The Bears rank 13th in the league in total yards allowed, but only 24th against the run. Over the last three games, the defense has allowed 168, 213 and 144 yards on the ground, three of its four highest totals of the season. On Sunday, the unit hopes to limit yardage on first and second downs to put Love and the Packers in predictable passing situations. Green Bay ranks 10th in the NFL with an average of 5.95 yards on first down plays.
“This offense did a really good job on early downs,” Washington said. “They have, in my opinion, the fewest number of third-and-seven-plus scenarios in the league. That speaks to what they were able to do on first down as far as running, play-action passing, and the ability to protect the quarterback and stay out of negative plays.
“Sometimes they miss third down because they’re so good on first down. They make the first down, the second down, the first down is manageable for an offense and rather difficult to defend as a defense.”
(2) Get the offense back on track.
After scoring five touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since 1956, the Bears scored two touchdowns against the Commanders and were held out of the end zone in each of their last two games against the Cardinals and Patriots.
Thomas Brown takes over as offensive coordinator this week to get the unit back to form. One of Brown's main tasks will be working with the rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft posted passer ratings of 106, 126.2 and 124.4 in three straight wins, but has since posted ratings of 59.5, 68.9 and 63.2.
Brown spoke with Williams this week about aspects of his game that he can improve.
“It was all a positive conversation,” Brown said. “He was open to it. He talked about what he can improve and make better for our offense. Obviously quarterback is the most difficult position, so we have to be better around him. But it also starts with how we train, how we are more detailed, more demanding.”
Williams would undoubtedly benefit from a productive running attack. After gaining 131, 128, 152 and 202 yards on the ground in their last four games, the Bears managed 69 and 73 yards, respectively, in their last two games. running back D'Andre Swift ranks 18th in the NFL with 564 yards and four touchdowns on 141 carries.
The Bears must continue to protect the ball. They have only committed two turnovers in the last six games, none of which came in the last two games. Meanwhile, the Packers rank second in the league with 19 takeaways, having had 18 all of last season. But Green Bay has recorded just two takeaways in its last three games after scoring 17 in its first six contests. Safety Xavier McKinney is tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions.
(3) Create pressure on the quarterback.
In seven starts this season, Love has rushed for 1,820 yards and 15 touchdowns. But the fifth-year pro has also thrown 10 interceptions, which is the most in the NFL, with at least one pick in every game he has played. He's being intercepted a lot more this year (4.2%) than last year (1.9%), when he threw for 32 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in all 17 games.
The Bears will counter with a defense that allowed six touchdown passes this season, the fewest in the league, and posted the second-lowest opposing passer rating (77.4). Additionally, the unit leads the NFL with a red zone touchdown percentage of 37.0 after allowing 10 touchdowns in 27 appearances inside the 20.
Eberflus delivered some good news on Friday when he revealed this top pass rusher Montez sweat is expected to play Sunday although he is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. But it won't be easy for the Bears to generate pressure against a Packers offense that has allowed just 12 sacks this season, the lowest in the league.