You want to get the last laugh against the Bears? Beat them

Wes Hodkiewicz

Mark from Westminster, CO

It's here, the playoffs. Will we see the mistake-prone Packers or the grind-out-a-win Packers? This season flew by, I remember sitting in a Culver's when theMicah Parsonstrade happened. That seemed just like last weekend. I'm hoping for a win just to make this year unforgettable. GPG!

It's somewhat bewildering that I'm getting ready to cover a playoff game tonight. Where did the season go?

Derek from Sheboygan, WI

Are we going to see innovation and aggression on both sides of the ball on Saturday night?

I think we're gonna see innovation. I think we're gonna see aggression. I think we're gonna see focus. I think the Packers are ready. There were a few new additions to the roster this season, but most of these players have been in this position before. They felt the high of Dallas two years ago and the low in Philadelphia last January. EchoingJosh Jacobs' andXavier McKinney's comments, the playoffs are never a certainty. You can't take these opportunities for granted. These next 60 minutes will define all the work the Packers have done the past eight months. The opportunity they coveted after last year's loss to the Eagles is before them. That moment is here. All gas, no brakes.

Dave from Waterford, WI

What does Green Bay need to do in order to stop Chicago's running game?

Get D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to the ground. The Packers can't let those backs wiggle free for extra yards. Green Bay didn't allow a single run for more than 13 yards in that second encounter in Chicago but still yielded 150 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry to the Bears. That's too much production.

Mark from Canton, GA

Considering the forecast weather conditions, are you expecting an old-fashioned black-and-blue division rumble? I know I am.

I am. Obviously, the importance of running the ball well and stopping the run consistently grows in scale if snow, sleet, rain or wind becomes a factor this evening. In that regard, I like Green Bay's chances with Josh Jacobs healthy again. The Packers need to use him tonight.

Mark from Shoreview, MN

Call me too optimistic, but I think we play a game closer to what happened in Dallas a couple years ago. If it's rainy/snowy, don't you think the offense has a better chance?

I want to see the Packers protect the football and cash in on red-zone opportunities. If they do those two things, they win this game. If they don't, it's gonna be a long evening.

Troy from Westminster, CO

I don't look at the Bears as an inexperienced playoff team. From where I'm sitting, it seems they've been in playoff mode all season. Sometimes the most dangerous teams are the ones who don't know what they don't know. I suspect the Packers will surely not be looking at the Bears in that light, regardless of their playoff inexperience.

That's the right approach to take given how many down-to-the-wire games Chicago won this season. The Bears don't make it this far without being resilient.

Bruce from Jackson, WI

Hi Wes, here is my game plan. Knowing the Bears' track record this season, the Packers need to score early, score often (this is Chicago), and don't stop scoring till the clock reads zero. And my apologies toBrandon McManus, but no field goals, only touchdowns please. It's time to support the defense. GPG!

The Packers gotta punch it in. The season depends on it.

Eric from Keene, NH

As an ontological optimist, I see the defense getting untracked with a pick-six.

Promise?

Arn from Kenosha, WI

Since we know that "regression to the mean" is a mathematical (oops sorry) reality and not a theory, how many GB takeaways should we anticipate on Saturday night?

A takeaway (or two) a day keeps the offseason away. I likeSpoffs prediction in Final Thoughtsfor anEvan Williamsinterception. But you know what would really make the Packers sideline come unglued? A Trevon Diggs pick-six.

Ross from Summerville, SC

Gents, which defensive player will be the storyline on Sunday morning after the Packers win?

Lukas Van Ness. I'm with Spoff here, too. The Barrington, Ill., native has shown game-changing flashes when healthy this season. The Packers need a few to hold Caleb Williams in check.

Hannes from Glendale, WI

The regular-season game in Lambeau was chippy. The one at Soldier field was more. All else being equal, I like the team that's physical before the whistle, not after.

100%. The Packers can't be so focused on physicality that they forget to play with discipline. Extra-curricular activities after the whistle accomplish nothing. You want to get the last laugh against the Bears? Beat them.

Laura from Arlington, VA

Thoughts onJordan Lovebeing rusty?

Not worried about it. Like at all. I think Love plays well.

Kyle from St. Charles, MO

With the red-zone struggles at the end of the year, do you think Matt LaFleur changes his mindset Saturday night and kicks a field goal or two, or do you think he keeps his foot on the pedal pushing to maximize points and living with the consequences? I'm typically fine either way, but it sure would be nice for some of these fourth downs to be converted.

A field goal still goes down as 0-for-1 in the red zone, though. To me, the question isn't what do the Packers do on fourth down. It's what do they do with the three downs before that. They can't hurt themselves with negative plays and penalties inside the 20. The offense must keep pushing forward. Two made field goals is only worth six points. I want the seven. So, I'm going for it, y'all. Foot to the pedal.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

In the playoffs, I believe experience, especially at QB, is more important than home field. The one exception is a warm-weather team playing in an outdoor cold stadium. Therefore, the 49ers, Chargers and Houston are in trouble. Do you agree?

L.A. would be in trouble on any surface it plays the Pats on. As far as the other two, I feel like physicality travels and both San Francisco and Houston play physical. More specifically, I could see that Texans defense giving Aaron Rodgers and Co. trouble Monday night.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

Another co-worker moving on down the road. What will make Jon-Eric Sullivan a success down in South Beach? Why do the Dolphins think he is the right man for this job?

Sullivan is an excellent hire. He comes off this Ron Wolf scouting tree and has football in his blood as the son of longtime NFL coach Jerry Sullivan, who actually coached Miami's receivers in 2004. I can't believe it took this long for another NFL team to poach Sullivan, Milt Hendrickson or John Wojciehowski from Green Bay. All three are skilled scouts but even better men. I had a smile on my face after seeing the news of Sullivan's hire. He absolutely deserves it.

Mike from Geneva, IL

Jon-Eric Sullivan is being hired by the Dolphins to be their GM. Congrats to him and well deserved. Hafley's name has come up as a possible head coach candidate. With their familiarity, do you think this increases the odds Hafley will get hired by Miami?

That's the question everybody is asking, but only Sullivan and the Fins can answer it. I'm sure we'll see Hafley's, Anthony Campanille's and Mike McCarthy's name mentioned over the coming days and weeks.

Dale from Prescott, WI

If the Packers wouldn't have given the game away in Chicago, they would be 2-0 against them and the narrative for this game would be how hard it is to beat a team three times. So, we got that going for us, which is nice.

Insert Mike Tomlin's comment on aunts and uncles here, but I hear ya.

Steve from Scranton, PA

Wesjust one month ago, the Packers were soundly beating the AFC No. 1 seed on the road while jockeying for a potential No. 1 seed themselves. Obviously, disaster struck on multiple levels, and GB dropped out of the narrativeby the end of the Baltimore game even many of my GB-supporting friends had written off the season. But the beauty of sports is that sometimes (but not always), a player, coach or team gets that second opportunity and makes amends. Tonight, the Packers have that chance. GPG!

The last I checked, the Ravens' season is over and the Packers are one of 14 left in contention for the Lombardi Trophy. They did so by steadily taking care of business over the past four months. A new season begins tonight, the only season that matters.

Alan from Fresno, CA

"Excuses." Wow, what a great response by Mike to what stops at the kickoff of the postseason. I hope it made everyone stop and think. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. No excuses on either side. Just play your best football and beat the Bears! GPG.

The time to make corrections is over. Either you did or you didn't, and you gotta live with whichever reality is revealed.

Chris from Waukesha, WI

People can say what they want about Flores as Miami's HC, but there are two things that still remain true. 1. He was right about Tua. Mike McDaniel's "happy-go-lucky" approach with him didn't work and it cost both their jobs. 2. I want him to take a HC job somewhere just so he leaves MIN cause his defenses are darned good and I'm already sick of it. Now, Go Pack Go and beat Da Bears!

It's OK to be a players' coach, but you still gotta win. If you don't, the league will send you packing.

Josh from Nicaragua

The impending 18-game season...the shift to broadcasting games on a seemingly endless list of streaming platforms...yet I think we've missed the worst change the NFL is soon implement games seven days a week. The most effective way the NFL can increase revenue is to reduce the amount they compete with themselves for ratings by spreading out the games and having more standalone broadcasts. AI will figure out how to schedule the games, and player safety is irrelevant to the NFL. Mark my words...

Hopefully, the situation doesn't get that dire. While the league clearly has made a play for Christmas regardless of which day it falls on, I still think there's more value in the NFL owning Sundays from September to early December. Because as important as broadcast rights are, the league still needs to pack 70,000 fans in the stadium. That gets progressively more difficult on weekdays.

Jim from Hunterdon, N.J.

Just a comment. The NFL should never sell playoff games to such as Prime, they should just be on regular TV. Google Prime and you will see why Prime is giving back over two billion dollars to members because of the terrible way they try to trick you into joining when you pay for an Amazon order and then make it very hard to end out. I know it's just about bucks, but a company should have some good thought for the way they do business.

They should but they won't. As much as we talk about the challenges of cable in 2026, free over-the-air broadcasters are feeling the crunch of capitalism, too. Through each generation, fewer people in the 18-34 demographic are watching television. They're on streaming platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Prime. That's where live sports are heading.

Arnie from Kirkwood, MO

I just want the Pack to play up to their potential against the Bears. Do that, and we bring home a victory. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?

If only it was

Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN

Weston, I've said it before and will say it again when the stomach starts churning. In the words of the great Vincent T. Lombardi, here I thought I would be calm, but look at me, I'm a nervous wreck.

My adviceMake a strong cocktail, cook up some good food, and enjoy the butterflies, my friend.

Tallon from Castle Rock, CO

"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." I'm sure this quote from Lombardi is somewhere around Lambeau, but as Packers fans this is what we believe. Call it entitled or call it all-in, that is what separates the Packers from everyone else. Each year I try and temper my expectations but never am able to, I am once again fully invested, which will lead to heartbreak or hope. Can't wait to show the world that "The Bears Still Suck!"

That fear of heartbreak is what makes triumph so exhilarating.

Al from Green Bay, WI

You can't swing your hips unless you get into the dance. The Pack is in, and the music is about to start. The Packers will polka the Bears and come out with a W. Reasons to believe: 1) A healthy, playoff experienced Jordan Love. 2) Josh Jacobs is finally healthy, and he will rumble. 3) While Chicago has weapons, I'll takeChristian Watson,Jayden Reed,Romeo Doubsand Co. to make the biggest plays. 4) Even without Micah Parsons, the Packers' D is better. 5)Daniel Whelan, should the Packers need to punt. It's on! GPG!

Win the ball. Win the field. Win the game. It's the Packers and Bears squaring off for only the third time in postseason play. I don't know about you, but it feels like a perfect night to make a little more history to me.

Kristine from Grantsburg, WI

Thank you for your excellent content! I'm no Dean from Leavenworth, but a reader was missing poetry, so I thought I'd give it a shot:

Some disappointing losses could make lesser fans retreat.

But Green and Gold don't run; our spirit no team can defeat.

Adversity's pursued us, and of late it's dragged us down.

But strife makes men of courage kings; it's time to seize that crown.

The playoffs are beginning; every team an equal chance.

The Packers have their ticket; now let's see if they can dance.

Enjoy the game, everybody.

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