Last December, the Green Bay Packers traveled to Chicago knowing they’d need a win in their Week 15 matchup against the Bears to keep their season alive.
The rival Bears didn’t comply, using a 24-17 victory on Dec. 16 at Soldier Field to officially end the postseason hopes of the Packers.
Matt LaFleur’s team can return the favor in kind on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
A year later, the roles are reversed. This time, the Bears are coming to Green Bay knowing their season could officially end with a loss to the Packers, who are 10-3 and in the driver’s seat in the NFC North.
The scenario is simple: If the Packers beat the Bears, and either the Minnesota Vikings win (or tie) or the Los Angeles Rams win, Matt Nagy’s team will be officially eliminated from the playoff hunt with two games left to play.
The Packers know how desperate a team can be in the Bears’ shoes, and how bad a loss like last season’s defeat in Chicago feels.
The Packers fought valiantly, coming back in the third quarter to tie the game at 14. But the Bears scored on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter to go up 10 points, and they put the dagger in the Packers’ season when a pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jimmy Graham was intercepted in the end zone with 3:14 left in the contest.
The loss dropped the Packers to 5-8-1. They finished 6-9-1. The Bears are currently 7-6 after winning three straight games, but they need to win out and get some help to make the playoffs in the NFC.
The Packers can end the chase on Sunday. A win at Lambeau Field and just one other result would be enough to officially eliminate the Bears from the playoffs in 2019.
These teams don’t need extra motivation, especially given the stakes for both the Packers and Bears in the 200th meeting between the long-time rivals. But a chance to repay the favor must be lingering somewhere in the minds of the Packers players that went to Chicago last December and watched the Bears celebrate a division title after a game that officially ended their season.