Chicago Bears: Upcoming Packers game is filled with symmetry
By Erik Lambert
The NFL is a weird league. Things have a funny way of working out. Few teams can assess to that truth more than the Chicago Bears right now.
Their season began in September with one of the most painful losses in recent memory. They went up 20-0 at one point against their rival Green Bay Packers and led 23-3 in the 4th quarter. Then Aaron Rodgers, as he so often does, ruined their night with three touchdown passes in a stunning 24-23 comeback. Most people felt it was the sort of loss that could cripple a season for the Bears given how impacted they’ve been by them in the past.
Fast forward to here in week 15 and things didn’t exactly go as those people thought. The Bears overcame that bitter loss and sit at 9-4, coming off a huge victory over the NFC-leading Los Angeles Rams. With Minnesota going down in Seattle, it sets up next Sunday as a big game for both teams. Green Bay is trying to keep their fledgling playoff hopes alive. The Bears? They have a chance to win the division by claiming victory at home.
People have no idea how incredibly symmetrical this entire situation is. Chicago’s trial began in Green Bay with that loss. Now they have a chance to exorcize their demons against a team that has tormented them for a decade.
Chicago Bears have waited a long time for this opportunity
Most people outside of Chicago have no idea what this game will mean. The last time the Bears had a chance to win the division hosting the Packers at Soldier Field was in 2013. That led to the fateful game that ended with Randall Cobb scoring the winning touchdown in the final seconds on a 48-yard Hail Mary. It was a traumatic loss for the franchise and one that sent them into a four-year streak of losing seasons.
Now here they are again. Green Bay comes in with Rodgers under center. They’re plenty confident they’ll win, which is no surprise. The Bears are battling a rough history. Think about this. The last time they won the NFC North was in 2010. That’s also the last time they beat the Packers at Soldier Field. This is the chance to end both of those streaks in one shot.
It would certainly be poetic justice for so many years of pain. Knocking the Packers out of the playoffs for the second-straight year. Something that hasn’t happened since 1990 and 1991, the years right before Brett Favre arrived and began a quarter century of Green Bay domination over Chicago. One thing is for sure. This Bears team will be ready to play.