Let the countdown begin to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears taking on the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, December 20. This game is shaping up to be one of the biggest of the season for both franchises, and if the Bears pull off a win, they’ll be 1.5 games ahead of Green Bay in the NFC North with two games left, making them heavy favorites to take the division.
While Williams gets a lot of the attention on the field, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and the entire Bears team deserves props. The team just had a lopsided 31-3 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 14, and now, the Bears are in the best position possible going up against Green Bay, toting a 10-4 record and the top position in the NFC North.
The last time the Bears and Packers played each other was just around two weekends ago, and that game ended in a Bears loss at 28-21. Now, ahead of Saturday’s showdown, one Chicago Bears player is getting huge honors from the NFL, and this time, it isn’t Williams.
NFL Honors Chicago Bears Player
Snagging the first interception and sack of his NFL career in the Bears’ win over the Browns, linebacker D’Marco Jackson has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. The Bears and NFL announced the news Wednesday, December 17.
“Subbing for the injured Tremaine Edmunds, Jackson helped the Bears (10-4) win their fifth straight home game and leapfrog the Packers (9-4-1) into first place in the NFC North,” the Bears’ official website states. “He’s the first NFL linebacker to produce an interception and a sack in the same game since Week 8.”
Jackson is remember for his third-quarter interception in the game, and Ben Johnson even said it was a “turning point for us” in the game.
“That was the spark that kind of ignited us on offense,” Johnson said after the win. “Caleb came back and made an outstanding throw to DJ on the back line. To me, that’s really where the game got broken open.”
Jackson, who hails from the Saints, has played in all 13 games this season and made his first four NFL starts, clocking 41 tackles, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two tackles-for-loss.
“Happy for him,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was Saints head coach when Jackson played for the team, said in a statement. “He’s played well for us. It’s a credit to him and a credit to those assistant coaches who have been able to get those guys ready.”
Chicago Bears and the Playoff Picture
The Bears have a 74% chance of making the postseason, according to NFL Research. If they beat the Packers, that goes up to roughly 97%, so it would make the postseason a given for Chicago.
“Yeah, I’m excited,” Williams said regarding going up against the Packers, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Then, he recalled the last Packers showdown, noting, “Ended up obviously throwing the pick, as everybody knows, in those last moments, and kind of let that off the hook, throwing such a bad ball to [tight end] Cole [Kmet]. I’m definitely excited. I’m excited for the moment.”
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