The bye is over and Bears week is here. Green Bay has had two weeks to stew on a disappointing loss against Detroit and make adjustments for the stretch run ahead. In a tight, competitive NFC playoff race, it is time for the Packers to hit the 'go' button and find the consistency they lacked in the first nine games.

Here are five things to watch as the Packers seek their first divisional victory of the season and Matt LaFleur looks to improve his record against the Bears to 11-0.

It's Josh Jacobs time

Matt Eberflus has his fair share of shortcomings as a head coach, but he has consistently coordinated a rock solid defense in Chicago, and this year is no different, with his unit ranking 5th in points per game allowed and 4th in expected points contributed defensively.

They are particularly stingy against the pass, ranking 7th in pass yards allowed per game, 1st in passing touchdowns allowed (just 0.67 per game), and 9th in net yards gained per pass.

There is a weakness though, and that is Chicago’s run defense, which ranks 24th in rush yards allowed per game, 26th in rush yards allowed per attempt, and 17th in rushing touchdowns allowed.

Those statistics should send a clear signal to LaFleur and the offensive braintrust in Green Bay that leaning on the run game, and specifically Josh Jacobs, should be their top priority.

Jacobs has been the workhorse back the Packers hoped for when they signed him to a four-year, $48million contract this offseason. Only six players have more rushing attempts per game than the former Raider in 2024, and only four have more rushing yards per game.

He appears to be heating up as he settles into the offense, averaging 5.96 yards per carry over the last three games with two rushing touchdowns as well as a receiving score.

With winter arriving and the Packers set to play all but two of their remaining games outdoors in non-warm-weather states, do not be surprised to see Jacobs explode down the stretch, starting this week in Chicago.

Green Bay's red zone production

The only true mismatch which could favor the Bears in this one is red zone performance.

For all their offensive issues, Chicago ranks 8th in red zone touchdown percentage offensively, while Green Bay ranks 20th in preventing touchdowns in the red zone.

It is the other side of the battle which is more of a concern though, with the Packers problems in punching the ball into the end zone once they are inside the 20 well documented at this point.

Green Bay are 29th in the NFL for offensive red zone touchdown percentage, and their opponents Chicago are the best team in the league at turning teams away in that situation.

LaFleur has said on multiple occasions he believes untimely penalties have been the one of the main causes of Green Bay’s issues inside the 20, with drops and turnovers also halting progress at various times.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich echoed that sentiment this week, saying the key to improving red zone efficiency is “staying out of negative plays”.

He continued: “You look at the drives where we don’t have penalties, or just negative plays in general and we’re excellent in the red zone”.

It helps massively to be able to run the ball effectively in these areas, which is something the Packers have often struggled with but as previously noted, have a chance to get right this week.

If Green Bay has made legitimate strides in their red zone operation during the bye week, this would be an ideal time to prove it in a big way versus a tight red zone defense.

Chicago’s offensive adjustments

The hiring of Shane Waldron perfectly encapsulates why the modern day Bears are a consistently below average product and have one winning season out of the last eleven. They simply make bad organizational decisions.

You can draft a generational quarterback prospect first overall, but if you have absolutely no idea how to support that young signal caller, it will not matter.

This is not just speaking with the benefit of hindsight, you only needed to listen to Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s assessment of his coach for a season in Seattle to know this was probably not going to be the guy to nurture Caleb Williams in his formative NFL years.

Now the Bears have moved on from Waldron after just nine games, and it was absolutely the right decision. His position was untenable and the noises coming out of Chicago, from the players especially, were not good.

Taking over the reins is Thomas Brown, who has previously worked with Sean McVay, usually a positive sign for a coach’s prospects.

Brown was however the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers last year, tasked with coaching up another former first overall pick in Bryce Young, and we know how that went.

The playbook itself will remain mostly the same, so it remains to be seen how much can change by simply switching offensive play callers. Still, the Packers will need to be ready to adjust on the fly to any new looks the Bears present this week.

Can the Packers pressure Williams?

For all the hand wringing about Green Bay’s perceived lack of pass rush, they rank in the top half of the league in pressure after ten weeks.

It has been far from perfect, and the edge defenders need to do a better job of disrupting without coordinator Jeff Hafley having to do the heavy lifting with his play calls, but by hook or by crook, the Packers are finding a way to sufficiently heat up the opposing quarterback.

The Bears may have changed their OC, but there are still issues with personnel up front. Teven Jenkins and Kiran Amegadjie have been ruled out for Sunday, although solid tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are set to return to bookend the offensive line.

Chicago’s offensive line is not surrendering an alarming amount of pressure by any means, but when Williams is put under duress, his penchant for holding onto the ball far too long is making bad plays worse. He is dead last in the NFL in pressure-to-sack rate.

There have been plenty of flashes of Williams’ phenomenal ability during his erratic season so far, and if he is kept clean in the pocket, the quarterback is capable of making plays and keeping the Bears in the game.

Generating consistent pressure on the rookie and making him uncomfortable is paramount for the Packers this week.

Who steps up to replace Preston Smith?

Green Bay’s only move at the trade deadline was to ship Preston Smith – at his request – to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

Smith felt he did not fit in Hafley’s 4-3 scheme, and he was right. This was arguably the worst season of his career in Green Bay, and getting another team to give up a pick for the near-32-year-old and his pricey contract, which still has another two years to run, is a win.

A true professional and a significant contributor for some excellent Packers teams, Smith will be missed for his leadership in particular, but with him out of the building, the door opens for Green Bay’s younger pass rushers to push for playing time. 

Outside of Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare currently has the highest snap percentage of the group, with former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who is having an underwhelming sophomore season, slightly behind.

Aaron Mosby will be in the mix as well, having seen his first action on defense in the two games before the bye week and securing half a sack in the Detroit game.

Brenton Cox is the wildcard and might just be the biggest beneficiary of Smith’s absence. He has not played a single defensive snap yet this season, but Hafley was bullish on his potential to contribute, saying he is “really, really excited” for him.

It is fair to say Green Bay’s edge rushers have performed below expectations so far, but with more snaps opened up, the hope will be that the competition fostered among a youthful group will allow the cream to rise to the top.