3 keys for Bears offense vs. Packers in Week 15

What does the Bears offense need to do to keep rolling, this time against the Packers in Week 15?

The Chicago Bears (7-6) will face the hated Green Bay Packers (10-3) Sunday at Lambeau Field, where there will plenty to play for.

Playoff aspirations. Pride. Jobs. Bragging rights.

For the Bears offense, they’re looking to sustain the success they’ve had over the previous two games against the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, where they were the best they’ve looked all season.

So how do the Bears keep their offense rolling?

Here are three keys for the Bears’ offense in Week 15’s contest vs. the Packers.

1. Utilize QB Mitchell Trubisky’s dual-threat ability

Mitchell Trubisky has been playing his best football of the season over the last month, particularly the last two games, where he’s completing 75.3% of his passes for 582 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

In order for the Bears to have success against the Packers, it’s going to start with the success of Trubisky. Last week against the Cowboys, Trubisky rediscovered an important element of his game, which is his mobility. He had 63 rushing yards on 10 carries, as well as a rushing score. But it’s not just the stats that are important. Trubisky’s mobility opened up the Bears offense as the Cowboys defense had to account for Trubisky the passer and Trubisky the runner.

The thing about Trubisky’s runs were that they weren’t forced. When Trubisky went through his reads and saw that nothing was there, he tucked the ball and ran. It was less thinking, more reacting. The Bears are going to need more of that from Trubisky on Sunday.

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Bears-Packers Week is Leonard Floyd’s favorite time of the year

There’s just something about playing the Packers that brings out the best in Bears OLB Leonard Floyd.

There’s just something about playing the Packers that brings out the best in Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd.

Floyd might as well be dubbed the “Packer killer” for the havoc he’s wrecked against the Bears’ rivals in the seven games he’s played against Green Bay.

In those seven games, Floyd had 7.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. But in the 44 other games against everyone else, Floyd has managed just 11 sacks.

When the Bears opened the season against the Packers, Floyd had two sacks of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and it looked like he was poised for a breakout season. But since then — 12 games later — Floyd has just one sack.

“It’s a division game against our rivals, so I don’t know, man. It just happens that I get home versus them than I do against other teams,” Floyd said.

“Getting those sacks against a great player like Aaron Rodgers, I guess I can be excited about that. But I take the same approach into every game. I get so close, so many times. It just so happens when it’s Green Bay, I always get home.”

If only the Bears could play the Packers every week. Not typically words you’d expect to hear. Maybe Floyd should visualize every opponent wearing green and yellow and every quarterback wearing No. 12, then maybe we’d see more consistent production from the fourth-year edge rusher.

Floyd would love to have more sacks, but he feels confident in the position he’s at in Chuck Pagano’s defense this season.

“I had to learn a new defense. Had a lot more put on me … [and] our defense still ranks in the top 10,” Floyd said. “I feel great in the position I’m in. I’m playing for a great organization. I got a lot more left in me, so I’m just taking it one game at a time.”

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How will Eddy Pineiro handle the frigid conditions at Lambeau Field?

Eddy Pineiro will kick in the coldest game of his career this week when the Bears travel to Green Bay for a pivotal NFC North showdown.

It’s no secret that Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro isn’t a fan of the cold. Tough luck for a kicker that grew up in South Florida that’s tasked with kicking in Chicago.

But if Pineiro thought that he’d kicked in cold weather before, just wait until he sees what awaits him Sunday at Lambeau Field. The high temperature is expected to be 19 degrees with a wind chill in single digits. Simply put, it’ll be the coldest game Pineiro has ever kicked in.

Pineiro practiced outdoors Wednesday, where the temperature was in the low 20s, to try and get acclimated for what awaits him on Sunday. So what did he learn?

“Just hit the same ball,” Pineiro said. “It’s just going to be colder. It’s probably not going to go as far.”

The weather is out of Pineiro’s control, which is why special teams coordinator Chris Tabor wants him to focus on controlling the things he can control.

“He just has to go up and hit his football,” Tabor said.

As for how Pineiro fared in the frigid temperatures outside Halas Hall on Wednesday, he did “just fine.” Not exactly reassuring considering Pineiro has been anything but fine in the cold this season.

Considering Pineiro is a rookie in the league, he’s still growing as a player. A big part of that growth is from a mental standpoint. For a kicker, that means dealing with the highs — like a game-winning field goal against the Broncos — and the lows — missing a last-second game-winning field goal against the Chargers.

“I think I’ve gotten mentally stronger,” Pineiro said. “It’s all a learning experience.”

Pineiro’s next test comes in the Bears’ biggest game of the season — a divisional showdown against the hated Packers with playoff hopes on the line. So, no pressure or anything.

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4 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 15 matchup vs. Packers

Bears vs. Packers is always different. Anything can happen, including these four bold predictions.

The Chicago Bears (7-6) are riding a three-game winning streak and, most importantly, confidence heading into Sunday’s game against rivals Green Bay Packers (10-3) at Lambeau Field.

While things didn’t go as planned in the season opener, where the Packers squeaked out a 10-3 win, this time the Bears are ready to face their foes with playoff aspirations on the line.

Bears-Packers is always different. Anything can happen, including these four bold predictions.

1. Leonard Floyd will record 2 sacks

No one likes playing the Packers more than linebacker Leonard Floyd, who in 5 games against Green Bay has logged 7.5 sacks. In three of those games, Floyd registered 2 sacks.

While Floyd hasn’t lived up to expectations as an edge rusher opposite Khalil Mack, he does always manage to show up against the Packers — that is, when he’s healthy. In the season opener, Floyd accounted for 2 of the Bears’ 5 sacks of Aaron Rodgers. Chicago’s defense managed to contain Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, giving up just one touchdown.

The Bears will need Floyd, who has 4.5 sacks in the last two games against Green Bay, to, once again show up against the Packers with Chicago’s season on the line. And while I wouldn’t bet on Floyd’s long-term future with the Bears, I will be on Floyd getting after Rodgers on Sunday.

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3 key matchups ahead of Bears vs. Packers in Week 15

Ahead of Sunday’s Bears-Packers game, here are some matchups to watch as the two NFC North rivals square off for the 2nd time this season.

Arguably no two teams in the NFL know each other better than the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The league’s oldest rivalry adds another chapter to its storied history on Sunday when the Bears travel north to take on the NFC North division leaders in a pivotal game for both teams.

The Bears are on life support when it comes to their postseason hopes, sitting at a 2% chance to make the playoffs heading into Week 15. They’ll need to win and get some help from other teams to improve their chances.

The Packers, on the other hand, are knocking at the door when it comes to the playoffs. They’ll clinch a playoff berth with a win and a Los Angeles Rams loss when they take on the Dallas Cowboys.

Despite the Packers’ better record of 10-3, this game will likely be close, as the 7-6 Bears are riding a three-game winning streak. Look for a few key matchups that may decide the game for either team.

1. Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski vs. Packers RB Aaron Jones

Jones has been the catalyst for the Green Bay offense in 2019, accumulating over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and scoring 15 total touchdowns. He’s been the Packers’ most dangerous weapon this season, meaning the Bears linebackers are going to have a tall task ahead of them on Sunday.

With starting linebackers Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan both out with injuries, that responsibility falls to Kwiatkoski. The fourth-year pro has been superb in relief of Trevathan, playing excellent run defense and improving in pass coverage. Now, he faces another big test against Jones without Smith by his side. Can “Kwit” slow down Jones both in the running and passing game?

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Bears open as 4.5-point underdogs vs. Packers in Week 15

The Bears will travel to Lambeau Field to take on their division foes the Packers, and they’ve opened as 4.5-point underdogs in Week 15.

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The Chicago Bears (7-6) are riding a three-game winning streak — and a ton of confidence on offense — heading into an NFC North showdown against their arch rivals Green Bay Packers (10-3).

With the Bears very much “in the hunt” for a Wild Card berth, they essentially need to win out in their final three games, and that starts with getting a win against Green Bay.

The Bears will be facing a Packers team in firm control of their destiny as division leaders in the NFC North. They’ve won three of their last four games with their only loss coming to NFC powerhouse San Francisco.

The last time these two teams met, it was a close affair throughout, which ended in a 10-3 Packers victory. But these aren’t the same teams that faced each other 14 weeks ago.

Even though the Bears have been playing their best football of the season, Vegas still isn’t as confident in Chicago’s chances against rival Green Bay.

The Bears have opened as 4.5-point underdogs against the Packers, according to BetMGM.

Chicago will be looking for redemption following a season-opening loss to Green Bay, although they’ll have to travel to Lambeau Field to do just that. The Bears have won four of their last five games and will be looking to take down their rivals in enemy territory.

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