Week 14 Preview: Can the Bears Reach Double-Digit Wins in a Divisional Matchup?
The Bears are not only in first place in the NFC North, but they have pushed their way into first place in the entire NFC. Aside from the Minnesota Vikings, the entire NFC North is above .500, and any of them can realistically win the division. But it’ll be tough for the Bears as they have the Packers twice and the Detroit Lions once.
The Stars are Shining
All the guys who are supposed to be playing well are doing their part, including Caleb Williams, who is still on pace to break 4,000 passing yards in a season. He’s averaging 226.6 passing yards per game and has a QBR of 88.2.
Or on the other side of the ball, you have Montez Sweat, who’s racked up 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Unsung Heroes
It’s the underdogs of this team that have propelled them to stardom and have the power to beat the Packers this weekend. Nahshon Wright has been the best corner on this team. He’s currently tied for second in the league with five interceptions, only behind his teammate Kevin Byard III, who has six. He’s been targeted 67 times, allowed 39 receptions, and 491 total yards. He’ll most likely be on Romeo Doubs or Christian Watson as the Packers usually switch up their X receiver.
How about on the offensive side? Well, you can’t forget about Kyle Monangai. He and D’Andre Swift have morphed into last year’s version of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. This is the cause-and-effect of Ben Johnson’s transition from Detroit to Chicago. Both Swift and Monangai have multiple games of 100 yards rushing EACH. Monangai has a 4.9 YPC and is 4th in rookie rushing yards with 591 yards.
Keys to Victory
The Packers are one of the strongest teams on the ground, with 117.2 yards rushing on average per game. The Bears need to continue to utilize stacking the box in their 4-3 set. But at the same time, they do air it out deep with a 53.9% deep pass percentage to guys like Watson or Dontayvon Wicks.
On offense, the Bears need to continue using their 1A and 1B running backs to punish the Packers’ defensive line. They can then extend the field and use play-action to air the ball out more often.