By any stretch of the imagination, the Green Bay Packers are a weakened football team right now. Things were going so well in Denver. Then they were slapped with a myriad of injuries. The biggest was Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL. Zach Tom left with a knee injury of his own, as did safety Evan Williams. Running back Josh Jacobs is also questionable this week. Those are four essential players for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations. Three of them are guaranteed not to play Saturday, and the fourth is a toss-up at best. One would think the Chicago Bears are confident they can finish the job this time. However, Ben Johnson isn't fooled.
The Bears head coach was asked about Green Bay's injuries this week, particularly Parsons. One has to think it gives Chicago a clear advantage in the rematch. Johnson refused to bite.
“I know you kind of lock in one player because he does garner a lot of your attention when you go against that defense and yet they have some high caliber players throughout on the defensive line, linebacking corps and on the back end,” Johnson said. “So just because one player goes down (that) doesn’t mean this is going to change a whole lot for them. They play relentless football. They pursue. They have a ton of team speed. The linebackers are thumpers.”
Johnson isn't stupid. While the Packers might not be the same team they were in the first meeting a couple of weeks ago, you don't automatically become a bad team after a few injuries. They're still well-coached, have a good quarterback, and enough talent elsewhere to win this game.
Ben Johnson knows the NFL as well as anybody.
A wounded animal is arguably at its most dangerous. His Bears are a perfect example. They've been one of the most injured teams for much of the season, yet they've still found ways to pull off victories. There is no reason to think the Packers can't do the same, especially since they haven't lost at Soldier Field in seven years. Too many times, the Bears have entered these games too confident and been dismissed. Ben Johnson has no intention of giving Green Bay any ammunition to use against them.
It's nothing but respect and praise, which is the right way to do it. If the Packers need motivation, they'll likely find it elsewhere. He intends to have the Bears focused on one objective: winning the game. That means treating the Packers like the legitimate threat they are. Don't approach this game as a sure thing. That is what losers do. If the Bears want to prove they've changed, it's time to seize the moment. Go into Soldier Field and dictate the tempo from the start. Don't give the Packers any room to breathe. It's time.
