The Green Bay Packers finished the regular season 9–7–1, ending the year on a four-game losing streak but still clinching the NFC’s seventh seed and a Wild Card trip to Chicago. It marks Green Bay’s sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons under Matt LaFleur — and the third straight year his team has entered the postseason in that position.

Green Bay and Chicago have split their previous two postseason meetings. The Packers enter as 1.5-point favorites, which is unusual for a seventh seed facing a No. 2. Still, it’s a divisional matchup between teams that know each other well, setting the stage for a tight, hard-fought game that could come down to the final possession — with possible snow only adding to the atmosphere.

Today’s Hottest Take: Jordan Love will need to play his best for the Packers to win on Saturday — but he may not be the most important player on the field for Green Bay.

Make no mistake, if the Packers are going to make a deep playoff run, it begins with Jordan Love playing at his best. Still, a healthy Josh Jacobs could be just as critical on Saturday night, particularly with the weather in play. Both teams will want to lean on the run, and Jacobs is one of the NFL’s premier backs when healthy.

For the first time since his knee injury against the New York Giants, Jacobs did not appear on Green Bay’s injury report. On Wednesday, he said this is the best he has felt in six weeks.

Jacobs remained productive despite the injury, averaging 4.9 yards per carry against the Detroit Lions, 4.3 against Chicago in Week 14 and 6.1 versus the Denver Broncos, along with two rushing touchdowns. Still, he was visibly not fully healthy, which showed again in the second Bears matchup, when he was held to three yards per carry and fumbled inside the five-yard line. He then had just four carries against the Baltimore Ravens and did not play against the Minnesota Vikings in the regular-season finale. Good teams survive in January by running the football, and Green Bay will need No. 8 operating at full strength to make the offense truly multidimensional.

What You Need to Know: Green Bay will have an X-factor in the secondary that it did not have the last time it played in Chicago.

Green Bay sorely missed Evan Williams in its last trip to Chicago. Not only has he been the Packers’ second-best defensive back this season, but he has also played at an All-Pro level in 2025, impacting the game both in coverage and against the run.

Williams’ return also allows Javon Bullard to play closer to the line of scrimmage, specifically in the slot, where he has been at his best in recent weeks. It also gives Green Bay more stability on the back end with Williams and Xavier McKinney as the deep safeties.

"Every time he steps on the field, he does a lot of great things,” LaFleur said of Williams. “He's going to be a big player for us in this game."

With the pass rush all but nonexistent since Micah Parsons’ ACL injury, coverage will need to be airtight for the front to have a chance to get to the quarterback. Fortunately for the Packers, one of their most important pieces in the secondary returns this week.

Before You Go: No, Matt LaFleur is not coaching for his job this postseason.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that the delay in a contract extension for Packers head coach LaFleur has nothing to do with his standing within the organization and everything to do with financial considerations. Schefter added that he fully expects both LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to return to Green Bay next season.

"I think the bigger deal here is, can they figure out a contract of fair value to keep him there? I think that's what this is about," said Schefter."If they can't figure out a contract that works for both sides, well then you have to ask yourself, are they willing to let him go into the last year of his deal, which he would be, or what do you do about that?"

"I believe the priority will be to re-sign him to an extension this offseason,” Schefter added.