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Packers Who Can Cause Bears the Most Trouble in Week 11 Matchup

Posted on November 13, 2024 - 2:51 am by

A new offensive coordinator and three straight defeats are enough for the Bears to digest but now they have to find a way to handle these Green Bay Packers who can be real problems.

The Bears don’t usually need coaching turmoil or falling off the NFL cliff with three-game losing streaks to cause problems when they face the Green Bay Packers.

They’ve got all of it nonetheless.

What an opponent for embattled Matt Eberflus to be facing a week after their offense came up DOA against the putrid New England Patriots at Soldier Field. Ten straight defenats by their rivals tells the story.

The recent Bears collapse this week reminded some veteran Bears beat reporters of the Marc Trestman 2014 collapse, except without a crying offensive coordinator apologizing to the team after making Jay Cutler into a sympathetic figure.



If this is where they’ve fallen, look for some sort of blowout defeat like the 55-14 defeat they suffered at midseason against the Packers in 2014 several weeks before Trestman’s dismissal.

“When your team is not playing complementary football, you don’t like it,” Bears coach Matt Eberfus said. “You don’t like it. When you’’e playing complementary football, it’s something to see because you’re playing off of each other. It’s complementary. You can see guys and their passion for each other to get those things done, and (Sunday) was not that. It’s not something that you like to look at.”

It could really be a reason to cover their eyes if they play a similar game against Green Bay.



Here are the Packers who can do the Bears the most harm in Sunday’s renewel of their primordial rivalry, although they usually don’t need help hurting their own cause.

1. QB Jordan Love

Sure, he’s having a down season compared to all the high hope Packer fans had but last year he wasn’t enjoying what could be termed an exceptional season until the final four or five games. Then he had an uptick. The knee injury earlier, followed by another injury and he’s currently not even a top-20 graded QB by Pro Football Focus, rating behind Daniel Jones and 12 spots on their list behind Aaron Rodgers. He still has the confidence that comes with going to Soldier Field and winning there, then again in Green Bay last year against the Bears.



2. RB Josh Jacobs

He’s probably not the type of player the Bears want to face considering their problems defensively. Jacobs is graded the sixth-ranked back by PFF right now. James Conner is rated right below him at No. 7 and he tore the Bears to shreds. Having lost run-stopping defensive tackle Andrew Billings for the year, the Bears are still trying to figure out a combo against the run that works at defensive tackle. Jacobs had a big early game with the Colts, then slowed and didn’t go over 76 yards for five games before busting loose with 127 against the Jaguars and 95 in the last Green Bay game with Detroit.

He’ll also do damage in the screen game and has 19 receptions for 128 yards.



3. S Xavier McKinney

A shrewd rare free agent signing for the Packers, McKinney has provided exactly what they need deep in the new defense they’re running. He will give Caleb Williams pause to think about throwing deep. McKinney was coming off a tremendous season for the Giants and how many players can say that? McKinney has six interceptions but just one in the last four games after he started out hot. The 6-foot, 201-pounder has a 42.4 passer rating against when targeted and has allowed just 50% completions (9 of 18). He has missed only two out of 44 tackle attempts.

4. WR Jayden Reed

The former Naperville Central and Metea Valley player has three 100-yard games and broke out of a mini-slump in the last game with five catches for 113 yards against Detroit. He had a seven-catch game for 139 yards against the Vikings earlier. At 5-11, 187, he’s speed and route running in the slot, a target who will keep Kyler Gordon occupied.



5. RT Zach Tom

Graded second best among all Packers offensive players by Pro Football Focus, the third-year tackle last year had little problem handling Montez Sweat in what was a meaningless season-ender for the Bears. Sweat’s recent shin injury seems to have slowed him but Tom doesn’t need the assistance. The 6-foot-4, 304-pounder fourth-round pick from Wake Forest has allowed one sack and committed five penalties. PFF grades him ninth among all tackles.

6. DT Kenny Clark

He might not really fit this scheme and hasn’t had a huge impact with no sacks, two tackles for loss and 20 total tackles. But the 6-3, 314-pound defensive tackle is playing the Bears now and that usually changes everything. He has six sacks, 15 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss against the Bears in 15 games.

7. D Rashan Gary

Despite making the conversion in this scheme to a different way to attack an offense, he has maintained a strong pass rush with 2 1/2 sacks and 17 pressures, to go with three tackles for loss. The Bears have done a relatively solid job of holding Gary in check as he’s had two sacks five tackles for loss against them in 10 games.



8. CB Jaire Alexander

After a down year when he didn’t make an interception, was injured much of the year and allowed a career-worst 66.7% completions and a 113.4 passer rating when targeted, per Stathead/Pro Football Reference, Alexander has rebounded back to form with an 86.9 passer rating against and 56.7% completions. He’s showing he can be a big threat in this zone-heavy scheme and has two interceptions with seven pass breakups.  

9. KR/PR Keisean Nixon

Nixon seems to like the new return rule with a 27.9-yard average and has been consistently producing returns but without one longer than 37 yards. He has averaged 12 yards a punt return, as well.