Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears: 3 Storylines To Watch For In This Wild Card Matchup
There is no love lost between these two franchises. To add to the intrigue, this will be the third time the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have faced each other since December. What should fans watch for in this Wild Card Round showdown?
Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears Storylines
- How Healthy Is Jordan Love?
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love sustained a concussion when these two teams last played on Dec. 20. Love missed the final two games of the regular season. Even though Love was cleared to play for Week 18, the Green Bay Packers decided to hold him out as a precautionary measure.
Such an extended layoff for Love provides great uncertainty entering this playoff game. Will he be rusty early, or will the extended layoff allow him to hit the ground running on Saturday night?
2. How Will the Weather Impact This Game?
Chicago is called “The Windy City” for a reason. That moniker will be on full display Saturday night at Soldier Field. The weather forecast calls for 15-20 MPH winds with gusts that could reach nearly 30 MPH. That level of wind will make it difficult for kickers and quarterbacks to succeed.
A windy forecast plays right into the hands of the Chicago Bears. Green Bay’s defense has looked like a shell of itself following the Micah Parsons injury. Green Bay’s rushing defense has been particularly suspect over the past month. The Baltimore Ravens gashed the Packers for 307 rushing yards in Week 17. Minnesota rushed for 137 yards in Week 18. Chicago enters the NFL Playoffs with the league’s third-best rushing offense.
3. How Will Caleb Williams Play?
It is impossible to predict how a young quarterback will fare in his first playoff game. That is the case for Caleb Williams. Following a strong sophomore campaign, he will get his first taste of playoff football on Saturday. Even though Williams played in high-leverage games while in college, the NFL Playoffs are a different beast. Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson is not worried about how his QB will play when the lights are the brightest.
