For the third straight season, the Green Bay Packers have clinched a playoff berth.
While their seeding is not ideal as the NFC’s seventh seed, Green Bay has the tools to write its own story. This team has shown resilience before in the underdog role and will look to do it again.
Green Bay will travel to Soldier Field to face the second-seeded Chicago Bears. It will be the third meeting between these division rivals this season. It is also their first playoff matchup since the 2010 NFC Championship Game, which Green Bay won. No team has visited Soldier Field twice within four games in a single season, and the Packers are doing just that.
History as the Seventh Seed
In the 2023-24 season, the Packers defeated the Bears in the season finale. That win sent Green Bay to the playoffs in Jordan Love’s first season as a starter. The Packers then traveled to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. At the time, Dallas was averaging 29.9 points per game at home.
Despite the hype surrounding the Cowboys and their high-powered offense, Green Bay cruised to a 48-32 victory over Dallas. The Packers became the first seven-seed in NFL history to win a playoff game.
Jordan Love led the Packers with a nearly flawless performance. He threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns while completing 16 of 21 passes. Love finished with a 157.2 passer rating and a rare 99.3 total QBR. His passer rating tied for the fourth-highest in NFL playoff history. He also recorded 13.0 yards per attempt, the highest by a Packers quarterback in the playoffs. The performance proved that Love can play at an elite level when it matters most.
Last season, Green Bay again entered the playoffs as the seventh seed. The Packers traveled to face an explosive Philadelphia Eagles team. Things went wrong from the opening kickoff. A fumble led to a quick Eagles touchdown, shifting momentum early. The Packers’ offense then struggled to find its rhythm until late, resulting in a 22–10 loss. That experience now carries into another road test, this time against a familiar rival.
Another Chapter in the NFL’s Oldest Rivalry
Two NFC North rivals meeting in primetime— how much better can this get? When these teams meet under the lights, Green Bay has the upper hand. The Packers have 15 wins in primetime against Chicago since 2000, the most against any opponent across the NFL.
Chicago enters the matchup on a two-game losing streak. Green Bay, meanwhile, has dropped four straight games. Coincidentally, both teams’ last wins came against one another during the regular season.
Both regular-season meetings were decided dramatically. Green Bay sealed the first matchup with a walk-off interception. Chicago responded with an overtime win on a walk-off touchdown. In the last 14 games played in Chicago, 10 have been decided by single digits.
Injuries have impacted both teams late in the season. Green Bay hopes All-Pro tackle Zach Tom is expected to return after missing time with a knee injury. He has not played since Week 15. Chicago’s wide receiver Rome Odunze was limited in Tuesday’s practice after missing five games with a foot injury. The Bears have also opened the practice window for cornerback Kyler Gordon after a lengthy absence.
Final Notes
Saturday night adds another chapter to the NFL’s oldest rivalry. This will be the 212th meeting between the Packers and Bears, the only matchup to have been played over 200 times. Recent history has favored Green Bay, which has won 12 of the last 14 matchups.
As the seventh seed once again, the Packers enter familiar territory. They have proven they can win on the road and thrive when expectations are low. With Jordan Love leading the way, Green Bay has a chance to deliver another historic playoff moment, as they could become just the second team in NFL history to defeat a two-seed as a seven-seed— after doing it themselves in the 2023-24 season.
In a rivalry defined by history, the Packers now have an opportunity to write the next chapter.
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