Coming into 2024, the Chicago Bears knew that their path to the playoffs would have to go through one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers went 1-3 against them last year, and both made the playoffs. They also each won at least one playoff game. One can understand if people around the league are skeptical the Bears can navigate past those established contenders to reach their first postseason in half a decade. However, things may have just changed in a drastic way.
Green Bay suffered a tough loss on opening night in Brazil to the Philadelphia Eagles. That was bad enough. It was made ten times worse when star quarterback Jordan Love hit the turf with an apparent leg injury. Initial assessments from experts hint at a possible high ankle sprain since he got rolled up on by an Eagles defensive lineman. Depending on severity, that could take 6-8 weeks to heal. Then, further examination of the footage revealed an uncomfortable popping motion in Love’s left knee.
They haven’t beaten the Packers since 2018. A big reason for that has been Green Bay’s ongoing top-level play at quarterback. They won’t have that with Love out. Malik Willis is their current back,up and he hasn’t been any good since arriving in the NFL. Even if the Packers were to pivot to somebody like Ryan Tannehill, it is unlikely to improve their options much. Conversely, the Chicago Bears seem to have a favorable schedule to start the season. They play Green Bay for the first time on November 17th. If the Bears can reach that matchup at 7-2 or 6-3, it could become a terrific opportunity to exorcise some demons while also building their playoff case. One can only feel bad for Love. The Packers are praying the injury isn’t severe, but the silence after the game was deafening.
