Where Real Trouble Exists for Bears

Several Packers pose extremely difficult matchup issues for the Bears, and with Aaron Rodgers gone it's going to start with the running backs.

Like any coach, Matt Eberflus looks at football through matchups and game plans.

"We just have to figure out what's best for us this week and it certainly can change week to week for sure," the Bears coach said.

They're as familiar or even more familiar with matchups against the Green Bay Packers than other opponents, even now in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. After eight straight losses, two last year under Eberflus, the Bears know who to worry about on the Green Bay side and who they can try to attack.

It wasn't always Rodgers making every play. He had help and they're still around or there are new players.

Here are areas where the Bears have personnel matchup problems going against the Packer, ranked in order.

1. RB Aaron Jones

Coach Matt LaFleur is a ball-control guy who wants to run it and will do it now more than when Rodgers was with the team. Expect something like the Bears saw in the second game last year, when the Packers went to the ground game to rally from a 19-10 deficit. Jones isn't the biggest back in the league at 208 pounds but finished eighth in yards after contact. Jones' versatility has been a great problem for the bears with 4.83 yards per rush, six rushing TDs and 22 receptions for 169 yards and three TDs in games against Chicago. Although he hasn't hit them with a huge number and has rushed for over 100 yards only once, he has been a consistent gainer. The best thing the Bears did to cope with Green Bay's running backs in the off-season was sign two linebackers who cover well against the pass and defend the run well. Weakside linebacker T.J. Edwards is ideally suited to play Jones tough but saying it and doing it are different things.

2. RB AJ Dillon

The one-two punch really does exist with the Packers, and with Jordan Love's lack of experience at quarterback and a healthy offensive line look for them to lean heavily on their ground game or screen game to backs. The 6-foot, 247-pound monster back has had 284 yards on 62 carries, an average of 4.58 per rush, in his last four games against the Bears. He hasn't had a 100-yard game but produces nonetheless and ran for 93 last year in the second game. He'll test the Bears linebackers, strongside Jack Sanborn as well as Edmunds and Edwards. And safety Jaquan Brisker won't be spared trying to tackle Dillon in open field.

3. OLB Preston Smith

He has been a constant pain to the Bears since joining the Packers. Smith has 6 1/2 sacks, five tackles for loss from 2019-22. Can Braxton Jones handle his rush this year better than last year? Smith had two sacks against the Bears last season.

4. DE Kenny Clark 

Clark's impact often can't be measured in statistics but even at a position where he's playing as a two-gapper the 6-foot-3, 314-pounder occasionally attacks the way Akiem Hicks used to do in the old Bears 3-4. It causes problems. Clark has 4 1/2 of his 26 1/2 career sacks and seven tackles for loss against the Bears. He has jammed up countless Bears rushing attempts since coming into the league in 2016. Most often he'll be matching up with Nate Davis, whose strength is blocking the run and movement in the wide zone but not necessarily pass blocking.

5. CB Jaire Alexander

After learning the ropes in 2018 as a rookie, Alexander hasn't had a passer rating against higher than 84.8 for any season. Last year he had a career-best 63.7 passer rating against and has been the Green Bay lockdown cornerrback. He'll be matching up with DJ Moore. Alexander picked off Justin Fields in both of last year's games and has three interceptions overall against the Bears in his five-year career. Could Moore be tough to stop for the Packers' coverage ace? Moore has faced Green Bay only twice and not at all since 2020.

6. WR Christian Watson

With Watson, the real Bears matchup issue is speed. He's the biggest Packers deep threat, but even with Rodgers on the team still had just 41 receptions last year as a rookie while making the transition from FCS school North Dakota State to the NFL. At 6-5, 200 but with 4.6 speed, Jaylon Johnson could have difficulty keeping up with him. In this Packers offense, Watson can line up across the formation much like in the Bears offense with Moore. Last year Watson had six catches for 57 yards against the Bears. What was interesting about Watson was he hadn't done much until Week 10 as a rookie, then went over three receptions for the first time. He also hadn't caught a TD pass until then but a three-TD game against Dallas triggered seven TDs in four weeks. But then he didn't get in the end zone any of the final four weeks.

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