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3 Players Who Must Step Up for Green Bay Packers to Beat Chicago Bears
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- 3 Players Who Must Step Up for Green Bay Packers to Beat Chicago Bears
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect)
There's a lot riding on the line for this one for the Green Bay Packers . The Chicago Bears are coming to town and their head coach, Ben Johnson, is intent on making another statement against his team's biggest rival.
Johnson has been talking the talk about his hate for the Packers, but unfortunately for Matt LaFleur and his team, Johnson has also been able to walk the walk. The Bears have backed him up with their play on the field.
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Johnson is 2-1 against the Packers as head coach of the Bears, and that includes last season's win over Green Bay in the playoffs.
A loss here would bring the Bears' winning streak over the Packers to three in a row, and that's just not something that can be acceptable in Green Bay.
Yes, it's been a relatively bad season for the Packers and yes, they're incredibly banged up. Losing star players like Zach Bako-Bewele, Jayden Reed and Edgerrin Cooper for the season, all before Week 5, is extremely unfortunate.
Things will start to feel better for the Packers if they can get the win over Chicago, though. That's not to mention the fact that 3-2 feels a lot better than 2-3, especailly in a tight NFC North.
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To win, these three players will need to step up for the Packers.
The Packers need Isaiah McDuffie to make plays against the run
Losing Cooper for the year hurts the Packers' long-term goals. He was playing like one of the best linebackers in the game and he was undoubtedly on an All-Pro trajectory. He finished the season with 21 tackles, three sacks, three pressures and one interception in 227 snaps.
That's elite.
The Packers won't be able to replace him one-for-one with Isaiah McDuffie, but they like McDuffie as a leader and they believe in his ability to at least be in the right place at the right time. This past offseason, they gave McDuffie a $4.85 million contract extension in the hopes that he would be a special teams stalwart for them and a solid backup linebacker.
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That plan had been going according to plan before Cooper's injury, but now the Packers are going to need McDuffie to step up.
He won't be able to make the plays in the passing game that Cooper could, but McDuffie is tough and a good run defender. At the very least, he should be able to help slow down Chicago's rushing attack.
The Packers need to get more from Kaleb Johnson
Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Kaleb Johnson (26) runs with the ball past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images.
Green Bay needs more from the running game and while MarShawn Lloyd is technically this team's RB1 right now, Kaleb Johnson has shown flashes of at least being able to run straight ahead and pick up some yards.
The problem with Johnson is that he fumbled at a crucial time in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fumbling within the five-yard line going into the end zone is going to get you benched, and there is a world in which LaFleur holds Johnson out for a period of time in this game as a punishment.
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With that said, he can bring a bit of a boost in this specific game, especially since Chris Brooks is likely going to be out with an ankle injury.
The Pack will try to get Lloyd going, but in what is certain to be a physical game against a pumped-up Chicago team, going with the tougher and bigger runner in Johnson may be Green Bay's best option.
The Packers need a Devonte Wyatt sighting against the Bears
Where has Devonte Wyatt been this season?
He's coming off a major leg injury, sure, but he's also coming off a 3-year, $57 million contract extension.
The Packers believed in him and his recovery enough to give him that extension, but the big man and former first-round pick has been on a milk carton through the first.
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We're talking about a handful of tackles, no sacks and just two quarterback pressures.
Green Bay needs Wyatt to be a big-time presence in the middle of the defense, especially with Micah Parsons still out.
Wyatt is the rare defensive lineman who can be both stout against the run and a beast as a pass-rusher.
We just haven't seen that yet in 2026. He needs to step up.
