The Green Bay Packers will close out the 2024 NFL regular season with a home matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 18 at Lambeau Field. At 11-5, Green Bay has already clinched a spot in the upcoming NFL Playoffs, though their exact seeding remains to be determined. Meanwhile, Chicago is 4-12, has lost 10 games in a row, and has been eliminated from postseason contention for quite some time.
Unfortunately, the Packers are facing the reality of playing Week 18 and all of their playoff games without two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. On Wednesday, head coach Matt LaFleur revealed that Alexander is going to have surgery on his knee.
Green Bay’s top cornerback tore his PCL in their Week Eight victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and tried to get back on the field through rest and rehab. Disappointingly, every time he tried, he tweaked his knee and was set further back in his recovery.
Will Jordan Love and Other Green Bay Packers Starters Play vs the Chicago Bears?
The Packers are coming off of a loss to the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings that saw their offense, once again, get off to a slow start. It is a frustrating trend that seems to reoccur whenever Green Bay plays a dominant opponent.
Because they did not play particularly well, and because staying as sharp as possible for the postseason is a good idea for the youngest team in the NFL, LaFleur stated that all healthy starters will play on Sunday against the Bears:
Matt LaFleur and the Packers will play all their healthy players against the Bears, especially after Sunday’s performance in Minnesota.
“I think there’s value to going out there and playing and playing well.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 1, 2025
Last season, Jordan Love and the rest of Green Bay’s starters also played in Week 18, but that was because they needed to win the game in order to get into the NFL Playoffs in the first place.
Fans may recall that, in 2021, former quarterback Aaron Rodgers and many other starters sat out the final game of the season as they had already clinched the top seed in NFC. They then lost to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the Divisional Round 13-10.
The two teams that the Packers could face in the Wild Card Round this year are the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. Green Bay has to win on Sunday while the Washington Commanders lose to the Dallas Cowboys in order for them to get the sixth seed and a matchup with Los Angeles. If they lose, or if they win and Washington wins, they will play Philadelphia.
Both the Rams and Eagles have already announced that they are resting their starters in Week 18.
More Green Bay Packers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- NFL Executive Puts the NFC on Notice Regarding the Green Bay Packers, Jordan Love in the Playoffs
- “The McCaskey’s Don’t Care;” Chicago Bears Fans Explode Over the Latest Ryan Poles Report Ahead of Matchup with the Green Bay Packers
- “They Have to Bench Him;” Packers Starter Presented with a Troubling Situation
- “Refs Weren’t Going to Let Us Win;” Green Bay Packers Fans Livid After Loss Against Minnesota Vikings
- Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson or Romeo Doubs, Which WR Deserves a 2nd Contract?
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