The Chicago Bears have to play their best game of the season on Sunday. That is the only way they’re going to beat the Green Bay Packers. The best team in the NFC who employ the likely favorite win league MVP. Aaron Rodgers is playing his best football and nobody enjoys ruining life for the Bears more than him. By the sound of things, neither he nor his teammates sound overly distressed about the upcoming game.
If anything they’ve been talking plenty of trash. Left tackle David Bakhtiari expressed a strong desire to “beat the piss” out of the Bears on Sunday. Rodgers himself said he can’t wait to play at Soldier Field, stating he’s had some big wins there. His only regret is there won’t be fans in the stands this time. In other words, he wishes they could be there so he could cut their hearts out once again.
It’s obvious they have no fear of the Bears.
Why should they? Green Bay has owned Chicago for over a decade now. Rodgers has only lost to them five times in his NFL career. It’s easy for him to look at this as a game he’ll win because he’s done it his entire career. He’s seen the same script play out so many times. He gets an early lead, the Bears start turning the ball over, a late comeback fails, rinse and repeat.
Here is the thing though. The Bears are aware of this reality too. They also know that sometimes confidence can lean too far into overconfidence. They’ve been careful in what they’ve said all week. Their entire focus is on playing a strong game Sunday. While this has happened, it appears the coaches and building staff have worked hard to get them as fired up as possible for this game.
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Even using the Halas Hall renovations and the Packers’ recent trash talk to their advantage.
The Bears have video boards lining their entrance to Halas Hall. This week, they were illuminated with messages of perceived trash talk from the Packers.
Said Eddie Jackson: "We take heat to the disrespect they've been throwing. Right now, there's no more talking."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) December 31, 2020
Chicago Bears sound like a team that is ready to play
They don’t sound overconfident from their recent success. They sound like a battle-tested team that knows exactly what’s in front of them. A win gets them into the playoffs. It’s the Green Bay Packers. Their rival and the best team in the conference. Wanting to win doesn’t cut it anymore. They need to win. To that end, it sounds like they plan to leave everything on the field. No holding back. Win or lose, the Packers are going to get their best shot.
Will it be enough? Green Bay seems like a team on a roll. They just got done throttling Tennessee last week. They signed big nose tackle Damon Harrison in hopes of helping slow down the Bears’ resurgent running game. They’re pulling out all the stops to psyche the Chicago Bears out. Something that has proven rather easy at times in the past. Just look at the beating they handed out last month at Lambeau Field for a reminder.
The Bears are good enough to beat Green Bay.
They just haven’t been able to play like it when the games actually happen. If ever there was a time to exorcise some demons, it would be this Sunday. Nobody believes they’re going to win. Even a lot of their own fans. So what do they have to lose? Play like there’s no tomorrow. The odds are there won’t be for a lot of guys in that locker room.
