LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The Bears (4-12) are looking to snap a 10-game losing streak and end their season on a high note when they visit the rival Packers (11-5) on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Here are three storylines to follow in the game.
Snap the skids?
Chicago heads to Green Bay carrying a pair of awful losing streaks. The Bears have lost 10 consecutive games this season and have lost 11 straight to the Packers.
This won't be the finale the Bears envisioned when they gathered at training camp in July hoping to emerge as a playoff contender. What ensued was a campaign filled with gut-wrenching losses and dysfunction.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Nov. 12 after just nine games on the job. A day after a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving, head coach Matt Eberflus was dismissed. Their firings marked the first time in franchise history that the Bears had dismissed a coordinator or a head coach in the middle of a season.
The Bears didn’t respond following Eberflus’ exit. They've gone 0-4 since interim head coach Thomas Brown took over, and they haven't been competitive for much of that span.
Caleb’s rookie finale
The Bears plan to play rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and their starters in the season finale Sunday.
“There's an opportunity,” Brown said. “That's not guaranteed. And I take that very seriously. Because opportunities aren't guaranteed. And one thing I hate more than anything is wasting time. When time is gone, you don't get it back. So, I want to maximize every moment I have and it'll be the same thought process as far as this team and this game on Sunday.”
Williams’ rookie campaign has been filled with challenges and frustration as he has dealt with coaching changes and a long losing streak.
Williams has thrown for 3,393 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He has been sacked 67 times, the fourth-most of any quarterback in a single season in NFL history. Former Texans quarterback David Carr holds the record in being sacked 76 times in 2002.
The Bears certainly hope Williams can avoid that painful record. They also believe there’s value in Williams playing in the season finale.
That Williams has reached this point without breaking – either physically or emotionally – is notable.
“The dysfunction or coaches being fired, yes, it’s been tough and challenging,” Williams said. “When you have to come in here and learn a whole new type of system and all these different things and then you have a multitude of different things that happen, whether it’s coaches being fired or coaches being promoted, a bunch of different things.
“Being able to go through this and being able to have this dysfunctional year in a sense of coaches and all of that, not winning as much as we wanted to, I think it’s going to be better for myself and better for us, but I wouldn’t say this is exactly what I was looking at or looking for or anything like that.”
Finish with some fight
The Bears' tailspin occurred in large part because they failed to respond after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Commanders on a last-second Hail Mary on Oct. 27. They sought accountability in the aftermath of that loss but came up empty. Too many players have seemed to check out as the season has continued to spiral.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who was just selected to the Pro Bowl for a second straight year, vowed to bring his best in Green Bay.
“F--- ‘em, that’s how I’m feeling,” Johnson said of playing the Packers. “I’m going to try to go out with a bang. It’s the last opponent on the schedule, so I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be a long time coming before we get another opportunity to play, so we’ve got to make the most of it.
“We’re all on the same page.”
For Johnson and the Bears to pull off an upset, they'll need to play focused, inspired football. That has been missing in their 10-game losing streak.
While there’s no erasing the disappointment of 2024, the Bears can end their miserable season on a high note if they finally beat the Packers.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on X @CEmma670.