GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers return from their bye week with a visit to Chicago to face the Bears on Sunday.
Matt LaFleur is 10-0 against the Bears since he became Packers Head Coach. The Bears haven’t beaten the Packers since 2018. That 10-game winning streak in the series ties the record set by the 1990s Packers.
Despite their 4-5 record and current three game losing streak, the Bears’ defense has the attention of LaFleur.
“I think this is a really solid, sound defense,” LaFleur said. “It’s been tough to go against. You can tell that they’re an effort-based unit. I mean, it shows up all over the tape. Their style of play is exactly what you want. When you combine that with really good players, you usually get a really good defense. And that’s exactly who they are. They’ve done a great job of taking the ball away. Also situational ball, third down and the red zone, they’re one of the best in the league in those two areas. So it’s a really good challenge for us.”
Former Jets Head Coach and current Packers consultant Robert Saleh was once again at Packers practice Wednesday.
Perhaps no one needed the bye week more physically than Jordan Love. The Packers quarterback said the time away had other benefits, too.
“The mental reset is huge,” Love said. “Be able to get a week off, get a break. What we do here is the same thing every week, just in this thing grinding, taking it one day at a time. So just getting a break from that.”
“I think it is good for anybody,” echoed Packers receiver Christian Watson. “Get your legs back a little bit; give the mind a little bit of time to rest.”
A rivalry game after a rest is exciting for the team.
Packers receiver Jayden Reed knows all about the Packers-Bears rivalry.
Reed grew up in the Chicago area and said about 15 family members and friends have requested tickets from him.
His first NFL road game last season was in Chicago.
“It’s a fun game to play,” Reed said. “Every time we play, especially divisional opponent.”