Sunday’s NFC North tilt between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears carries massive playoff implications, but it’s also a showcase of two of the best young and rising quarterbacks in the sport.
Caleb Williams, earlier this season, set the Bears’ franchise record with five comeback victories and counting, while Love took home the FedEx Air Player of The Week Award for a stellar performance in Green Bay’s Thanksgiving victory over the Detroit Lions.
Sunday, Love might be the most important player on the field for Green Bay.
How Packers’ Jordan Love can exploit a Bears weakness
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Love is coming off one of the finest performances of his career, lighting up the Lions’ secondary for 234 yards, four touchdowns, and a stellar 124.2 passer rating.
While Love and the Packers’ passing game needs to respect the Bears’ secondary, given Chicago boasts the league’s best turnover ratio and safety Kevin Byard leads the league in interceptions, Green Bay is built to exploit one of the Bears’ biggest weaknesses.
“No team outside of the Cincinnati Bengals has given up more passing plays of 20-plus yards than the Bears,” Mitch Widemeier writes for Zone Coverage. “The Bengals are 32nd in the NFL with 45 such plays yielded. Chicago is right behind them with 42.”
It is no secret that Love and the Packers’ offense are at their best when Green Bay is pushing the ball vertically, and this matchup couldn’t be more favorable.
If the Packers are able to get either Jayden Reed or Matthew Golden back on the field in time for Sunday’s game, Love and Green Bay may have all the pieces they need to put on a fireworks show and make life difficult for the division leaders, perhaps even as the difference in the game.
