Bears vs. Packers NFL playoff game preview: Picks, predictions, how to watch
CHICAGO — The Bears and Green Bay Packers will meet for the 213th time Saturday night with everything on the line.
Incredibly, this will be just the third time the NFL’s longest (and most bitter) rivalry will be in the playoffs.
The Bears won a divisional playoff game in 1941. The Packers won the 2010 NFC Championship Game.
[READ: Ben Johnson, Bears captains define what’s required for NFL playoff success]
Just like this season’s series. The results are split.
This year, a competitive rivalry has been renewed, following years of Packers dominance with Bears wins sprinkled in.
The 2025 games both were decided on the final play. Caleb Williams threw a decisive interception in the end zone to seal a Week 14 loss in Green Bay. He threw an unreal 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime to secure a Week 16 win at Solider Field.
The trilogy’s final installment comes in Chicago. Packers players have made it clear they wanted their NFC North foes. The Bears have been less chatty, but it’s clear this game holds great meaning.
“We get another crack at these guys,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “It’s a good crew. They’re very talented. They’re well-coached, and we’re just, like I said, we’re really looking forward to an opportunity to go at them again in front of our home crowd. You really have felt this city come alive over the course of the season. That’s something that I’m grateful for.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the biggest Bears game in years:
How to watch
Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: Prime Video; NFL-plus; FOX 32 Chicago; FOX stations throughout Bears market
Radio: ESPN Chicago (1000 AM; 1003. FM); LATINO MIX 93.5 FM (Spanish); Westwood One
Out-of-market streaming: Prime Video
Spotlight player
We generally exclude Williams from these game previews, because he’s integral to every game. This playoff contest is an exception, as Williams will be the most important player on the field, for either team.
If he’s rolling as an in-rhythm passer, an on-field general and off-schedule playmaker, the Bears will be incredibly tough to beat. That’s a tall order, but we’ve seen Williams function well in each of those areas. He doesn’t have to be perfect, but relative consistency should put Chicago over the top.
He’s interception averse, clutch in the second half and much better at all the boring stuff that makes Johnson’s scheme work. Williams is at his best with the lights are brightest. That’s what the Bears need.
[MORE: How Bears QB Caleb Williams evolved under Ben Johnson’s hard coaching]
“He was built for these moments,” Johnson said. “He plays his best when we need him to. And so, there’s really not a whole lot that needs to be said. He just needs to be him.”
Williams projected confidence at every turn during the practice week, which has lifted those around him. The second-year pro say it’s at an “all-time high.” That means no nerves heading into Saturday.
“I think it’s just the trust in myself, the belief in myself and a little bit of that arrogant confidence on the football field,” Williams said in a Tuesday press conference. “Then the trust and belief and who I have protecting me, the trust and belief and who I have calling the game. Then the trust and belief and who I have on the outside and in the backfield.”
Wild card
This story will publish before Gordon officially is activated off injured reserve Saturday. There’s great confidence that’s coming after he was designated to return from his second IR stint Tuesday.
The Bears’ slot cornerback barely has practiced, so it’s unfair to expect he’ll play every snap or be at his vintage best against the Packers. So, how much will be he used, and in what situations? We’ll find out in real time.
[MORE: How Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon could help Bears beat Packers]
Gordon is a game-changer, since he can cover well, defend the run and rush the passer as well as any defensive back. He’s an asset to Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Again, Gordon might have physical and stamina limitations. But if he can strike and make the game-changing plays he’s capable of, that could be the difference in what could be a tight game.
X factor
The rookie tight end has been the Bears’ best pass catcher of late. The No. 10 overall draft pick might be one of the team’s best players right now, regardless of position, and he has become Williams’ favorite target on critical downs. He has 17 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns over his last two games.
[READ: Why DJ Moore relishes Bears’ success, NFL playoff game vs. Packers]
Loveland wasn’t great in two previous meetings with the Packers, but he’ll need to be on point in this one. That should be possible with wide receiver Rome Odunze back from injury and fellow rookie Luther Burden III playing well.
Bold prediction
Montez Sweat will have two sacks, one forced fumble
The Bears’ best edge rusher has two of his 10 sacks this season against Green Bay, but none of his three forced fumbles. He’ll double his Packers sack total and put a ball on the ground in this game, where Chicago desperately needs him to show up and show out.
This defense is predicated on big plays, and Sweat will make a few.
Playoff pick
Scott Bair’s selection
Bears 31, Packers 28
The last two Bears-Packers games have come down to the last play. This one won’t.
The Bears will have a faster start, thanks to Williams and Johnson, take the early lead that has been elusive of late, and set up the run game to close out the win. That also presents an opportunity for them to secure some takeaways — they’re 9-0 when they get two or more.
If this sounds like an ideal game script, it is. The Packers will create some adversity and keep things close, but the home crowd will play a factor here, too. That will help the Bears come out on top.
