Sunday was the 211th meeting between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, and it held a magnitude and an importance the rivalry hasn’t seen since week 17 of 2013. Like that game 12 years ago, Sunday’s game was for sole possession of first place in the NFC North with four games left in the regular season.

​With the temperatures in the single digits, and on FOX as America’s Game of the Week, it felt like a glimpse into January playoff football.

​It was a tale of two halves for the Bears, who, in the first half, looked like they didn’t come ready to play. Chicago’s offense had just 71 yards of offense with three points and was 1-for-7 on third down.

​As for the Packers, they gave Bears fans moments of PTSD with the explosive plays. Seeing Green Bay quarterback launch a ball with his back foot, hanging in the air, wondering which receiver was going to make the catch, and Lambeau Leap after the touchdown, has happened far too many times in the last 30 years.

​The game was physical, and at times, players barked at each other, not wanting to let go of one another’s jerseys, everything you’d expect in the NFL’s oldest rivalry, but in the end, the Packers did enough to come away with the 28-21 win, taking first place in the NFC North.

​But the rivalry is back, back to a heavyweight fight, and it retakes place in 13 days for part two at Soldier Field.

​Stopping the Packers’ offense

​The Packers had eight offensive drives on Sunday, four of which ended in touchdowns. It was a scoreless first quarter, but the game opened up in the second.

​Green Bay’s opening drive of the second quarter started on Chicago’s 11-yard line and went 80 yards in 5 minutes and 50 seconds. It ended with a Jordan Love 23-yard pass to Christian Watson for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

​In their second possession just before halftime, a Cairo Santos kickoff that failed to land in the target zone gave Green Bay the ball at the 40-yard line. Four plays later, the Packers went for a 45-yard shot to the end zone on a busted Chicago coverage, resulting in a Bo Melton touchdown, as the Packers took the 14-3 lead into halftime.

​The Packers’ third touchdown of the game came on their second series of the third quarter, and it was another big play. It was a four-play drive that ended with a third-and-three quick slant that once again Watson took to the end zone, outrunning C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

​Two of the three big play touchdowns came on third down, where Chicago played cover 1 and blitzed Love. His yards per play attempt lead the NFL on third down at 9.4 and also leads the league in 15+ yard completions on third down.

​It’s no excuse, but Chicago has been down defensively all season, and they took another hit before the game. Defensive back Kyler Gordon reinjured his groin and was ruled out, along with CB Tyrique Stevenson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

​Pass rush woes continue

​Chicago’s pass rush has been ineffective all season, despite lead pass rusher Montez Sweat having his best full season so far since arriving in Chicago at the deadline in 2023, with 8.5 sacks this season.

​At the moment, the Bears rank 25th in the league in sacks with 24. Last season, Chicago had 40 through 17 games, and with four games left in the regular season, they are not projected to close to that total.

​Chicago has had five games this season with zero sacks, and in the last four games, the Bears have totaled three sacks.

​They rank 29th in QB knockdowns at just 6.3% and 28th in hurries at 5.5%. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has used the blitz 110 times this season, at 25%, which ranks 16th in the NFL as an alternative to the lack of pressure.

​Earlier in the season, coach Ben Johnson, when asked how the pass rush could improve, said that it’s important for the players to win their one-on-one matchups. As a team, the Bears have a 29% pass-rush win rate, ranking 31st in the NFL, and a 29% rush-stop win rate, ranking 27th in the NFL.

​Sunday showed that Chicago, with Allen, lives and dies with the blitz, especially in bigger situations like third-and-fourth down. Chicago thus far this season ranks fifth in the NFL with a 44% blitz rate on third down and 45% on fourth down, according to Statmuse.com.

​The blitz does its job for the most part, as Chicago ranks 15th in the league in opponents’ third-down conversion rate at 38.72%. Still, Green Bay converted 8 of 12 third downs (66%), and in the last three games, Chicago’s defense has allowed opponents to convert at 52.63%, according to Teamrankings.com.

​Second half adjustments

​There has been plenty of time for Chicago to have left Green Bay defeated, been embarrassed on national television, given up 55 points in a game, or blown a halftime lead. Trialing 14-3 at halftime, it felt that way, but a key three-and-out in Green Bay’s first possession of the third quarter was the first step.

​Williams and the offense orchestrated a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a Williams pass to Zaccheus and Chicago’s first successful two-point conversion of the season.

​Williams to start the second half, went 7-for-8 with 77 yards and a touchdown pass, and Chicago went back to controlling the clock and running the ball behind the offensive line.

​Johnson featured play-action, getting Williams to roll out of the pocket, on the move, finding his receivers, and avoiding Micah Parsons and the Packers’ pass rush.

​In the fourth quarter, Chicago, trailing 21-14, went on a 17-play, 83-yard rush that took up 8:32 and ended with a pass from Williams to Colston Loveland to tie the game.

​Following the loss, Williams emphasized the need to start faster at the beginning of the game. Offensively, Chicago has yet to really play four quarters of football, moving the ball and scoring on possessions.

​Next Sunday, in possibly even more frigid temperatures, against the Cleveland Browns at home, it won’t be an easy test either, going up against the NFL’s best in Myles Garrett and the Browns’ defense.