The Green Bay Packers are looking to get some revenge on the Chicago Bears on Saturday night in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs. The Bears swept the two-game season series, which helped them win the division and capture the No. 2 seed. All bets are off, though, when teams meet for a third time in a single season.
That said, the Packers, who have playoff battle-tested, won’t be phased by the bright lights of the postseason and will give the Bears everything they can handle. If you ask Packer fans what the keys to victory are, the first thing they would say is to get Christian Watson or whoever the ball in the slot against C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
However, the Packers won’t have the chance to exploit that matchup. The Bears' veteran defender was ruled out as he’s still in the concussion protocol, per Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. With Gardner-Johnson sidelined, the Bears could turn to Kyler Gordon, who was a full participant at practice and listed as questionable.
Packers Won't Get to Pick on C.J. Gardner-Johnson in Wild Card Game
Gardner-Johnson struggled in the first matchup against Green Bay as Jordan Love went right after the veteran defensive back. He allowed eight targets (nine completions) for 97 yards and a touchdown, and recorded a 109.0 passer rating.
The veteran cornerback’s numbers were slightly better in the second matchup, but Love and Malik Willis still went after him. Gardner-Johnson gave up two completions (four targets) for 40 yards and a touchdown, and posted a 125.0 passer rating.
The Packers will now have to face Kyler Gordon, who is an upgrade over Gardner-Johnson in the slot. However, Gordon has only played in three games due to injury. It’s potentially a bold move by the Bears to throw Gordon out there cold, as he last played on Black Friday.
That said, we are in a win-or-go-home situation, where it's all hands on deck. And if you are the Packers, you cannot shy away from attacking Gordon in the slot. We know when healthy, he is one of the better slot cornerbacks, but he has barely played this season.
This would be the game to feature Watson, Reed, and maybe even Golden in the slot to test Gordon and see if he’s truly 100 percent healthy. The Bears’ defense has been very opportunistic this season with takeaways. This worked in their favor thus far and will need to continue in the postseason.
However, they’ll give up big plays in the passing game, and when Love has the opportunity, he and his wide receivers must capitalize on it.