Packers vs. Bears: 7 things to know about Green Bay's Week 14 opponent

The Green Bay Packers will attempt to take control of the NFC North when the Chicago Bears visit Lambeau Field in Week 14. The Bears are 9-3, in the division lead and holders of the No. 1 seed in the NFC after winning five straight games and nine of the last 10. The Packers and Bears will face off twice in the next three weeks, providing an opportunity for both teams to become the clear-cut favorite in the division and possibly even the conference.

The Packers and Bears split the series last year, with each team winning a game on the road. Matt LaFleur's team got a blocked field goal at the buzzer to survive in Chicago, and the Bears repaid the favor with a game-winning field goal at Lambeau Field in the regular season finale.

Here's a closer look at the Bears entering Week 14:

Last week

The Bears produced their best win of the season in Week 13 by going into Philadelphia on Black Friday and stomping the defending Super Bowl champions. Chicago rushed for an incredible 281 yards -- including 100-yard performances from both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai -- and held the Eagles to just nine points until a garbage time touchdown. While Caleb Williams completed only 17 of 36 passes, the Bears delivered two takeaways, and the offense drove 87 yards for a touchdown to end the third quarter and 63 yards for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter -- turning a 10-9 game into a commanding 24-9 lead. The Bears possessed the football for almost 40 minutes of game time and converted 10 third downs. The finish for Chicago was a dominant on the road.

Newcomers

First-year head coach Ben Johnson has helped transform the franchise, but he hasn't done it alone. The roster is simply more talented. The Bears rebuilt the offensive line, acquiring guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and guard Jonah Jackson in the veteran market and drafting Ozzy Trapilo -- who started at left tackle last week -- in the second round. The offense also added contributing playmakers in first-round pick Colston Loveland, second-round pick Luther Burden III and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai. Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and tight end Durham Smythe are also important role players on offense. Defensively, the big addition was defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, the former Falcon. The Bears are also getting production from cornerback Nahshon Wright, veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and edge rusher Joe Tyon-Shoyinka. Former Raven Devin Duvernay returns kicks and punts.

Quarterback play

Caleb Williams is a gifted second-year quarterback who flashes big-time things but also struggles with down to down consistency. Among the 42 quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks this season, Williams ranks 40th in both completion percentage at 58.1 and adjusted completion percentage at 69.6, 22nd in yards per attempt at 6.9 and 23rd in passer rating at 88.6. His arm talent allows him to make any throw on the field, and he has the creativity to throw from multiple arm angles and platforms whether he's in the pocket or under pressure. Williams is also a terrific athlete, with the power to shake off sack attempts and the quickness to break the pocket and scramble for positive plays. Improvising is his game, and Williams is averaging 3.24 seconds from snap to throw this season -- meaning he holds the ball longer than any quarterback in football. His 31 scrambles are the sixth most among quarterbacks. Williams has thrown only five interceptions, but his 13 turnover-worthy plays through 12 games suggest he's been a little lucky. Williams has five fourth quarter comebacks. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick has improved in Year 2, but the Bears are too often winning in spite of the passing game.

Line of scrimmage

The investments made along the offensive line have paid off in a big way. The Bears rank third in PFF's pass-block grade and fourth in run-block grade. At ESPN, the Bears rank second in pass-block win rate and fourth in run-block win rate. This is arguably the NFL's best offensive line, so the Packers defensive front has a big challenge ahead. Guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman make up an excellent interior, and right tackle Darnell Wright is consistently good on the edge. The only question mark is at left tackle, where three different players have played at least 150 snaps in 2025. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo started there last week and was good enough. Defensively, up front is a much different story. The Bears rank 24th in PFF"s run defense grade and 28th in pass-rush grade. ESPN has the Bears as 26th in run stop win rate and 29th in pass-rush win rate. Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter lead the way up front, but they've combined for only 63 pressures; Micah Parsons has 67, for reference. The team's best run defender is Tremaine Edmunds, and he's on IR. The Bears did limit Saquon Barkley to only 58 rushing yards last week.

Turnovers

Turnovers have been huge for the Bears in 2025. Chicago ranks first in takeaways with 26 and first in turnover differential at +17. Not surprisingly, the Bears are 8-0 when getting multiple takeaways and 1-3 when producing one or fewer. Winning the ball will be huge for the Packers on Sunday. Caleb Williams has thrown only five interceptions and has a turnover-worthy play percentage of just 2.7 this season, and the Bears have lost only four fumbles overall. The defense has 17 picks, including six from safety Kevin Byard, five from cornerback Nahshon Wright and four from linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Edge rusher Montez Sweat has forced three fumbles and is tied for the NFL lead with four pressures creating turnovers. The Bears defense has struggled down to down for most of the season but are staying alive due to consistency taking the ball away.

Injury situation

The Bears have a few injury question marks entering Week 14. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, defensive tackle Shemar Turner, running back Roshon Johnson and left tackle Braxton Jones are all on injured reserve. Last week, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip), linebacker Noah Sewell (elbow) and linebacker T.J. Edwards (hand) didn't play, but the Bears did return cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from injuries. Wednesday's injury report will provide more information here.

Players to know

WR Luther Burden III: Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore lead the way in targets, but the Bears are getting Burden -- a dynamite player with the ball in his hands -- more involved lately. Half of his season's total in catches came in the last four games. He's a quick, explosive player who is difficult to tackle in space and will likely play a big part in the Bears quick game passing plan.

CB Nahshon Wright: A boom or bust corner with five interceptions, seven touchdown passes allowed, seven penalties and seven missed tackles. Wright leads the team in snaps played at perimeter corner this season.

RB Kyle Monangai: The rookie is averaging 4.9 yards per rush with a rushing success rate of 56.1 percent in 2025. He's scored a touchdown in five of the last seven games, and he has games of 176 yards rushing (vs. Bengals) and 130 yards rushing (vs. Eagles). He's a well-built and powerful back.

S Kevin Byard: The former Titan has six picks, which leads all NFL players through 13 weeks. Of his six picks, four came from Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy and Spencer Rattler, but Byard did intercept Jalen Hurts last week. He's a veteran who is always in the right place and will make you pay for mistakes.

TE Colston Loveland: The first-round pick is starting to come on after a slow start. Loveland has at least three catches in seven straight games, and he's averaging almost 10 yards per target over the last five games.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Bears: 7 things to know about Green Bay's Week 14 opponent