Predicting the rest of the 2023 Packers schedule with playoffs on the line

Week 18: Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers

Although nobody in the Packers fan base is rooting for the Chicago Bears, I was hoping they would creep back into the playoff mix and make things interesting somehow. And they would have done it if Darnell Mooney had been able to reel in a Hail Mary pass that was tipped right into his belly.

As it stands, the Bears are pretty much out of it. And by the time Week 18 rolls around, you can't shake the idea that they might be completely fixated on the future as an organization. Unfortunately for the Packers, that won't be the case for Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. He might be coaching his last game in Chicago.

And if that's the case, I think you can expect the Bears to do anything but roll over in this game. Newly acquired pass rusher Montez Sweat has helped change the trajectory of that Chicago defense, and he's been a menace off the edge ever since joining them. The Packers will have their hands full with a Chicago team that has played well over the last month and a half. They have won three of their last five games, and probably should have won all five.

But the Packers will have their backs against the wall in this one. How will they respond? How will this young team play under pressure while the Bears play with the last of their house money in 2023?

I think this matchup could go either way, but let's stay optimistic.

Prediction: Packers win 23-19 (9-8)