No. 1 and trying harder — Bears still have respect to earn vs. Packers

When the 1985 Bears established themselves as Super Bowl favorites with a stunning 44-0 rout of the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Week 11 — the Cowboys were two-point favorites, believe it or not — the eyes of the NFL were on them like never before. The 11-0 Bears were 16-point favorites against the Falcons the following week at Soldier Field and had that spread covered by halftime in a 36-0 rout. 

The 2025 Bears are not the ’85 Bears, but as statement-game follow-ups go, their challenge after getting the NFL’s attention like never before this season after a 24-15 upset of the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field is a little more difficult Sunday. The Bears (9-3) are 6 1/2-point underdogs against the Packers (8-3-1) at Lambeau Field, with first place in the NFC North at stake. 

Though little has changed in the 10 days between games — the Bears won’t have wide receiver Rome Odunze, who is out with a foot injury, but are expected to re-gain linebacker T.J. Edwards — the dynamic changes significantly following the Eagles game. The Bears are the No. 1 seed in the NFL with five weeks to go. They earned well-deserved respect not only for beating the Eagles on the road on a short week, but for the way they did it — with 281 rushing yards and a dominant advantage in time of possession. This was no fluke. 

“They had two guys go over 100 yards in an NFL game, that’s pretty rare,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told Packers reporters this week when asked about the Bears’ running back tandem of D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai. “It’s a credit to everybody. Their offensive line, they’ve added some pieces up front. Those tight ends, they block their ass off. And the receivers get involved in the run game as well. It’s gonna be a great challenge because they’re the best in the league right now at doing it.” 

(But while the Bears surely have the league’s attention after beating the Eagles, the public and media not so much. The Bears are eighth in ESPN’s latest power rankings — sixth among NFC teams behind the Rams (9-3), Seahawks (9-3), Packers (8-3-1), Eagles (8-4) and 49ers (9-4). The odds to win the Super Bowl dropped to 25-1 on FanDuel, but that’s still only seventh among NFC teams. 

And at +6 1/2 points against the Packers on Sunday, they are the biggest underdog for a team with the No. 1 seed this late in the season since 2014, when the Cardinals were nine-point dogs against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks at home — with Ryan Lindley starting at quarterback off the practice squad in place of injured starter Carson Palmer.)

So coming off the upset of the Eagles, the final five games will be a test of the Bears’ playoff mettle because not only are four games against playoff contenders (the Packers home and away, the 49ers on the road and the Lions at Soldier Field), but they’ll be getting everyone’s best shot. For most of the season, the Bears have been a notably improved team. Now they’re a threat. 

The Bears will be on a trajectory towards contention in the NFC win or lose Sunday, but this game will be as defining if not more defining than the Eagles game. You have to win back-to-back games against playoff teams to win in the postseason, and this is a well-timed simulation. The Bears haven’t beaten back-to-back playoff teams in the regular season since 2006, when they beat the Giants and Jets at the Meadowlands in Weeks 10-11. Since then, they’ve faced eventual playoff teams in back-to-back games 46 times without winning both. 

The Packers are a fitting proving ground, of course. In 2018, the Bears made their biggest statement with a 15-6 victory over the 11-1 Rams at Soldier Field. The following week, they beat the Packers 24-17 at Soldier Field to clinch the NFC North title. That’s the last time they took the North. 

That Packers team was 5-7-1 with a gimpy Aaron Rodgers. This Packers team is 8-3-1, at home and surely fired up to put Ben Johnson in his place after he taunted LaFleur in Johnson’s introductory press conference. It’s a chance for Johnson and the Bears to take their biggest step yet. 

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