Bear Digest

Bears feeling confidence they've lacked so often against Packers

Caleb Williams and Grady Jarrett both see a Bears team mentally prepared to knock off Green Bay en route to winning an NFC North title.
Gene Chamberlain|
The first Bears-Packers game ended like this, with Caleb Williams throwing an interception.
The first Bears-Packers game ended like this, with Caleb Williams throwing an interception. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears don't want to see this opportunity for an NFC North title go up in smoke.

The goals are clear as they prepare for a rematch with Green Bay.

"There doesn't need to be much of a message here this week,” coach Ben Johnson said. “They know. They know what's at stake."

The first game set the tone for the Bears, especially a second half when they outsored the Packers but couldn’t land the knock blow when Caleb Williams threw the end zone interception.

“Even DJ (Moore) said it after the game, we feel as if we let them off the hook,” Williams said. “Part of that was us starting slow. Part of that was, the explosive plays and allowing something that we've been pretty good at so far this year on all sides of the ball.

“We want to go out there and play our brand of football and that gives us the best shot to go win the game. That's starting fast, playing physical, executing plays the way that we know we can pm offense, defense and special teams. Like I said, we're excited to go showcase that.”

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett sees a team focused entirely on something the younger Bears and even many of the veterans have never experienced, and that's beating Green Bay in a big-game setting.

For years, the Bears have been watching the Packers or Vikings—and the last few years Detroit—prevail in the big prime-time matchups at season's end. Most Bears seasons ended quietly or with firings, but Jarrett says there is a mindset they all need and he had a message for younger players.

“I think just believing that we built for this moment and getting back to the basics, especially late in the season," Jarrett said. "Knowing we don't have to reinvent the wheel and really just trust our training, the way we train.

"We definitely have built our body and minds to be able to really thrive in this position whether guys know it or not, and we've really been pushed and tested for times like this, and I think we'll be ready to go and do what we need to do.”

The chief defensive aim is simple and is based on what happened in the 28-21 loss at Lambeau Field.

“I think we just have to cut out the big plays," Jarrett said. "And, just knowing that every play counts.

"It comes down to a couple plays in a game when you are playing with two top teams. We can't make as many mistakes. Whether it's executing on defense, or turnover here or not getting the turnover here, we have to be on our P's and Q's. That's one of the biggest lessons that we had to learn the hard way the first time out there."

Bears give up more passing TDs than all but four other teams and only six teams have allowed more than the Bears' 6.6 net yards per pass attempt. They've allowed more yards per rushing attempt (5.0) than all but three teams.

In the last Packers game, three longer TD passes and one 21-yard run combined to ruin what shaped up as a possible upset win.

They've compensated for the big plays in many respects with a league-high 30 takeaways, but had only one turnover in the loss at Green Bay.

"It's no secret, we all know it's at stake, from every aspect of meaningful football games," Jarrett said. "So, it's an exciting time to be playing meaningful football in December against an opponent like this and a rivalry like this. And I mean, you can't ask for a better game to be a part of.”

Some of the past Bears teams who had a chance to end Green Bay dominance were lacking the confidence they could do it. This doesn’t seem the case with these Bears and particularly with Williams. It’s why he has quickly moved on from the game-deciding interception in the first game.

‘I think all quarterbacks have a little bit of an arrogant confidence about themselves,” Williams said. “Because when everything's going wrong it's all them, and when everything's going right.

“I think I have a little bit of that in me. My confidence is always strong. I believe in myself, I believe in who I am, I believe in how I work and all these different things. Then having the group around me only strengthens that for me. It's always strength in numbers, it's always one, it's always us. With that being said, my confidence has grown and it's going to be through the roof.”

 It will need to because even without injured Micah Parsons, the Packers can have nothing but confidence themselves after beating the Bears all but one time since the last Chicago NFC North title in 2018.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.