The Bears have come ever so close to an NFL playoff berth, with a win over the Green Bay Packers and a Detroit Lions loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this week locking in a spot. If those results reverse, Chicago could be in muddy waters.

What’s very real right now, heading into maybe the most consequential rivalry game against the Packers in quite some time, is this game matters a great deal. It’s scheduled for Saturday. In prime time. We don’t need to sugarcoat this one to convince you to watch. It’s as big as it gets.

That’s why the Bair Mail mailbag has been legit flooded. Like, overflowing to the point that I’ll get to just a fraction of the submissions. Sorry about that.

But it’s also a sign that Bears fans are engaged entering a massive home game where noise will be needed.

“I hope to help keep bringing that excitement to this organization, to Chicago,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said. “Then, obviously, on game days, they’re monumental for us. We want them to be here. We want them to support. We want them to travel well with us. We want them to be proud to be the Chicago Bears fan. That’s really it.”

So this week is pivotal, in case you didn’t already know. Let’s talk about what you want in this edition of Bair Mail:

Zane Sandoval from San Marcos, Calif.

Caleb Williams should be in the GOAT conversation

Bair: I picked this to lead off for a few reasons.

No. 1: I started this whacky sports journalism career in the northern part of San Diego County, and San Marcos was part of the high school football league I covered. So, super random connection, and I love it.

No. 2. While I don’t believe Caleb Williams is anywhere in the GOAT conversation, his touchdown throw to DJ Moore in Sunday’s win is hands-down the best throw I’ve seen live. It was extraordinary and is being compared to “The Catch” — Joe Montana’s last-ditch TD pass to Dwight Clark as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.

Clark deserves a massive amount of credit for making the reception, but the similarities are clear. That’s especially true because the plays look similar. Either way, this really was something to experience, and I’m happy to have been there when Williams sent that laser beam to Moore.

D’Wayne Corry from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

I cannot hear the talking heads demanding and denouncing [D’Andre] Swift and [Ryan] Poles about the RB room anymore. Where did they all go?

Bair: You’re 100 percent right, D’Wayne. I was one of those reporters who believed the Bears had to spend big on running backs, especially in the NFL draft. I’ll own that one.

I believed they had to go with a running back unusually early, maybe in the first or second round. But head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles made the right call to stick with Swift and be patient — I still believe, and sources have said, the Bears would have taken TreVeyon Henderson in the second round had he been available — with the Kyle Monangai selection in the seventh.

The Bears handsomely paid Swift in 2024, with $8 million in average annual value over three seasons. That’s a handsome sum for a running back, but the Bears went big in that avenue.

Swift was coming off his best season, in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Bears didn’t receive an adequate return on its investment in 2024. Swift has met expectations this go-around, with a Ben Johnson reunion that proved he fits in the system. Swift especially has been efficient after the Bears’ Week 5 bye, with their offensive line cranking up to support him. That can’t go unrecognized in this discussion.

But Swift has been dynamic working with Johnson, and that also must be recognized. He and Monagai have proved a formidable force this season, which has made Chicago’s offseason running back choices stand up.

Brandon Dorowski from Joliet, Ill.

How can the Bears capitalize on Micah Parsons being out?

Bair: Leave it to Johnson to come up with an appropriate game plan to account for it.

For those who might have missed it, the Packers lost star pass rusher Micah Parsons on Sunday to a non-contact knee injury reported to be a torn ACL. That’s rough stuff. It absolutely changes how the Bears will attack them. Rashan Gary is a good pass rusher, but Parsons is a game-changer.

The Bears must take advantage of the situation. Parsons’ absence should allow Chicago’s tight ends to become more active in the run game, which will be beneficial overall. The Bears should be more efficient and a better team because of the injury situation.