adrian Amos. They also have a vicious D-line with Eddie Goldman, Akiem Hicks, and Jonathan Bullard. Their linebacking corps is one of, if not the best in the league with Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Leonard Floyd, and Khalil Mack. As a defense, the Bears have more interceptions (25) than touchdowns given up (21). That stat alone let’s you know that this is a defensive unit that doesn’t mess around.
The Packers as a defense are a middle-class unit right now. They’ve been hit with a ton of injuries; most of which are season ending. Most notably DL Mike Daniels (foot), CB Kevin King (Hamstring/Shoulder), LB Jake Ryan (Ankle), Safety Raven Greene (Ankle), Safety Ibraheim Campbell, LB Nick Perry (Knee), and DL Muhammad Wilkerson (Ankle). Additionally, CB Bashaud Breeland and DL Kenny Clark were listed as questionable with a groin issue and elbow on the latest injury report.
On the offensive side, RG Byron Bell (Knee), RB Tra Carson (Ribs), WR Geronimo Allison (Groin), and OT Kyle Murphy (Ankle) all were placed on season ending IR for Green Bay. Furthermore, RT Bryan Bulaga was listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest with a knee injury (now is OUT). Jason Spriggs will be his replacement at RT. On the contrary, Chicago has three players listed as questionable: Safety Eddie Jackson (Shin), WR Allen Robinson (Hip), and DT Bilial Nichols (Knee). Although Bears head coach Matt Nagy has said he expects all three to be full participants on Sunday.
There is no doubt that Chicago has improved immensely since week 1. This game will be yet another close, intense, suspenseful contest. Under Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have a 17-4 overall record against them (including the playoffs). Additionally, Green Bay is 8-2 overall against them at Soldier Field (8-0 since 2010). Yes, Green Bay is 0-5 this season on the road, but Soldier Field is more like Lambeau South for them. All streaks have to come to an end at some point. Something’s gotta give.
With a win, the Bears would clinch the NFC North for the first time since 2010. A loss however, would stop that from happening for at least one more week, providing Minnesota beats Miami. If the Bears win and Minnesota loses, Chicago would still win the division. If they lose Sunday and Minnesota wins, Chicago would have to wait to clinch the division and playoffs until next week. If both Chicago and Minnesota lose, Green Bay’s playoff hopes — albeit slim, would still be intact. Green Bay would need to win their final three games (@ CHI, @ NYJ, vs DET), and have Carolina (vs NOLA, ATL, @ NOLA), Washington (@ JAGS, @ TEN, vs PHI), Philadelphia (@ LA, vs HOU, @ WSH), lose one of their remaining three games and also have Minnesota lose two of its final three games (vs MIA, @ DET, and vs CHI).
Now, it’s going to take a lot of help and heart, starting Sunday to keep Green Bay’s season alive. Just focus on beating Chicago, then win your remaining two games, then watch and wait. Their backs are once again against the wall, but we’ve seen this before…The Packers always play their best when the odds are stacked against them. Their mettle will definitely be tested but it’ll be a testament to the toughness, heart, resiliency, and grit of this team if they come out of it unscathed — and possibly under the radar seed-wise in the NFC playoff race.
There’s not much that I can say about this week’s must win against the Chicago Bears that we all don’t already know. But a picture is worth a thousand words.
“The Pack is Back” ! My “Ultimate” prediction has the Packers embarrassing the Bears 34-10 at Soldier Field.
