The Packers had a chance to shore up some obvious problem areas at the trade deadline, and they chose to do nothing. For the Bears, that leaves a very clear path when these teams meet again at Soldier Field in Week 16.
Chicago wasn’t at its best the first time around, and the earlier matchup didn’t exactly tell the full story. Matt LaFleur, as the source puts it, was still in his feelings and wanted to make a statement against Ben Johnson. Nice for him.
A lot has changed since then. The Bears have added Jeffery Simmons and started to find their rhythm, while Green Bay is still carrying the same flaws it had before the deadline. That matters because the Packers, despite sitting at 6-3, are still dealing with the league’s worst rushing game and one of its weakest offensive lines.
They didn’t make a single move to address that. No extra help at running back, even with Josh Jacobs dealing with an injury. And that’s hard to ignore for a team that has only topped 100 rushing yards once this season.
Instead of reinforcing the ground game, Green Bay is rolling forward with the same offensive identity and hoping it holds up. The Bears should be ready to attack that.
When the Packers beat Chicago 31-7, they didn’t need to establish the run, but the rematch is a different animal. This time, they’ll have to deal with Caleb Williams, not a mix of Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent.
Green Bay’s receiver talent is part of the pitch, but it’s not exactly bulletproof. Detroit already showed how to handle that explosive wideout group, and Matthew Golden can’t handle the physicality, while Christian Watson has long been a boom-or-bust player.
There’s also the simple reality that what works early in the year doesn’t always keep working. Teams get more film, more tendencies get exposed, and it won’t take long for the rest of the league to catch up to Jordan Love’s explosive passing game.
The Bears’ new defensive centerpiece gives them another edge. Simmons is the best interior pass rusher in the game, and he’s walking into a matchup against a shaky Packers offensive line that now has to absorb that pressure without much help around it. Green Bay won’t be able to run the ball on him, either, and Love has never been known for his decision-making under duress.
Chicago isn’t spotless here, either. The outside cornerbacks have had their issues, and they looked bad in that tough loss. But the bigger picture is clear: one team got better when it had the chance, and the other acted like its roster was already good enough.
That’s why the deadline matters. The Bears have a real opening now. Let’s see who gets the last laugh.
In Other News...
Dennis Allen Faces Three Big Bears Decisions During The Bye
The bye week has given Dennis Allen a chance to step back and assess a Bears defense that has been uneven enough to make some personnel questions impossible to ignore. One of the clearest is at outside cornerback, where Malik Muhammad has played well enough that the conversation is no longer just about getting him on the field more, but about whether he should be treated as a full-time starter over Tyrique Stevenson.
There are similar decisions up front, where Daniel Hardy has made a case for a larger role as an edge rusher, and there is also the broader question of how aggressive this defense should be from here on out. Allen has not been eager to lean heavily on the blitz, but the recent results suggest the Bears may need a more disruptive approach if they want the unit to settle in and create more problems for opposing quarterbacks. [Read more 🡒]
Bears May Have Found A Trade Bonus They Barely Can Use
The Bears trade for Clark Phillips III has quietly given them a useful defensive back at a time when the secondary has been under constant churn. Acquired from Atlanta in the deal that sent Gervon Dexter Sr. the other way, Phillips has flashed in the snaps hes gotten, holding up well in coverage and even showing some juice as a pass rusher when opportunities have come his way.
Phillips problem is less about performance than about timing. With Jaylon Johnson playing better and Malik Muhammad working back from injury, the path to regular snaps is getting crowded fast, which leaves Chicago with a good problem and a difficult one at the same time. The Bears may have landed a bonus piece in the trade, but figuring out how to use him could be the harder part. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Stadium Debate Just Took Another Turn Chicago Fans Will Feel
A new $10 billion redevelopment plan for the former Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville has added another layer to the Bears stadium discussion, and it comes with a pitch aimed squarely at keeping the franchise in Chicago. The proposal calls for a new domed stadium as part of a sweeping project that would also include buying the Bears Arlington Heights property, a move designed to make staying in the city more appealing while the broader negotiations keep moving with NFL and state officials.
The catch is the scale of the ask. The plan would require demolishing six apartment buildings and a major construction effort, which underscores how complicated any return to Chicago would be. Even with that new option on the table, sources say Arlington Heights remains the Bears favored stadium location, leaving the latest proposal as another twist in a process that still has plenty of unresolved ground to cover. [Read more 🡒]