Ah, the Packers. Just what the Bears and Matt Eberflus need.
Or not.
The last time the Bears were wallowing in their own dysfunction with the Packers up next — in 2014 under Marc Trestman — they turned an opportunity for redemption into an ignominious failure so profound that it spelled the end not only for Trestman, but for general manager Phil Emery.
The Bears were 3-5 heading into their bye week in Trestman’s second season after an embarrassing 51-23 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in which they trailed 38-7 at halftime. Trestman and Emery vowed to use the bye week to self-scout, identify the issues, refocus, reenergize and rededicate themselves to excellence and get the team back on track against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
That grand plan blew up almost the moment the Bears stepped on the field in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers threw six (!) touchdown passes in the first half as the Packers took a 42-0 lead en route to a humiliating 55-14 rout that sealed Trestman’s fate — and Emery’s also, as it turned out — with seven games to go. Both were fired at the end of the season.
So here we are — again — with the Bears (4-5) in disarray, their season spiraling out of control with a three-game losing streak, a broken offense that hasn’t scored a touchdown in 23 consecutive possessions, a prized rookie quarterback caught in the undertow, a new offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron was fired Tuesday and a coach on the hot seat.
And the Packers are up next.
This much is certain: It’s a perfect opportunity for redemption for Eberflus, whose future as coach is teetering after the Bears lost on a Hail Mary touchdown against the Commanders, then responded with listless performances in losses to the Cardinals (29-9) on the road and the Patriots (19-3) at home.
There is no better way for the flailing Bears to reestablish credibility as a team on the rise — and give Eberflus a fighting chance to survive — than by beating the Packers (6-3) on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Lions (8-1) and Vikings (7-2) lead the NFC North, but for the Bears, the Packers are the team to beat. Even bad Bears teams beat the Lions and Vikings. The Packers are the ultimate nemesis — an organization that drafts the right quarterback, hires the right coach to nurture him and avoids dysfunction. The Packers’ biggest distraction in the last 30 years is that one of the best quarterbacks of all time is a diva — a first-world problem to weary Bears fans.
No doubt the Packers will have the Bears’ attention. The only question is whether that will matter. The Bears are coming off two games in which they were laser-focused on atoning for a bad loss — and they fell flat. Those were two games that were all about heart and resilience, and the Bears showed neither.
The Bears aren’t trending well, but a victory over the Packers — who have won the last 10 games in the rivalry and 15 of the last 16 — would reverse that. In 2014, the Bears responded to that debacle against the Packers at Lambeau by beating the 4-5 Vikings and 2-8 Buccaneers at Soldier Field — and nobody was fooled. They lost their last five games.
This team won’t fool anyone, either — not with seven of the last eight games against the Packers, Lions, Vikings and 49ers. If they’re headed in the right direction — or not — we’ll have a pretty good indication by Sunday night.