5 Key matchups to watch in Green Bay Packers vs. Bears
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers will be back at Lambeau Field for a primetime matchup with the Chicago Bears. Although this game technically isn’t a must-win for the Packers, it certainly feels that way.
To help get you prepared for the upcoming divisional matchup, I’ve highlighted my five key matchups to watch as this game unfolds.
Darnell Mooney vs. Green Bay Packers secondary
Darnell Mooney isn’t Justin Jefferson, but he’s still a very good receiver that this Green Bay Packers defense has to be prepared for. It was a quiet Week 1 for Mooney in the Chicago monsoon, but he is coming off a 2021 season in which he caught 81 passes, including four touchdowns, and totaled 1,055 yards.
One would think that Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who coached under Matt LaFleur where pre-snap motion is an important element, saw how the Vikings put Jefferson in motion last week to exploit matchups in the Packers’ zone coverage scheme and may consider doing something similar with Mooney.
As Joe Barry told reporters, the Packers are a zone coverage team, so I wouldn’t go into this game expecting man coverage. Rather, this Packers’ secondary will simply have to play better and have fewer — or preferably zero — communication errors. If not, Mooney is a player who can do some damage.