Breaking down what to expect Monday night when the Bears visit the Packers:
WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL
It’s time for wide receiver Rome Odunze to stamp his name on the Bears-Packers rivalry. DJ Moore put up big numbers against them over the last two seasons, but he’s gone and there’s a production void to fill. Tight end Colston Loveland dominated in the playoff win last season, and the Bears need Odunze to join the party, too.
Odunze has played in just three of a possible five games against the Packers in his career, including playoffs, and has totaled 10 catches for 127 yards and no touchdowns.
He might be finding his groove, however. After just eight catches over the first three games, he broke out with six for 94 against the Jets. That included a 37-yard reception from Tyson Bagent to convert a third down, and that’s the type of impact the Bears envisioned him making when they drafted him ninth overall.
With a backup quarterback stepping in, the surest options in the passing game should emerge as the most targeted.
Loveland is an obvious choice because of his size and catch radius. Odunze should be right there with him because he’s one of the Bears’ larger receivers and is ultra-reliable in route-running precision. Bears coach Ben Johnson once called him starter Caleb Williams’ “blankie” because he was always available when the pocket broke down.
This is a pivotal season for Odunze, who, like Williams, is playing for a contract extension at the end of the season. After a slow start, he’s in position to stack up a convincing argument.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
The Bears’ defensive line has a prime opportunity to assert itself and against a battered Green Bay offensive line. With injuries to starting guards Aaron Banks and Jacob Monk, the Packers signed 36-year-old Kevin Zeitler, who might start Sunday.
Pro Football Focus ranked this o-line last in the NFL, and the broad statistics back that up. The Packers are averaging a league-low 58 yards rushing per game, which puts them on track for one of the worst seasons in history, and have allowed pressure on 24.1% of their pass plays, which is 10th-highest. That instability can undercut everything for an offense.
Whether the Bears can do enough up front to exploit that is another matter. Defensive line has been a sore spot for them for years, but everything about their defense has been trending up since the start of the season.
Since allowing 37 points to the Panthers in the opener, the Bears have held opponents to 28 total. In those three games against the Vikings, Eagles and Jets, they allowed just 95 yards rushing per game.
They also rank third in the NFL in pressure rate, putting heat on the opposing quarterback on 35.3% of pass plays, but haven’t converted those into sacks.
For the Bears to take advantage on the line of scrimmage, they badly need big games from defensive end Montez Sweat and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. They have almost 15% of their salary-cap space allotted to those two players, and Sweat has two sacks and Jarrett has none. Those two must lead the way.
