The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will meet for the 200th time in the rivalry’s long history on Sunday at Lambeau Field. There’s plenty on the line, with the Packers inching closer to their first playoff berth since 2016 and the Bears’ barely hanging onto their own postseason hopes.
To preview Sunday’s matchup, Packers Wire asked Alyssa Barbieri, the managing editor of Bears Wire, to answer five questions about Matt Nagy’s team:
Packers Wire: The biggest question leading into Sunday: Why is Mitchell Trubisky playing better, and is it sustainable?
Bears Wire: While Trubisky has been a big part of the offense’s struggles this season, he hasn’t been the only problem. The offensive line has had its issues, the run game hasn’t been consistently effective, receivers are running wrong routes or dropping passes and the tight end production has been virtually non-existent. But Matt Nagy has finally found what works for this offense, and it’s allowing Trubisky to just go out and play quarterback. He has a tendency to overthink things, but Nagy has put him in situations where he’s getting the ball out quicker and just reacting to what he’s seeing. He’s playing with a ton of confidence for the first time this season because he’s been able to stack solid games. And he’s getting a lot of help around him, whether it’s from Nagy in calling plays, the offensive line in terms of protection and the run game, his receivers and even the younger tight ends that have stepped up. The fact that he rediscovered his mobility last week against the Cowboys only serves to add to that confidence and his success, which is what Dallas found out last week.
As far as if it’s sustainable, I guess we’ll see. The main issue with Trubisky has been his lack of consistency. He’s flashed with some great games or moments, but then there are times when he looks like he doesn’t look like he belongs out on the field. If he continues to play with confidence, not overthink things and just execute, you’d like to think he can sustain that consistency. These next three games are going to tell a lot about Trubisky’s future with the Bears moving forward.
Packers Wire: Akiem Hicks is one of the NFL’s best interior DLs. He’s on IR, but will he return and play Sunday?
Bears Wire: That’s what it looks like. Matt Nagy has been careful to not say definitively if he’s going to play, but all indications are that the Bears are going to give him a go. Hicks is preparing as if he’s going to start, barring any setback, and his return would be so important for this defense. His presence in the middle of that defense has been felt in his absence, and he’s a monster that you have to account for. That, and his role as a vocal leader on this defense is something that the Bears would very much benefit from if he returns, as planned, on Sunday.
Packers Wire: In the first meeting, the Packers sacked Trubisky five times. How has the Bears’ pass protection looked since then?
Bears Wire: Despite the fact that the Bears are missing their starters on the right side of the offensive line — with Kyle Long on season-ending injured reserve and Bobby Massie out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain — Rashaad Coward and Cornelius Lucas have been solid reserves in their place. Ever since the Bears made the decision to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and James Daniels back to left guard, things have been different for the offensive line. Trubisky has said that the communication has been better, and you’ve seen the pass protection improve, along with the run game. Something that doesn’t get talked about is how a lot of Trubisky’s sacks this season could be attributed to him — how he holds on to the ball too long or when he chooses to forgo running to pick up some yards like he did last season. But overall, the offensive line has been better over the last month, which has been a big factor in the offense’s success.
Packers Wire: Former Bear Adrian Amos had a sack and an interception last week. Has former Packer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix been good in Chicago?
Bears Wire: While advanced metrics would argue against it, Clinton-Dix has played well for the Bears this season. He has just two interceptions this season — both against another former team in the Redskins — but he’s made some good plays and played well enough to warrant a longer-term deal. Whether that’s with the Bears remains to be seen. Having him paired with former Alabama teammate Eddie Jackson has gone well for Chicago, and you’d like to think that the Bears would try to re-sign him in the offseason if the price is right.
Packers Wire: The Bears win if …? And what’s the biggest worry for the Bears entering this game?
Bears Wire: The Bears win if Mitchell Trubisky and the offense does its job. Even despite the injuries to the defense, losing linebacker Roquan Smith with a torn pec, the defense doesn’t worry me. It’s always been the offense and whether they can sustain the success they’ve had over the last two weeks, especially.
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