Packers Ready To Battle For The North

Bears vs Packers: As the NFC North Should Be

At the start of the 2025 season, many had the Packers and Lions battling atop the NFC North with the Vikings perhaps a scrappy third, but the Bears were thought to remain at the bottom, or maybe third if they got lucky. Not many predicted the Bears to be 9-3, a half a game on top of the NFC North after week 13.

The Bears and Packers have had several games in the history of their rivalry that essentially decided the NFC North, or decided which team with reach the playoffs right at the end of the regular season.

It all starts on Sunday, December 7th. The Packers are coming off the high of defeating the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving in their stadium for the second time in three years. It was the first time this season the Packers were considered the underdogs. They rose to the challenge and feasted on turkey legs on Ford Field. The Bears are coming off the high of essentially stunning the league by beating the Eagles in their own stadium on Black Friday. Both teams have a lot of momentum going in their favor, and this game is about to be like two freight trains colliding in the middle of Lambeau Field.

With the arrival of Ben Johnson, the Bears are making the move toward a more aggressive and smash-mouth approach on offense. They're running the ball well, and the Packers will need to keep that contained to pull off the victory. On Thanksgiving, the Packers unfortunately lost DL Devonte Wyatt for the season to an ankle injury. It was thought that when Wyatt was absent early in the season, Green Bay's defense just didn't function as dominantly as it should have.

So, they now have a long road ahead. If they wish to contain the Bears' running attack, players like Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, and Karl Brooks are going to have to step up in the middle of the defensive line. Perhaps the best defense in this situation may be a good offense. If the offense can score points and get out to an early lead, it could force the Bears to abandon the run. That's when the Packers' potent pass rush comes in handy.

Packers fans may hate the Bears, but many will agree that there is no other team they'd rather have these meaningful battles against each season than Chicago. As long as the Packers keep winning, of course.

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Bears Week Is Here — and the Packers Are Heating Up

It’s Bears Week, and Packer Transplants Live is serving up the perfect follow-up to a massive Thanksgiving win in Detroit. Aaron Nagler (live from CHTV New York) and Corey Behnke (posted up across from Lambeau Field) break down everything you need to know heading into a huge Week 14 showdown between the Packers and Bears.

The Biggest Questions For The Rest Of The Season

This is it, Packers fans.

With thirteen out of eighteen games in the books, and Thanksgiving week in the rearview mirror, we’ve entered the endgame. The Packers have an extremely clear path into the postseason. With a 91% chance to get into the playoffs, according to NY Times’s playoff simulator, the Packers are all but guaranteed to punch a ticket into the postseason if they can continue to take care of business.

They sit with a 59% chance to recapture the NFC North crown for the first time since 2021, and with two games remaining against the current leader, the Chicago Bears, they control their destiny to do so. Win and you’re in, when it comes to the wildcard or divisional crown discussions.

Now, as far as the race to the NFC’s top seed is concerned, the Packers had two very important results swing in their favor over the weekend. The Philadelphia Eagles dropped a game to those same Bears, and looked on the verge of spiraling. Meanwhile, the Rams were upset by the Carolina Panthers (does our loss to the Panthers start to look a little better now?), in a wild game that saw Matthew Stafford double his total interception count on the year. The path to the #1 seed starts with the Packers winning out for the rest of the season, and additionally, both the Rams and Seahawks must each lose another game. The second part gets a little easier when you realize the Rams and Seahawks play each other in the next few weeks. So, the winner of that game just has to lose another game. That’s certainly not outside of the realm of possibility, right?

That’s not said in an attempt to bury the lead, however. The Packers’ plan must start and end with going 1-0 every single week. It’s going to take a monumental effort from the entire team to make them happen.

Today, we lay out the biggest questions for the Packers over this last stretch of the season, as they hope to secure an advantageous playoff position.

Packers vs Bears: Caleb, Love & the NFC North Showdown at Lambeau

Former Packers safety and current NFL and Bears analyst Matt Bowen joins Aaron Nagler to break down a late-season Packers–Bears clash at Lambeau that actually means something for both teams.

The Packers Face a Difficult Challenge to Replace Devonte Wyatt

The Green Bay Packers scored a big win Thanksgiving day against the Detroit Lions, but they also suffered a big loss. During the game, they lost defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt to what appears to be a season-ending injury. The former first-round pick out of Georgia will be a difficult player for the Packers to replace as they head into the stretch drive of the regular season and aim to win a championship.

Wyatt provides the Packers with pressure from the interior of the defensive line. He creates penetration and can utilize his quickness to disrupt opposing offenses and get quarterbacks off their game.

Thus far, Wyatt played 10 games for the Packers and had 27 total tackles including six tackles for loss. He also recorded four sacks, seven quarterback hits and knocked down two passes.

The injury took place in the fourth quarter on a play where Micah Parsons recorded a key sack. Rookie Warren Brinson accidentally rolled up on Wyatt and caused the injury.

The first challenge will be next Sunday when the Packers face the Bears with first place in the NFC North on the line. If they hope to win this season, they’ll have to figure out how to do it without Wyatt.

Packers sign DT Jordon Riley off Giants practice squad

Looking to help fill the void in the middle of their defensive line after losing Devonte Wyatt, the Packers have reportedly signed defensive tackle Jordan Riley off the Giants practice squad.

The Giants drafted Riley in the 7th round two years ago, and he has played in 21 games with five starts over the last two seasons. The third year pro played in eight games as a rookie and 13 games last year, when he started five games and had 12 tackles, including three tackles for losses. Riley doesn't offer much by way of rushing the quarterback but could certainly help the defensive tackle rotation on early downs to help keep the Packers linebackers clean.

Packers vs Bears For Division Lead Has Been a Rarity

On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears play a December game with the NFC North division lead at stake. If this scenario seems out of the ordinary, that’s because it is. Since 1992, when Brett Favre became the Packers starting quarterback and Mike Ditka finished his last season as the Bears head coach, the two teams have met just 10 times in the months of December or January where both teams were either .500 or better going into the game or after the game.

These 10 games include the 2010 NFC Championship game, which the Packers won 21-14, after two 4th quarter interceptions from B.J. Raji and Sam Shields. In the 10 games, the Packers have won the last nine of them.

The Packers have hosted the Bears the past two Week 18s. Last year, the Bears ended a 10-game losing streak to the Packers with a 24-22 win on a walk-off field goal by Cairo Santos. The Packers did sit some of their starters in the second half of last year’s game. Two years ago, a 17-9 win clinched a playoff berth, as Jordan Love had one of the best games of his career, finishing with 316 yards passing and two touchdowns.

If the Packers are to improve to 10-1 in these types of meetings, it is likely they will need big games from both Love and pass rusher Micah Parsons, just like the 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 13. Love had his second-career four-touchdown game, which included two touchdown passes on 4th downs. Parsons was a difference maker against the Lions, finishing the game with 2.5 sacks, two of which came in the 4th quarter. He was also involved in a critical 4th down stop in the 3rd quarter on a rush by Jahmyr Gibbs. Heading into Sunday’s game, the Bears have the better offense in both yards and points, and are superior to the Packers in turnovers (26 to 11).

However, the Packers advantage comes from the defense being ranked in the top 5 in both yards and points allowed. The last time they ranked in the top 5 in both categories at the end of the season was the 2010 Super Bowl team. If the Packers can take care of the ball and put the game in the hands of both Love and Parsons, it should be a recipe that leads to a division-leading win.

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Carry The G Radio with Aaron Nagler, Bill Schmid & Armen Saryan - 12/2/2025

Aaron Nagler, Bill Schmid and Armen Saryan revel in the Packers victory over the Lions and get ready for a huge showdown with the Bears on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Bears-Packers Cheesehead TV Nation preview

For our Die Hard members, Aaron Nagler and Andy Herman preview the Green Bay Packers showdown with the Chicago Bears.

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