Dope Sheet: Packers face rival Bears at Lambeau Field

The Green Bay Packers finish off the regular season with a home game against the Chicago Bears.

• It is the first time in the history of the series that the Packers will host the Bears in the season finale in back-to-back years. Green Bay won, 17-9, last season in Week 18 to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
• It is the fourth time (2010, 2020, 2023) that the two have ended the regular season at Lambeau Field.
• The Packers have 108 wins against the Bears all-time in the regular season and playoffs. That is tied for the most victories by one team against another in NFL history (108, N.Y. Giants over Washington).
• Overall, the Packers have won 11 straight games against the Bears, the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series (No. 2 is 10 straight by Green Bay from 1994-98). The 10 and 11-game streaks are the longest any team has against the Bears. The 11-game streak is also the longest current streak by an NFL team against a single opponent. Green Bay's 11-game streak against Chicago is its second-longest winning streak against any franchise (15 games, Chicago Cardinals, 1937-46). During the 10-game streak, the Packers have a plus-128 scoring differential, a plus-15 turnover differential (19 takeaways, four giveaways) and have allowed 20 or fewer points in nine of the 11 wins.
• Head Coach Matt LaFleur is the only coach in NFL history (Elias Sports Bureau) to win his first 11 games against the Bears (Dennis Green won his first six for Minnesota in 1992-94).
• LaFleur (11-0 vs. Chicago) is one of five head coaches in NFL history to be undefeated against a franchise (min. 10 games, including playoffs), joining Joe Gibbs (12-0 vs. DET), George Allen (11-0-1 vs. ATL), Blanton Collier (11-0 vs. WAS), and Curly Lambeau (10-0 vs. Tigers, 9-0-1 vs. Badgers).
• Green Bay has won eight straight and 14 of the last 16 meetings against the Bears at Lambeau Field.
• The Packers have outscored Chicago, 450-244, in the last 16 home games, scoring 20-plus points in 13 of those contests.
• Sunday will be just the second time in the last 16 seasons (2009-24) that the Packers and Bears will play in a noon (CT) game at Lambeau Field (2019 was the other).
• For the second straight season, Green Bay and Chicago will not meet in a prime-time contest. Prior to that, the teams had faced off in a prime-time matchup in 17 consecutive seasons (2006-22).
• This is the first noon CT kickoff for the Packers since Nov. 17 when they played at Chicago. Green Bay is 6-1 in games kicked off at noon CT this season, an .857 winning percentage that is tied for No. 4 in the NFL. Green Bay is 26-11 at noon under LaFleur, a .703 winning percentage that ranks No. 4 in the league since 2019.
• For the fourth straight season and the fifth time in the last six years, the Packers finish the regular season with back-to-back NFC North contests.
• The Packers end the regular season with five NFC games for the second straight year.

WITH THE CALL

FOX Sports, now in its 31st season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game.

• Play-by-play man Kevin Kugler joins analyst Daryl Johnston and sideline reporter Laura Okmin.
• The game is also available through NFL Sunday Ticket by YouTube.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 97.3 The Game – WRNW-Milwaukee is in its third season as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst), and three-time Packers Pro Bowler John Kuhn (sideline reporter) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 30th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 26th season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 162 or 227 or through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).
• Sports USA Radio will be broadcasting the game to a national audience with Josh Appel (play-by-play) and James White (analyst) on the call.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

Packers vs. Bears:

• All-time, regular season: 107-94-6
• All-time, postseason: 1-1
• All-time, at home (regular season): 53-42-4 (41-24 at Lambeau Field)
• Streaks: Green Bay has won the last 11 regular-season games played.
• Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 17, 2024, Soldier Field, Packers won, 20-19

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 67-32-0, .677; (3-4 postseason); 6th NFL season
• Thomas Brown: 0-4, .000; (0-0 postseason); 1st NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 0-0 vs. Brown
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 11-0 vs. Bears; Brown 0-0 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his sixth season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Is in his 16th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first six seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 67 wins are the second most in league history by a head coach in his first six seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (75 in 1989-94).
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

THOMAS BROWN…In his first season as the Bears' interim head coach.

• Named interim head coach on Nov. 29, 2024, previously serving as the offensive coordinator (Weeks 11-13) and offensive passing game coordinator (Weeks 1-10) for the Bears this season.
• Prior to Chicago, spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Helped WR Adam Thielen produce his third 1,000-yard season on 103 catches, the second-most single-season receptions in his career.
• Started his NFL coaching career with the Rams, serving as the running backs coach (2020), assistant head coach/RBs (2021) and assistant head coach/TEs (2022).
• Spent the first nine years (2011-19) of his coaching career in the college ranks, serving as a running backs coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga (2012), Marshall (2013), Wisconsin (2014), Georgia (2015) and South Carolina (2019). Also served as the offensive coordinator/RBs coach at Miami (Fla.) in 2016-18.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE PACKERS-BEARS SERIES

• These two franchises have met 209 times (regular season and postseason), which is the most in NFL history. Green Bay's 107 regular-season wins over Chicago are the team's most over any opponent.
• The teams have only met twice in the postseason with the most recent meeting following the 2010 season. The Packers beat the Bears, 21-14, at Soldier Field to earn a berth to Super Bowl XLV.
• With two wins over the Bears in 2017, Green Bay took and maintained the advantage in the series for the first time since leading 11-10-4 following the 1932 season.
• Green Bay is undefeated (11-0) against Chicago since Head Coach Matt LaFleur took over prior to the 2019 season (2019-24).
• Green Bay's 11 consecutive wins over Chicago is the team's longest active win streak over a single opponent and is the second-longest win streak over a single opponent in team history.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers WR Jayden Reed was born in Chicago, Ill., and attended Naperville Central High School as a senior…Packers DL Lukas Van Ness was born in Elgin, Ill., and attended Barrington High School…Packers S Xavier McKinney was born in East St. Louis, Ill. …Packers T Kadeem Telfort spent one season (2019) at Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill. …Packers offensive line coach Luke Butkus served as an offensive assistant/assistant OL coach for the Bears from 2007-09 and was an offensive line coach at the University of Illinois in 2012 and from 2016-18…Butkus, who attended Bloom Trail (Ill.) High School, also signed as a rookie free agent with the Bears in 2002 and is the nephew of Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus…Packers strength and conditioning assistant Todd Hunt was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the football program at Illinois in 2018…Packers VP of player health and performance Bryan Engel is from Hanover Park, Ill., and attended the University of Illinois…Packers TEs coach John Dunn was a football assistant for the Bears in 2016 and an offensive assistant for the team in 2017…Packers senior personnel executive Lee Gissendaner played wide receiver at Northwestern from 1990-93…Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2003-07…Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington was on the Wildcats' coaching staff from 2004-07 while Murphy served as the athletic director…Bears RBs coach Chad Morton spent five seasons with the Packers as a coaching administrator (2009) and special teams assistant (2010-13)…Bears TE Marcedes Lewis spent five seasons (2018-22) with the Packers…Lewis was also with the Jaguars when Butkus and Packers DL coach Jason Rebrovich were part of Jacksonville's coaching staff…Bears DL Jonathan Ford was selected by the Packers in the seventh round (No. 234 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft and spent time on Green Bay's active roster and practice squad in 2022-24…Bears DB Jonathan Owens played in all 17 games and both postseason contests for the Packers in 2023…Owens, Bears DL DeMarcus Walker and Packers LB Eric Wilson were teammates with the Texans in 2021…Bears DB Tarvarius Moore spent time with the Packers during the 2023 offseason…Moore (2018) and Bears CB Adrian Colbert (2017-18) played for the 49ers when Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich were on San Francisco's staff…Bears LB T.J. Edwards (2015-18) and LB Jack Sanborn (2018-21) attended the University of Wisconsin…Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown was the RBs coach at Wisconsin in 2014…Brown also served as the RBs coach at South Carolina when Packers DL Kingsley Enagbare played for the Gamecocks in 2019…Bears interim offensive coordinator Chris Beatty was on Wisconsin's coaching staff in 2013-14…Beatty (2021-23) and Brown (2021-22) were on the Chargers' coaching staff with Packers passing game coordinator (defense) Derrick Ansley…Ansley (2021-23) was on the Chargers' coaching staff when Bears WR Keenan Allen (2013-23), LB Amen Ogbongbemiga (2021-23) and TE Gerald Everett (2022-23) were on the team…Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Bears offensive run game coordinator/OL coach Chris Morgan coached together in Washington from 2011-13 and Atlanta from 2015-16…LaFleur was the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2017 when Everett played for the team…LaFleur also coached with Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower in Houston in 2008 and in Washington from 2010-13…Bears defensive passing game coordinator/CBs coach Jon Hoke was also on Houston's staff in 2008 with LaFleur and Hightower…Hightower was on Cleveland's staff with Hafley and Packers DBs coach Ryan Downard in 2014 and on San Francisco's staff from 2017-21 with Hafley, Stenavich, Packers assistant DL coach Vince Oghobaase and strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Hill…Bears TEs coach Jim Dray was a player for Cleveland when Hafley and Downard were on the Browns' coaching staff in 2014-15…Dray was on the Cardinals' staff with Packers QBs coach Tom Clements (2020) and offensive QC coach Rob Grosso in 2020-21…LaFleur (2014) and Packers WRs coach Ryan Mahaffey (2014-15) were on Notre Dame's coaching staff when Bears LS Scott Daly played for the Fighting Irish…Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and Packers special teams assistant Byron Storer were on the Raiders' coaching staff with Bears DL coach Travis Smith and offensive QC coach Zach Cable in 2018-21…Bisaccia also coached with Bears assistant special teams coach Carlos Polk with the Chargers in 2011-12 and the Cowboys in 2013…Butkus was the OL coach at Illinois during Bears OL Doug Kramer Jr.'s first two seasons playing for the Fighting Illini in 2017-18…Packers QB Malik Willis (2022-23), T Andre Dillard (2023) and LS Matt Orzech (2020-21) were teammates with Bears DB Kevin Byard III (2016-23) in Tennessee while Bears assistant OL coach Jason Houghtaling was on the Titans' coaching staff…Orzech and Bears defensive QC coach Kenny Norton III were college teammates at Azusa Pacific in 2015-17…Former college teammates include: Packers G/T Elgton Jenkins and Bears DL Montez Sweat (Mississippi State); Packers DL T.J. Slaton, LB Brenton Cox Jr. and Bears DL Gervon Dexter Sr. (Florida); Enagbare and Bears DL Zacch Pickens (South Carolina); Packers LB Quay Walker, DL Devonte Wyatt, CB Eric Stokes, S Javon Bullard, Cox Jr., Bears DB Ameer Speed, DB Tyrique Stevenson and RB D'Andre Swift (Georgia); Packers WR Jayden Reed and Speed (Michigan State); Packers DL Lukas Van Ness and Bears P Tory Taylor (Iowa); Packers RB Chris Brooks and Bears OL Jake Curhan (California).