We talked with Acme Packing Company to get you set for Sunday’s big rivalry game
Once upon a time, the Chicago Bears dominated the rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. It’s true. For some of you, that may just come across like your grandpa spinning old yarns about yesteryear, but it’s true. I mean, sure gas prices were under a buck, LeBron James was a toddler, and people hadn’t even heard of the Internet, but it did happen. I know, I was there.
But it isn’t the 1980s, it’s 2024 and this rivalry has been embarrassingly lopsided for the city of Chicago and the fans of the Bears. There was hope that Caleb Williams and this new regime could start pivoting to a more competitive rivalry, but after a three-game losing streak, Bears fans’ confidence is the lowest it’s been in a long time.
To help you prepare for this matchup with the Packers, we sat down with Justis Mosqueda from Acme Packing Company to preview the game. Here is that conversation.
1. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the rivalry between the Bears and Packers has been competitive over the last 30+ years, but I was just looking at it, since the rise of Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre, you guys have had 6 total head coaches (and that includes 4 games with interim Joe Philbin) and 3 starting quarterbacks (not including injury replacements). I know success breeds consistency, but what do you think has been the key to having such a stable environment in Green Bay? There is nothing currently happening in Chicago that would make me want to ask that, nope, nothing at all.
Honestly, I think having a strong front office is the start of it. As long as people are taking multi-year looks at the progression of the team instead of trying to cover their butts, that goes such a long way for asset management. This whole thing was started by Ron Wolf. This is his baby. Did the team eventually lose Mike Holmgren because he felt like he deserved more power than he received? Yes. Did that eventually lead to Mike Sherman destroying the roster as head coach-general manager? Yes. But once the team self-corrected with Ted Thompson and now Brian Gutekunst, allowing them to make tough decisions like drafting Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love in the first round despite already having a starting quarterback on hand, success followed.
2. I thought it was pretty funny last year when the Packers got off to a slow start and I saw a lot of fans screaming for Matt LaFleur’s head. I think he’s become one of the best coaches in the league and I think his offensive system and style is in the elite group with the Andy Reids and Sean McVays. What do you think makes LaFleur such a good head coach beyond the offensive system and what makes his offense unique and allows it to hum?
LaFleur rides a hot hand, which allows for offensive skill players to get their opportunities. Just look at the tight end position, where Tucker Kraft was drafted after Luke Musgrave. Kraft is obviously the starter, even when Musgrave is healthy, but some teams would have fought tooth and nail to keep the higher draft pick in the starting role because of whatever politics led to that selection. Ultimately, Green Bay is a developmental program, which means you can adjust when some players are catching on quicker than others. Under LaFleur, we’ve seen real progress at every offensive position, as long as a player consistently gets reps.
Another thing that makes him unique is how much he’s willing to adjust his scheme around his players. When Allen Lazard was a featured player and Marcedes Lewis was their tight end, they weren’t afraid of crowding the line of scrimmage and using both as blocking weapons. With Malik Wilis under center, the Packers managed to go 3-0 because they leaned into a “spinner” series that you rarely see outside of the high school level. I think LaFleur’s history in college football and in Washington with Robert Griffin III helped him understand that you don’t have to “win” a certain type of way.
3. Where are the Packers fans and media with Jordan Love? He makes some elite throws no doubt, but he does put the ball in harm’s way quite a bit. I know he’s only had 25 starts but he’s also in his fourth year in the league. Is there a sense that he’s an elite QB in Wisconsin? Or is this a good quarterback with an elite offensive coach?
I think it’s easy to understand why Packers fans are disappointed in Love’s first half of the 2024 season, but they aren’t ready for heads to roll or anything. Green Bay’s teams tend to start slow under LaFleur, and Love’s knee and groin injuries sure didn’t help settle the team down early on. He’s making one completely bone-headed decision a game right now, but people are chalking that up to being a still relatively inexperienced quarterback who is trying to limit test. If the second half looks like the first half, it’s time to have conversations. No doubt. I don’t think anyone is pumping the breaks on the Love hype train just yet, though.
4. How confident are you that the Packers make the playoffs? I know that sounds crazy at 6-3, but I know after the Bears game there’s a massive game against the San Francisco 49ers where if the Packers lose that one, they would technically be out of the playoffs at 7-4 (assuming they beat the Bears) via tiebreaker. I don’t think anyone thought the NFC was going to be this difficult, but I think a 10-7 NFC team could absolutely be sitting home in January.
I think they make the playoffs, but a 12-5 record might only land them the 6th seed in the NFC this year, as crazy as that sounds. For now, I’m betting they’ll make it, but only because I think they still have six wins remaining on their schedule. If they drop the Vikings and Lions on the road and against the 49ers, I don’t know if their record will cut it.
5. Well, let’s talk about this game on Sunday. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Bears fan base so defeated heading into a Packers game. They expect Green Bay to not only beat the Bears, but to beat them by three or more touchdowns. I suppose it sets it up well for Bears fans where if the Bears get thumped again, they shrug their shoulders, but if they beat a good Packers team and make their path to the playoffs more difficult, it’s a huge win. In an odd way, I think the Bears (from a fan perspective) are playing with house money. The actual Bears team still believes they can turn this around and make a push for the playoffs being they have all 6 divisional games left. But fans just think it’s an easy way to end up 1-5 in the division. How do you think this one plays out and what is one weakness on the Packers that the Bears could potentially exploit and keep this one close?
I sincerely feel bad for you guys. Watching the drama around the offense, including these silly rumors that Tyler Bagent might be the best quarterback to win games in the short term, is nuts. It just doesn’t seem like Chicago has a stable foundation right now. Two weeks ago, before our bye, it felt like the Lions were catching us at the absolute worst time with all our injuries. This week, it feels like we caught the Bears right as they started spiraling.
I’m expecting a Packers win here, but as far as the weaknesses go, the biggest ones are on the defensive side of the ball. While turnovers have bailed Green Bay out plenty this year, their linebacker unit has not been great, their four-man pass rush hasn’t been able to get home and Eric Stokes is still a liability at cornerback. Without Preston Smith, who was traded at the deadline, and potentially down two starting defensive backs with injuries, there could be opportunities there.