Bears vs. Packers Week 18 Named Game to Watch

With the NFL releasing their entire 2024 regular season schedule last week, we now know when the Green Bay Packers will be playing their opponents. They will get the season started historically, playing the first NFL game in South America against the Philadelphia Eagles.

But, it is their final game of the regular season, against the Chicago Bears, that has caught the attention of analyst Bradley Locker of PFF. Locker put together a piece detailing 10 games that could define the 2024 season.

In his opinion, the regular season finale between the NFC North rivals fits the bill. The Bears and Packers have one of the most storied rivalries in NFL history that will be adding two more chapters in 2024.

“The all-divisional Week 18 slate seldom disappoints, but the attention should be focused on this NFC North clash. Having added Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen, the Bears should make some real noise after four years of misery. Likewise, the Packers turned heads in 2023 with stupendous play from Jordan Love and as good of a coaching job as any by Matt LaFleur. Anticipate both Chicago and Green Bay to be right on the cusp of the NFC Wild Card, and this one could be win-or-go-home in Round 2 between Williams and Love,” wrote Locker.

In the last two seasons, the Packers have participated in a Week 18 contest directly tied to a playoff spot. In the 2022 season, they needed a win over the Detroit Lions to advance to the postseason but were unable to get it done.

Last season, they needed a victory over the Bears to be alive to advance. They got the win, along with some help from other teams to win the tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks and earn the No. 7 seed.

The rest is history, as the Packers became the first No. 7 seed in NFL history to win a playoff game. They were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers during the Divisional Round, but the foundation is set.

Green Bay is on the cusp of contention and the Bears are looking to take major steps forward as well. That sets up what could be a huge matchup in the final week of the season, which consists of only divisional games.

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