Bears vs. Packers: Three Bold Predictions for Saturday Night’s NFC Playoff Duel

The NFC North rivals will face off in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Saturday night.

The Bears will host the Packers on Saturday night. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025-26 NFL playoffs are officially here.

On Saturday night in Chicago, the Bears will welcome their division rival Packers to Soldier Field for a for a wild card matchup with a chance to advance to the divisional round on the line.

Green Bay comes into this one as the NFC’s No. 7 seed, having finished the 2025 season with a 9–7–1 record and earning the conference’s final wild card spot. Unfortunately, they've lost four straight games to close out the campaign and are on a downward trajectory heading into the playoffs.

The Bears, meanwhile, won the NFC North for the first time since 2020, finishing the regular season with an 11–6 record. Led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams took a significant year-two leap, and Chicago’s rushing attack has been top-notch. Still, the Bears enter the postseason with some questions, having closed out the year on a two-game losing streak with defeats to the 49ers and Lions.

We’re in for a classic showdown between two familiar foes to close out Saturday of wild card weekend. Here are three bold predictions for Bears vs. Packers.

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Jordan Love will play turnover-free in return to Packers lineup

Jordan Love has continued to show why he was a first-round pick. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Jordan Love put together a solid third season as the Packers’ starting quarterback, throwing for 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Additionally, he set a career high with a 66.3% completion percentage, and ranked among the league’s best in efficiency, finishing third in QBR (73.1) and sixth in passer rating (101.2).

What Love also did in 2025 is throw just six interceptions, good for a career-low in interception rate at just 1.4%—and notable given the defense he’s about to go up against on Saturday night.

The Bears' defense was one of the more opportunistic in football this season, leading the NFL with 33 total turnovers—22 interceptions, 10 fumbles—despite being towards the bottom-half of the league in both points (24.4) and yards (361.8) allowed per game.

If Love can play turnover-free football against Chicago, it will bode very well for his team’s chances of winning—and that’s exactly what I’m predicting he’ll do on Saturday night.

Bears will rush for less than 100 total yards

D'Andre Swift has led the Bears' dominant running game all season long. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The Bears have been among the league's top rushing attacks throughout the 2025 regular season, rushing for 144.5 yards per game (third in the NFL) and 4.9 yards per attempt (also third). Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monongai each ran for 750-plus yards while averaging more than 4.5 yards per attempt, while Caleb Williams benefited as well—adding 388 yards and three rushing touchdowns of his own.

Against the Packers on Saturday night, however, I think Chicago will meet their match. Sure, Green Bay just allowed Derrick Henry and the Ravens to run for 307 yards and four touchdowns on them two weeks ago—but a) these are bold predictions for a reason and b) it’s the playoffs, anything can happen.

That’s why I’m predicting the Packers’ middle-of-the-pack run defense (117.7 yards allowed per game) to stifle the Bears to the tune of fewer than 100 rushing yards.

Packers will take down the Bears in another instant classic, returning to divisional round for first time since 2023

The Packers haven't been to the divisional round since 2023. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The previous two Packers vs. Bears games this year have been all-timers, with Green Bay winning the first on a last-minute Keisean Nixon interception and Chicago responding in the rematch with a game-winning Caleb Williams touchdown pass to D.J. Moore in overtime.

With the season series split—and each matchup having been defined by a single play—Saturday’s third meeting feels primed to go down to the wire as well. In this one, I’m giving the edge to Green Bay, 27–24, in another instant classic that sends the Packers back to the divisional round for the first time since 2023.

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