Alright, Bears fans. Pour yourself a drink. A stiff one. You’re gonna need it.
We’re back here again. Saturday night. The playoffs. And staring back at us from the other sideline is that same puke-green and yellow monstrosity that has haunted our waking nightmares for the better part of three decades. The Green Bay Packers.
I don’t need to remind you what happened in Week 14. I know you remember. I remember. I’m still paying my therapist to help me forget that Bo Melton touchdown where our secondary looked like they were participating in a mannequin challenge. We walked into Lambeau at 9-3, feeling like kings of the North, and we limped out with a 28-21 loss that felt like a kick to the crotch. We collapsed. We choked. We let Jordan Love look like the second coming of Rodgers, and we let Matt LaFleur smirk his way to a victory lap.
But here’s the thing about the NFL playoffs: none of that crap matters anymore. The slate is wiped clean. It’s 0-0. And if you think this Saturday is going to be a repeat of that frozen disaster in December, you haven’t been paying attention to what Ben Johnson has been cooking up in the lab.
This isn’t about "trying harder." It’s not about "wanting it more." That’s meatball fan talk. This is about schematics. This is about X’s and O’s. This is about exploiting the very specific, very real flaws in Jeff Hafley’s defense that we ignored last time.
I’ve looked at the tape. I’ve crunched the numbers until my eyes bled. And I’m telling you, there is a path to victory here. It’s narrow, it’s dangerous, and it requires Caleb Williams to play like the generational talent we drafted him to be. But it’s there.
Here are the three schematic shifts the Bears must make to shock the world, shut up the Green Bay fans, and send the Packers packing.
1. Bully Ball: Ram the Run Down Hafley’s Throat (Then Bomb Him Deep)
Let’s be real about Jeff Hafley’s defense for a second. It’s built on a philosophy that screams "modern NFL arrogance." They want to play light boxes. They want to sit in split-safety shells (two guys deep) to prevent the big play. They trust their four-man rush to get home without help.
In Week 14, we played right into their hands. We got cute. We tried to beat them laterally.
This Saturday? We need to be rude.
The "Light Box" Invitation
Green Bay is practically begging teams to run the ball. Because they are so terrified of getting beat deep, they are consistently lining up with lighter fronts. They are trading run defense for pass coverage.
Schematic Pivot: We need to lean heavily into the under-center run game. I’m talking wide zone, toss plays, and windback runs that force those linebackers to flow fast, then cut it back against the grain.
This is where D’Andre Swift and our rookie gem, Kyle Monangai, become the most important players on the field.
As you all know we snagged Monangai in the 7th round (pick 233, never forget), and the league slept on him. We didn’t. He’s not a track star; he’s a bowling ball with vision. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry this season because he doesn’t dance. Against Hafley’s light fronts, 4.8 yards turns into 6 or 7 yards if the safeties are backpedaling.
Take a look at the efficiency metrics when running against split-safety looks:
| Metric | vs. Single-High Safety | vs. Split-Safety (GB's Base) |
|---|---|---|
| Bears YPC | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| Explosive Run Rate | 12% | 18% |
| Success Rate | 46% | 54% |
| Data Source: Internal Film Charting / Pro Football Focus |
The numbers scream it: RUN. THE. DAMN. BALL.
The Marriage: Run Action to Deep Shots
But we don’t just run to run. We run to set the trap.
Once the run game starts gashing them for 6-yard chunks, those safeties — who have been disciplined and deep all game — will start to creep up. They have to. It’s human nature. They’ll get frustrated. They’ll trigger downhill to fill the gaps.
That is the exact moment Ben Johnson needs to plunge the dagger.
We need to marry the run game to deep play-action shots. I’m talking about those classic McVay/Shanahan concepts: deep crossers, posts, and the "Yankee" concept (a deep post with a deep over route underneath it).
In Week 14, we barely tested their discipline. This week? We spam it.
The Blueprint:
- 1st & 10: Under-center wide zone.
- 2nd & 4: Hard play-action. Fake the same run. Caleb boots out or stands tall.
- The Result: The linebackers suck up, the safeties freeze for a split second, and Luther Burden III or Colston Loveland is running free in the intermediate void.
Hafley’s "vision-zone" defense works when the QB is just dropping back. It fails when the QB manipulates their eyes with run action. Johnson has one of the highest play-action rates in the league for a reason. It’s time to unleash the "Shot Menu" on early downs. Stop waiting for 3rd-and-long. Take the shot on 1st-and-10.
2. Stop Protecting Caleb: Turn Him Into a Predator
I’m sick of hearing about how we need to "protect" Caleb Williams. Oh, be careful with the second year qb. Oh, don't let him get hit.
Screw that. He’s not a china doll. He’s a weapon.
In the first half of Week 14, we played scared. Caleb was 6-of-14 for 32 yards because we were trying to play "safe" football against a defense that was hunting us. We tried to set up quick hitches and screens to avoid the rush. It didn’t work. Parsons and Gary ate our lunch.
The Adjustment: We need to flip the script. Instead of avoiding pressure, we need to hunt it.
The Blitz Paradox
Here’s a stat that will blow your mind. Despite the narrative that young QB’s struggle against pressure, Caleb Williams has been statistically better when teams try to heat him up this year.
Caleb Williams Passer Rating by Pressure Type:
| Situation | Comp % | TD/INT Ratio | Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Pocket | 64% | 3:1 | 96.5 |
| Standard Pressure (4-man) | 52% | 1:1 | 78.2 |
| Blitzed (5+ rushers) | 68% | 4:0 | 112.4 |
| Data Source: Next Gen Stats |
Look at that chart. It’s absurd. When teams blitz him, they simplify the coverage. They leave corners on islands. And Caleb, with his elite arm talent, punishes them.
The problem is, Green Bay knows this. They don’t blitz a lot. They rely on the four-man rush to generate pressure so they can keep seven guys in coverage. That "Standard Pressure" metric is where they killed us last time.
The Solution: "Auto-Check" to Violence
We can’t let them sit in coverage. We have to force the issue.
If they show a four-man rush, we need to chip Gary with a tight end (sorry, Kmet, you’re blocking today) or use a running back to bang him on the way out. We keep 6 or 7 guys in protection to buy Caleb time.
But if they show any sign of a blitz — mugged linebackers, a safety creeping down — Caleb needs to have the autonomy to kill the play and check to a "Shot."
The "Hot to Explosive" Philosophy: Usually, when a QB sees a blitz, he checks to a "hot" route — a quick slant or a dump-off to survive. No. We want Caleb to check to a vertical. If they bring pressure, that means Luther Burden III or a healthy Rome is one-on-one with a corner who has no help.
Burden has been a revelation in the slot. He leads the team in YAC. If they blitz, throw it to the kid and let him work.
And let’s talk about Caleb’s legs. The kid is a wizard at avoiding unblocked rushers. It’s his superpower. We need designed rollouts and "escape lanes." Slide the protection to the right, let Parsons come free off the left, and have Caleb bootleg away from him. Make Parsons chase a guy who runs a 4.5 and can throw 60 yards across his body.
Tire them out. Frustrate them. Make the pass rush a liability, not an asset.
3. Defense: Stop the Run, Force the "Hero Ball"
Now, let’s talk about the other side of the ball. The side that gave up 28 points and made Jordan Love look like an MVP candidate.
Our defensive EPA (Expected Points Added) isn’t elite. We know this. We’re ranked in the bottom third. But we have a specific strength: we can be nasty against the run when we commit to it.
The Packers under LaFleur are not a "Air Raid" team. They are a run-first team disguised as a passing team. They want to run the ball on 1st down to set up 2nd-and-4. When they are in "on-schedule" situations (2nd-and-short, 3rd-and-2), they are deadly. Love can use the entire playbook—RPOs, play-action, quick game.
But when they get behind the chains? When it’s 2nd-and-9? They become mortal.
The "Overplay" Strategy
We need to sell our souls to stop the run on early downs.
In Week 14, Josh Jacobs broke our backs. That 21-yard run on 3rd-and-2? That was the dagger. We cannot let that happen again.
The Game Plan:
- 8-Man Fronts: We live in 8-man boxes on 1st down. I don’t care if it leaves a corner on an island. If Jacobs beats us for 4 yards, fine. He can’t beat us for 8.
- Tite Fronts: Clog the interior B-gaps. Force the run to bounce outside where our athletic linebackers and safeties can hunt.
- Aggressive Force Players: Our edge defenders need to set the edge violently. Blow up the pulling guards. Make Jacobs stop his feet.
Tilting the Coverage
Once we force them into 2nd-and-long or 3rd-and-long, the game changes. That is when we tilt the coverage.
LaFleur loves the "glance" route (a deep slant) and in-breaking routes. We need to:
- Show Two-High Safety Shells Pre-Snap: Make Love think the middle of the field is open.
- Rotate Late: Snap the ball, and one safety (Brisker or Byard) crashes down into the "Robber" zone (the middle hole) to steal those crossers.
We have to force Jordan Love to throw outside the numbers and deep down the field into tight windows. We have to take away the easy stuff. If he beats us with a perfect 40-yard bomb dropped in a bucket? Tip your cap. But stop giving him wide-open crossers because we were worried about the run on 3rd-and-7.
Create Negative Plays: We need "swing" plays. A tackle for loss (TFL) or a sack kills a Packers drive. Their efficiency drops off a cliff when they have a negative play on 1st down.
Packers Drive Success Rate:
| 1st Down Outcome | Drive Scoring % |
|---|---|
| 4+ Yards Gained | 58% |
| < 4 Yards Gained | 32% |
| Negative Play (TFL/Sack) | 14% |
| Data Source: Football Outsiders DVOA Analysis |
The math is simple. Win first down. If we stuff Jacobs for a 1-yard loss on the first play of the drive, the stadium gets loud, Love gets uncomfortable, and the turnover opportunities appear.
Final Verdict
We’ve spent the whole season talking about "growth" and "development."
- "Oh, look at how Trapilo stabilized the O-line!"
- "Wow, Monangai was such a steal!"
- "Burden is the future!"
That’s great. I love the rookies. Poles did a hell of a job. But the "future" is Saturday night.
This team is 11-6. We aren't rebuilding anymore. We are here. And we are facing a team that thinks they own us. A team that thinks they can walk into our house and just flash the "G" on the helmet and we’ll fold.
In Week 14, we folded. We had bad special teams gaffes (looking at you, Cairo). We had bad clock management (Ben Johnson, I love you, but burning those timeouts was criminal). We had Caleb make a mistake at the worst possible time.
But we also saw flashes. We saw Caleb fight back. We saw the offense move the ball when they stopped playing scared.
If we commit to these three things — running downhill, hunting pressure with Caleb, and selling out to stop the run — we don’t just have a chance. We have the advantage.
Green Bay is expecting the "Same Old Bears." They’re expecting us to curl up in the fetal position once the snow starts falling.
Let’s punch them in the mouth instead.
Bear Down.
