Bear Digest

Grady Jarrett and Bears call on fans to give Packers a cold reception

Grady Jarrett wants to hear a popular chant while Bears coach Ben Johnson hopes fans Saturday night will be even louder than at last week's game in the Soldier Field ice box.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears fans braving the cold last week at Soldier Field to get loud impressed Ben Johnson and players.
Bears fans braving the cold last week at Soldier Field to get loud impressed Ben Johnson and players. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett wouldn't mind hearing Bears fans chanting at Saturday night's showdown with Green Bay.

It's the chant that pops up spontaneously all around Chicago, whether at sporting events that have nothing to do with football or even at college football games and definitely at Bears games. You know the one. It's simply "Green Bay sucks eggs," except without the eggs.

“Show up and show out, show up and show out," Jarrett said. "This needs to be the loudest game we’ve had all season. They need to rock that stadium; Soldier Field needs to be shaking.

"We know the chants, they like the chant, and we are going to make them happyand give them something to chant about. We’re going to go put up a good showing for them.”

The chant was heard at Soldier Field briefly Sunday after the Bears turned the game with the Browns into a rout. Coach Ben Johnson isn't so much concerned with chanting as with noise at the right time.

"We're going to need them out in full force," Johnson said. "There's  no question that they can impact the game, they did last week. It's shocking to me that in such a cold game, I almost felt them more last week than I did earlier in the season.

"That was so encouraging to see. I know our guys fed off of it. Multiple guys made comments after the game. We're going to need that here going forward."

Expect the Bear-Raid siren in its full glory. Maybe they'll even invite those four pigeon back who kept landing on the field last week, seemed to get dangerously close to the action at times and amused the crowd.

High-stakes game

The Bears can get a home playoff game by securing the NFC North title. At this point, it would look like they're trying to be the second seed, unless something strange happens to the Rams and Seahawks in the NFC West.

If they do win, they would win the NFC North with a Lions loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The stakes are high here, though, because they could easily slide back into a position where the final game with Detroit is for a wild-card berth. All it would take is losses to the Packers and 49ers and wins by the Lions over the Steelers and Vikings.

If they do eventually win the division and secure a home playoff game, they could wind up facing the Packers again as second seed-seventh seed in the playoffs. If the Bears lose, they could still wind up facing the Packers again in the playoffs but at Lambeau Field.

The Packers haven't lost a game in the NFC North this season and they close against the Vikings on the road. Their other game is with Baltimore.

If stakes like that don't bring out the roar from a cold bunch of Chicagoans, quarterback Caleb Williams spelled out more clearly what's needed from fans.

“I hope to help keep bringing that excitement to this organization, to Chicago," Caleb Williams said. "Then on game days, they're monumental for us and we want them to be here.

"We want them to support, we want them to travel well with us. We want them to be  proud to be a Chicago Bears fan, that's really it.”

The Bears will need any bit of support they can muster after six straight losses at Soldier Field to the Packers, and 14 losses to them there in the last 15 games.

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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.