Green Bay Should Root for Rival Bears in Week 18

The Green Bay Packers have locked up the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. Their division rival, the Chicago Bears, can secure the No. 2 seed with a Week 18 win over the Detroit Lions.

This week marks a rare instance where the Green Bay community should actually be rooting for a Bears victory.

There is currently a 60% chance of a third matchup between the Packers and Bears, which would reignite their rivalry on Wild Card Weekend. No other contending team offers a more favorable matchup for Jordan Love and the Packers.

Despite splitting the season series, Green Bay has already outplayed the Bears twice this season.

A second-half collapse in Week 16 gifted the Bears a victory over the Packers, who maintained a two-score lead with less than six minutes remaining. The Bears’ victory was a result of a critical error by receiver Romeo Doubs, not of a superior performance. Chicago should not plan to be that fortunate again.

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Week 18 Outlook  

Week 18 offers very little for Packers fans aside from providing answers to playoff seeding questions. Packers coach Matt LaFleur insisted that the decision to sit key starters against the Minnesota Vikings hasn’t been made. However, the Vikings’ opening as 7.5-point favorites indicates a different narrative.

LaFleur highlighted roster management as a constraint on resting players. “You’re kind of limited, especially with our situation right now, with the number of injuries that occurred. Guys are going to have to play ball,” said LaFleur.

The sensible approach would be to rest key players who have been dealing with nagging injuries. Love and running back Josh Jacobs are two likely candidates for a light load.

Playoff Preparations

Green Bay will play either the Chicago Bears or the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card Weekend. The Packers have already played each of these teams earlier this year, with a narrow loss to the Eagles occurring in Week 10.

LaFleur and the Packers need to look beyond this week’s matchup with the Vikings and prepare for the playoffs.

The Packers have proven they can compete with both the Eagles and Bears. In the regular season finale, they must prioritize getting healthy and strategizing how to stop the run.

The Ravens’ dominant rushing performance in Week 17 highlighted a significant weakness for Green Bay. LaFleur needs to address the Packers’ run defense before investing any time in preparing for a meaningless contest against the Vikings.

For the third straight year, the Packers enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. Running the table is now Green Bay’s only objective.