LAKE FOREST Womens Reggie White Jersey , Ill. (AP) — Clinch the NFC North championship and beat a heated rival to do it? The Chicago Bears couldn’t have asked for a sweeter scenario.That’s exactly the opportunity they’re staring at when they host Aaron Rodgers and the fading Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon.“It would be very exciting,” quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said. “We know this is a big week for us, and a lot comes with it.”Article continues below ...With six wins in the past seven games, the division championship and a playoff spot are just about in hand.A win over the Packers (5-7-1) would clinch the North for the Bears (9-4). So would a loss by Minnesota to Miami. And ties by both the Bears and the Vikings would do the trick, too.Even if they don’t clinch the division, they could still secure a playoff spot on Sunday. In that case, a tie against Green Bay — or a tie or loss by Washington against Jacksonville — would send Chicago to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 team won the NFC North.Of course, with a victory comes this added bonus: beating Green Bay. It would also give the Bears a measure of revenge for that season-opening gut punch at Lambeau Field, when Rodgers got carted off the field with a left knee injury and came back to lead the Packers from 20 down to a 24-23 victory.“It’s a special moment in my career,” Rodgers said. “It is the Bears, and the injury I was dealing with and the pain and 20-0 and coming back and winning that game. It seems a long time ago, standing here in Week 15, but that was a good moment for us. It’s a better moment when you parlay those into big-time winning seasons and championship runs, but it was a special moment for sure.”The teams’ fortunes sure have changed since.The Bears have emerged as a force in the NFC in their first season under coach Matt Nagy after four straight last-place finishes. The Packers fired Mike McCarthy in his 13th season two weeks ago and made offensive coordinator Joe Philbin the interim head coach, hoping to jolt a team in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight year.The Packers won his debut Womens Davante Adams Jersey , beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-20. The Bears beat the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams 15-6 last week, with their defense squashing one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.Here are some things to know with Chicago on the verge of securing a playoff spot and Green Bay’s hopes fading:STREAK VS. STRENGTHIt’s a case of a streak vs. strength when Rodgers faces Chicago’s turnover-happy defense. The Bears are first in the NFL in turnover margin at plus-13. Rodgers hasn’t thrown a pick since Week 4, when his pass over the middle for Jimmy Graham was deflected twice before being intercepted by Bills safety Jordan Poyer on second-and-4 from the Packers 49. It’s the only interception this season for Rodgers. Since then he’s had 368 straight attempts without an interception to set an NFL record.“Yeah, you know hopefully it stays that way,” Philbin said as he knocked on a wooden podium for good luck. The Packers are plus-2 in turnover margin, tied for 14th in the league.ROAD WOESWith an 0-6 road record and eight straight losses dating to last season, the Packers sure have experienced difficulties away from Lambeau Field. That’s something they hope to change against Chicago.The Packers have won nine of the past 10 meetings overall. They also have an eight-game winning streak at Soldier Field, counting the postseason.COMFORT AT HOMEWhile the Packers have struggled on the road, the Bears are 6-1 at Soldier Field.That gives them their highest win total at home since going 6-2 in 2008. And if they beat Green Bay, the Bears would finish 7-1 at home for the first time since 2005.Also, Nagy’s nine victories are the most by a coach in his first season with the Bears since Paddy Driscoll led the 1956 team to a 9-2-1 mark.TURNOVER TIMESpeaking of turnovers, the Packers’ defense has been hit or miss when it comes to takeaways. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland accounted for both of Green Bay’s takeaways last week with an interception return for a touchdown and fumble recovery, though the latter came on a botched shotgun snap. Still, the win over the Falcons ended a two-week stretch without a takeaway.OFFENSIVE OUTPUTThe Bears would certainly welcome a better showing from Trubisky. He struggled against Los Angeles after missing back-to-back games because of a right shoulder injury, with a season-high three interceptions and a 33.3 rating that was his lowest of the year.One positive for the Bears’ offense: Jordan Howard running for a season-high 101 yards. Despite massive upgrades in personnel at outside linebacker http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-aaron-rodgers-jersey , the Packers defensive improvement still hinges on the development of the secondary." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesAcme Packing Company homepageHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityFollow Acme Packing Company online:Follow Acme Packing Company on TwitterFollow Acme Packing Company on FacebookFollow Acme Packing Company on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchAcme Packing Company main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Packers’ improvement on defense likely to come from secondary, not revamped pass rush TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailAdrian Amos may not turn his with splashy play, but the stability he brings has significant implications for this defense. Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty ImagesInvesting tens of millions and a top-15 pick in the outside linebacker position signaled Brian Gutekunst’s willingness to prioritize a need position, but that doesn’t hold the keys for defensive improvement in Green Bay. Creating sacks last season wasn’t the problem for the Green Bay Packers under Mike Pettine, with his intricate, terrorizing pressure schemes. The depletion of the secondary cost his squad the chance to take the proverbial step forward and, even with those pass rush reinforcements, that holds true again in 2019. Gutekunst’s biggest opportunity to improve this defense came more from his secondary additions in free agency and the first round. When the Packers gave up a late rally against the Vikings in Week 2 last season, two enormous factors stand out: Davon House coming in and getting torched coupled with Kentrell Brice getting lost on a handful of enormous downfield plays. “We probably didn’t handle Kevin King’s injury very well,” then-head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. “We just weren’t as detailed down the stretch.” This was, in part, the story of the defensive season. King couldn’t stay on the field, Jaire Alexander missed some time, and Tramon Williams had to move positions to steady the defense after the Ha Ha Clinton-Dix trade. Josh Jackson and Tony Brown weren’t prepared to shoulder that large of a burden and the defense struggled as a result. It wasn’t the pass rush that let this team down. Green Bay didn’t add at the cornerback position, but Williams becomes a de facto addition by heading back to the cornerback room. Adrian Amos offers the stability in the deep secondary that Ha Ha Clinton-Dix never could Womens Antonio Morrison Jersey , while Darnell Savage will get the chance to provide the playmaking Ted Thompson never could replace after Nick Collins’ career-ending injury. Despite all the complains about the lack of pass rush from the Packers, a group forced to heavily feature Reggie Gilbert and surging Kyler Fackrell finished 10th in adjusted sack rate, 9th in sacks overall, and 9th in pressure rate per Pro Football Focus. Pettine’s ability to scheme rushers free made up for the lack of individual pass rush talent. Fackrell winning some of his individual battles doesn’t serve as a counter to this notion either, although he converted pressures to sacks at an entirely unsustainable rate. He did beat some offensive tackles to get his sacks. This wasn’t just Pettine scheming him free. On the other hand, indecision from offensive lineman wondering where pressure is coming from at all times manifests in subtle ways. It can make life easier for the Packers pass rushers even when they’re bringing traditional rushers from traditional spots. Getting better on the edge with rushers who can create on their own helps Pettine dial up more exotic coverage looks should he choose to run them, while also focusing more on helping out the back end rather than having to create so much out of whole cloth with the pass rush. The Patriots actively subvert their pass rush to prioritize coverage, a plan that has helped Bill Belichick win half a dozen Super Bowl titles and solidify himself as the greatest coach of the modern era.“It’s all tied in to the coverage,” Belichick said back in 2015 of his defense. “If you have the receivers covered, it gives the pass rush more opportunity. If you don’t have the receivers covered, then even a good rush isn’t going to result in a quarterback getting tackled, probably. The interceptions are a result of pass rush, just like sacks are a result of coverage,” Complementary football defines the Patriots dynasty. No one has played better complementary or situational football in the last two decades. With the Packers struggling on the back end, it creates a higher burden for Pettine to manufacture pressure. Manufacturing coverage is nearly impossible. “Overall Womens Jamaal Williams Jersey , you need good coverage to have a good pass rush, and a good pass rush to have good coverage,” Belichick says. “When those two have been in sync, we’ve been more productive. When they haven’t, we’ve given up some plays.”Getting more pass rushers should make the coverage better in Green Bay, but the street runs both ways. Alexander and Jackson need a Year 2 jump, the latter in particular. Late in the season, the light appeared to go on for the second-round pick from Iowa, though he never showed the playmaking and ball skills we saw from him in the preseason. Perhaps that is coming. King’s role starts with staying on the field. He showed early flashes last season of becoming a very good player and Alexander did more than just flash. The two of them together hint at something great, but each have injury histories and have to stay out of the training room. Jackson, for his part, came to the NFL raw as a man coverage player. This was always going to take time. One doesn’t simply forget how to play the ball or read a quarterback. There’s still potential to get a lot better and even if he just makes an incremental step forward, the top three takes shape. Beyond that, Tramon Williams gets to slide back to his more natural position to play in the slot or the outside. He can start if Jackson comes along slowly or in injury situations. In 2019, he can be insurance at the position he’s been paid to play Womens Aaron Ripkowski Jersey , not the one where injuries and underperformance forced him to play. Much like the pass rush makes the secondary better, the enormous improvement at safety ought to bolster the coverage of the cornerbacks. Fewer blown coverages, missed tackles, and missed assignments should allow guys like Alexander and Jackson to resume their college roles as playmakers. Likewise, if Amos and Savage can rely on those corners to consistently do their job, the doors open to splash plays of their own. Gutekunst found a way to buoy the talent levels of two critical need positions, ones that ultimately work in tandem to make the other better. Green Bay’s pass rush would have jumped if only from the upgrade in the secondary even if they had to trot out the underwhelming group from last year. Likewise, having to play Kyler Fackrell and Reggie Gilbert becomes easier with the talent infusion and hopeful improvement in the secondary. The combination should amplify the positive impact of each individual move, but Pettine could have handled creating pass rush on his own. He couldn’t manufacture the consistency and playmaking he needed in the secondary. So, his GM went and got consistency and playmaking for him. To make sure those moves took hold, he also gave Pettine some new toys to make that pass rush even more monstrous. If the Packers’ mad scientist defensive coordinator could make last year’s group work getting to opposing quarterbacks, imagine what he can do with this re-tooled group.