Three Overreactions: Packers Lose to Bears, Eagles Loom in Playoffs

The Green Bay Packers are entering the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. After losing to the Bears, they’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild-card game on Sunday.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) rushes against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. / Wm. Glasheen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers lost their regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. It was a shocking result. For the Packers, who had won 11 in a row in the series, the only homegrown player who played on Sunday and had lost to the Bears was Kenny Clark.

If the sky was falling after last week’s loss to the Vikings, this season is headed toward the event horizon of a black hole.

Here are this week’s overreactions with a playoff game at the Philadelphia Eagles looming on Sunday.

1. Time for Leaders to Lead

After the game, safety Xavier McKinney stood and answered questions from reporters, same as usual. His demeanor and mood, however, were much different.

Win or lose, McKinney is always looking ahead to the next game. What can he do better? Where can he find the little edge?

On Sunday, though, McKinney looked like a beaten man.

“I’ve been a leader for a very long time but, right now, it’s not good enough,” he said. “So, I’ve got to go back and look at what I’ve got to do better to make sure that we are not having these same results when we’re coming up short in these games.”

This week starts with the coaches.

That doesn’t just mean that coach Matt LaFleur’s game plan is on point. Or that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has a better play called for an end-of-game scenario. Or that special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia’s group is making big plays rather than allowing them.

All of those things are important, to be sure. An aggressive game plan by LaFleur could set the tone, just as it did for the Bears with their punt-return touchdown.

But it’s more than just X’s and O’s. This week, it’s about the Jimmys and Joes in the locker room.

Going 0-5 against the best teams in the NFC, including the Week 17 loss at the powerhouse Vikings, had to be a blow to the team’s psyche. But at least there were enough glimpses of high-quality play that the Packers could make a case that they could beat any of those teams if they played their best game.

Losing to the Bears is different. The Bears had lost 10 in a row. The coaching staff has one foot out the door and their other foot on a banana peel. Vacation plans had been made.

Instead, the Bears jumped out to a 14-3 lead.

“(Getting a) 12th win – 12th win against these Bears and all that – not being able to do that really sucks,” right guard Sean Rhyan said. “And for us, it’s just sick. Sick. Losing to these f---ing guys right before the playoffs, it’s a kick in the gut. We’ve got to flush it and start a new season. That’s all we can do.”

McKinney and Rashan Gary spoke to the team afterward. McKinney wouldn’t share the message, but Rhyan provided a glimpse.

“I think they said it really well,” he said. “Got to come in, be real critical, put the pride aside, because it’s a team game. We didn't put in all this work just to go one-and-out. Just come in next week, look at it, not get hurt when the coaches call us out for doing bad things because this is our f---ing job. And you’re going to get called out for it. It’s a performance-based business.”

In the weight room, there’s a big sign that reads “Standards Over Feelings.”

That message has to be drilled home this week. It will start with the coaches and leaders rallying the troops. The season isn’t over.

One victory over the Eagles – as unlikely as it might seem right now – could open the door wide open for a trip to the Super Bowl.

2. Offense Must Revolve Around Three Players

Christian Watson’s torn ACL is a huge blow.

Never mind the size and speed, and the big games he had against Chicago and Detroit earlier this season. According to league data, the passing game is 1.27 yards per snap better when Watson is on the field. Plus, the running game is 0.35 yards better with Watson.

He is the only player on the team with a value of plus-0.20 yards in both phases.

“It’s a big-time loss,” LaFleur said on Monday. “Obviously, he’s got an element in terms of his size and speed that’s tough to replicate. There’s not many built like him around the league.”

Here's an updated story on #Packers receiver Christian Watson after today's big and predictable news.https://t.co/Mham6b9H5Z

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 6, 2025

The injury leaves the Packers with three high-impact players: running back Josh Jacobs, receiver Jayden Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft.

Romeo Doubs is a big-time route-runner and key player on third down, and Dontayvion Wicks has picked up his play after a tough first half of the season.

But Reed, who inexplicably has been forgotten for too many weeks, is a dynamic playmaker who had a huge game against the Eagles in Week 1. He’s been the Packers’ best deep threat all season and he’s their best run-after-catch player.

Kraft has emerged as one of the better young tight ends in the game. There’s more to his game than being a tackle-breaking checkdown threat, which he showed with his leaping catch against the Bears.

And Jacobs is Jacobs. He’s the workhorse and the driving force of the offense. Not much went right against the Bears, but at least LaFleur stuck to his guns and limited Jacobs to six rushes. He should be fresh to face the Eagles.

Philadelphia’s defense is as good as it gets in the NFL. It finished first in total defense, first against the pass and 10th against the run. 

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. 

To beat the best, you’ve got to rely on your best.

“I think everybody’s just got to lock in on what we want to do and what we want to accomplish and know that one loss, you’re done, you’re going home,” Jacobs said.

“So, the sense of urgency and everything is up. We’ve just got to know that coming in this whole week, coming in to prepare, everybody’s got to be willing to give 110 percent of themselves to what we want to accomplish.”

3. Clash of the Titans

If there’s one unit on the Packers that is of Super Bowl caliber, it’s the run defense.

The Bears rushed for just 83 yards on 26 carries, a 3.2-yard average that included a long run of 14 yards. The Packers finished the season ranked third in the NFL with 3.96 yards allowed per carry.

The Eagles, of course, are led by NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley. They finished second in rushing yards per game and fifth in rushing yards per carry.

Barkley scored three touchdowns in Week 1 but, really, the Packers had to feel pretty good in limiting him to 109 yards on 24 carries, a 4.5-yard average bolstered by a 34-yard run.

It’s cliché, and it obviously hasn’t been a foolproof recipe for the Packers, but if they can keep Barkley under wraps again and quarterback Jalen Hurts in the pocket, they’ll have a fighting chance against the Eagles’ explosive passing game.

Back-to-back losses is a bad way to go in the playoffs, unless it’s used as a source of fuel.

“I’m pretty sure how everybody is looking at [the loss against the Bears] is it set a flame up under our butt to let us know that we’ve got to go 10 times harder,” said linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who had three tackles in 11 defensive snaps in Week 1.

McKinney knows Barkley well, having been teammates with the Giants.

“He’s one of the best we have in this league and, yeah, it’s going to be a challenge for us,” McKinney said. “But we’ve got competitive guys and we just got to go outcompete them. We know they’ve got competitive guys, too. I know him very well. He’s a very competitive guy, so we’ve just got to go and outcompete them.”

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Here's our weekly breakdown of the #Packers' snap counts, along with one stud, one dud and the defining play from their loss to the Bears. ⬇️https://t.co/uLMtJzXNBo

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 6, 2025

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