Emma: 3 storylines to follow in Bears-Packers

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The Bears (4-5) are looking to snap a three-game losing skid Sunday, when they'll host the rival Packers (6-3) at a key inflection point in their spiraling season. Kickoff is set for noon CT from Soldier Field.

Here are three storylines to follow in the matchup along the lakefront.

Gut-check game
The Bears seemed like a lost, lethargic football team in a 19-3 loss to the Patriots last Sunday, which continued their recent struggles. The Bears have seemed withdrawn ever since losing to the Commanders on a stunning Hail Mary on Oct. 27.

The Bears have maintained publicly that they've moved past that game, but privately at Halas Hall, they've attempted to pick up the pieces.

On Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears' biggest rival visits for the first of six NFC North games on Chicago's schedule in its final eight contests. That alone should be enough to motivate a sputtering football team.

The Bears need to realize that they're still within striking distance of the NFC playoff picture. This season isn't lost yet, even if it has that feeling at the moment.

How will the Bears respond Sunday? They'll either earn a galvanizing victory that lifts them up or suffer another dispiriting loss on a downward spiral.

Either way, we're about to learn a lot about the Bears and where they're going from here.

On the offensive?
The Bears made a rare move by firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday.

Until then, the Bears had never fired a head coach or coordinator during the course of a season. Doing so after just nine games was especially eye-opening – until you shift your focus back to the state of this scuffling offense.

Since their Week 7 bye, the Bears have scored a combined 27 points in three games. Chicago's offense has gone 23 straight possessions without a touchdown.

There was no defending Waldron's work. He failed the Bears as a team and wasn't fostering 22-year-old rookie quarterback Caleb Williams' development.

Williams has regressed in recent weeks after it seemed like he was ascending. Williams threw four touchdown passes during the Bears' 35-16 win over the Jaguars on Oct. 13 in London. In the three games since, he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass.

The Bears have turned to passing game coordinator Thomas Brown as their new offensive coordinator. Chicago's offense boasts plenty of talent, but it hasn't been utilized efficiently yet.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus didn't mince words when asked whether there can be a difference in the offense as Brown takes over for Waldron.

"I think significantly, I really do," Eberflus said of the expected changes. "And again, that's what we're looking for – significant change and efficiency. We want an efficient, effective offense, from the run game to the screen game to the play-action pass, dropback pass, from A to Z. And I know if we put our minds together and everybody works together, we'll get that done."

The offensive coordinator change was much-needed for the Bears. Now it's up to Brown to help them get moving.

Play the HITS
Part of why the Bears retained Eberflus for a third season as head coach was the collective buy-in of the team throughout a trying 2023 season.

In particular, Eberflus' leadership of the defense inspired hope among management at Halas Hall. But the Bears' defense has fallen off in recent weeks.

Chicago has just three takeaways in the last three games, over which it has also surrendered 1,159 yards.

The Bears have missed the 6-foot-1, 311-pound presence of nose tackle Andrew Billings, who anchored their run defense before suffering a season-ending pectoral injury in Chicago's loss to Arizona on Nov. 3. The Bears now rank 28th in the NFL in allowing 4.8 yards per carry and 24th in allowing 133.0 rushing yards per game. Packers running back Josh Jacobs has paced the way for Green Bay's offense and is fourth in the NFL with 762 rushing yards this season. He should be heavily involved in the game plan Sunday.

In the passing game, the Bears will look to take advantage of opportunities to make game-changing plays against Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who leads the NFL with 10 interceptions in seven starts. Love has thrown at least one interception in each game he has played this season.

If the Bears are to produce an inspired performance Sunday, it will need to come on the back of a defense that plays better.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.