This team has faced it's share of prove-it games, and so far the ledger's tipped towards them showing up and out.

Dust off that pre-Parsons scheme and game plan Hafley, and turn the dogs loose.

This game's outcome is too critical in the process of getting a ticket to the dance to be conservative.

"who knows? Maybe something special is brewing in that locker room"
I don't know why, Ken, but I woke up this morning thinking the same thing.
I've seen a number of interviews with coaches over the past few days and they seemed very confident with MLF and Hafley almost having that "Cat that swallowed the Canary" look at times.
I keep checking their roster moves to see if they've found another Reggie White, Sterling Sharpe, and Charles Woodson somewhere, and maybe they have but they just ain't talkin'! Has anyone heard anything about Cox, Oliver, or maybe Baryn Sorrel?
Whatever they have up their sleeves I don't know, and to some degree don't care, but its great to see that kind of confidence and hoping that it transfers to the players and the field.
There'd be nothing better that showing Ben Johnson what its like to 'Lose' to Matt LaFleur twice a year

I believe the line changed to Bears by 1.5.

The Bears D has been opportunistic but if they don't get a TO they give up a lot of points. Don't turn the ball over and you should have success moving the ball against them.

I place my bet on Edgerrin Cooper--he is incredibly athletic and instinctive. He will become a household name this Saturday. He will defintely do his best but the other guys need to show up too-Cox and Sorrell.

" The latest line has them at minus 1.5 points. What do the wise guys know that we don’t know? "

The public tends to overreact to injuries. I have seen very few non-QBs move a line more than a point. Parson's is a great player but when handicapping he probably only moves the line about half a point. That isn't to say he isn't a great player but if you took the average of a 1000 simulations of the game after his loss the average point loss is less than most fans who don't look at probabilities would think. Trent Williams has been the only non-QB who gets injured that actually moves the line more than a point, he was 1.5 to 2 points in recent years. 49ers where a different team without him. Miles Garrett might be another, hasn't missed enough time for me to ever handicap it. Sorry to the WR fans who think they are game changers, losing Chase was less than a .5 point. They are easier to mask and replace than most fans think.

With that said the Bears line did get slammed to where they are now -1.5. Someone with lots of cash and the respect of the Casinos hit that line hard to make it switch sides. IMO this isn't a game you bet, too much of a coin flip.

I agree it’s time for the offense to play a mistake free game. The defense will give us a chance to stay in the game. We need time consuming drives, that did not happen two weeks ago. Yes, it’s great to score fast, but let’s keep the Bears defense on the field longer, Go Pack Go !!!

The line is pretty noncommittal in reality anyway. Time for the coaches to show what they’re made of, but in any case, the Packers health is so opaque that it could be a big factor among those active, hardly noticeable or anywhere in between.

I don’t expect much blitzing in this game with or without Parsons out. Hafley will probably focus on containment, using Quay or Coop as a spy to limit his ground game. The plan would be not just containment but also making sure he can’t roll out to his right. Two years of data show that Caleb struggles with accuracy when scrambling, so hopefully he’s not as sharp as he was in the first game. One area he is very good at is 10+ yards over the middle. We must concentrate on that area as well. I believe that will be partially Hobbs responsibility. This approach should also make our run defense more effective, which I see as another key to the game—stopping the run.

On offense, I’m not against taking a conservative approach, though definitions may vary. I see a run-heavy game plan as the key to opening up the passing game, rather than the reverse as some suggest. Running the ball helps limit exposure to the Bears’ ball-hawking secondary. Mixing in more play action to find open receivers makes sense to me. And if they switch to a single high safety and give us one-on-one opportunities, then by all means, take the shot. In order to win the North, this is truly a must win game!

"Maybe something special is brewing in that locker room. Maybe these guys are tired of hearing they are toast without Micah Parsons. Maybe they have something to prove."

The Packers need to play with a sense of urgency and the coaching staff can't wait for new player groupings and tendencies to gel...they'll need to force the issue. Three games to go--they need to win two to lock up a postseason berth on their own, but that magic number drops with every Detroit loss, too. Philly is the question mark, but it's looking more and more like a WC round rematch with the Bears is lurking on the horizon.

I was also surprised that the Packers were favored in this game, and I'm not surprised that it caused a lot of people to bet on the Bears, so they are now favored.

No mention of Zach Tom being hurt. His loss in the Denver game was a killer, and he probably won't play in this game. But at least they can prepare for his absence this time.

I don't think this is a good game to do a lot of blitzing. Williams is just the kind of QB who can evade blitzers and run or throw for big gains when they go past him. And he's not the kind of QB who's going to sit in the pocket and carve up a defense, especially with his two best receivers not playing. Of course there needs to be some pressure, but choose your spots carefully for blitzing.

Ordinarily would like to see the run game to open the pass vs the bares.

My gut now tells me to pass to open up the run. Need first downs and long scoring drives and keep the Defense on the sideline and fresh for the 2nd half.

I'm hoping that Micah's time with the Packers is having a good effect on raising up the play of our other defenders -- not only with techniques and tricks of the trade, but with instilling the relentlessness that Micah exhibits so profoundly.
Being around the greatness of Micah may rub off on his teammates.
It's not that the other defenders on the Packers should try to be exactly like Micah, but that perhaps they can learn a thing or two tactically, while also taking away a sense of the effort that is required for greatness.
While Micah was in the game against the Broncos, I had the impression that Nix was always aware that Micah was probably on pace to track him down on any given drop back, and that Nix was a little more in a hurry as a result, and so not as effective.

After watching the Seahawks/Rams last night, I feel better about the Packers. These guys make plenty of mistakes.

They also score points, and we're at that point in the year where the best teams score points, even without key people (like Davante Adams, last night, for LA). The Packers offense needs to score points . We scored 28 on Chicago two weeks ago, and we need to improve on that. From here on out, weak offensive outputs will either cost us the division title or a playoff spot altogether.

Just move the chains…all night..long drives…defense can’t get gassed like the first Bears game…

Seriously think Cox could impact this game. He was coming on big at the end of last year and has been champing at the bit all 2025. He knows this is his opportunity.