The city grades the Bears on how they fare against the Packers.
So does the Bears’ chairman — George McCaskey famously uses his team’s twice-annual rivalry game as a measuring stick for the franchise.
Well, things aren’t looking good for the reeling Bears in that regard as they prepare to play a 6-3 team coming off its bye on Sunday. And they’ve beaten Green Bay only three times since Jan. 1, 2011.
“They’ve been doing really well,” tight end Cole Kmet, a lifelong Bears fan, said after his team’s 19-3 loss to the Patriots. “I haven’t won that [rivalry] game yet. But that’s a game that can course-correct a lot of things, I think, especially if you look good.”
The chances of the Bears looking good have dwindled after three consecutive losses. The Packers look much better, though they have their own concerns — they’re 0-2 in the NFC, the first time that has happened in 19 years. Coach Matt LaFleur had only three divisional losses in his previous three seasons combined.
The Packers won on all four Sundays in October — against the Rams, Cardinals, Texans and Jaguars — before losing to the NFC North-leading Lions 24-14 last week. Quarterback Jordan Love, who missed two games with a sprained knee earlier this season, played his worst game of the year against the Lions. He had a 69.7 passer rating and threw an inexcusable pick-six to safety Kerby Joseph, who was lingering along the defensive line.
The Packers were 3-6 through nine games last year but rallied to make the playoffs behind a breakout second half from Love. From Week 10 on last season, he ranked second in the NFL with 2,439 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes and was fourth with a 107.6 passer rating.
With two games left against the Bears plus games against the Saints, Seahawks and Dolphins, the Packers figure to remain squarely in the playoff hunt. They’ll need to see that superlative version of Love again to go where they want to go — not the player who was tied for the NFL lead with 10 interceptions and two pick-sixes entering Week 10.