Dope Sheet: Packers head to Chicago to face Bears

The Green Bay Packers will face their longtime rival, the Chicago Bears, on Sunday.

• Dating back to 2000, this is the third time the Packers will play the Bears coming out of the bye (2021 and 2014), both wins, but the first time they will play at Chicago following the bye.
• Overall, the Packers have won 10 straight games against the Bears, tying the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series (10 straight by Green Bay from 1994-98). The two 10-game streaks are the longest any team has against the Bears. The 10-game streak is also the longest current streak by an NFL team against a single opponent. During the 10-game streak, the Packers have a plus-127 scoring differential, a plus-16 turnover differential (19 takeaways, three giveaways) and have allowed 20 or fewer points in eight of the 10 wins.
• The Packers have won five straight at Chicago while not allowing more than 20 points in any of those five games, joining the 1928-30 Packers as the only NFL team to do that at Chicago.
• Green Bay has not allowed more than 28 points in 17 straight games at Soldier Field (including playoffs), tied for the longest streak by an opposing team at Soldier Field since the merger (Minnesota Vikings, 1971-88).
• The Packers are 54-53-2 at Chicago (including the postseason).
• Including a 2010 playoff victory at Chicago, Green Bay has won 25 of the last 30 meetings between the rivals at Soldier Field, including 13 of the last 14.
• Eight of the last 12 games between the two clubs at Soldier Field have been decided by single digits.
• Green Bay will be looking to win the week following the bye for the third time in the last four years, having beaten the Los Angeles Rams at home in 2022, 24-12. In 2021, the Packers beat the Chicago Bears at home, 45-30, after the bye to snap a four-game losing streak in games following the bye week.
• Green Bay will face an NFC opponent (Chicago) after the bye for the first time since 2022, the eighth time in the last 10 years (2015-24) and for the 16th time in the last 23 seasons (2002-24).
• Dating back to 2002, the Packers take on an NFC North team for the 11th time after the bye and for the fifth time on the road.
• It is the first time since 2012 (at Detroit) that Green Bay will play a road division game following the bye.
• Green Bay reached the bye with a winning record for the 12th time in the last 15 years and the 16th time in the last 25 years.
• It is the first time since 2009 that Green Bay went into its bye and comes out of its bye with NFC North games.
• In games immediately following its bye week, Green Bay has won 18 of its last 28 (.643), including wins in nine of the last 15.
• Since 2009, Green Bay is 84-49-1 (.631) overall after the bye.
• Under Head Coach Matt LaFleur (since 2019), the Packers are 28-11 in games played after the bye (7-5 in 2023, 3-1 in 2022, 4-1 in 2021, 9-3 in 2020 and 5-1 in 2019).
• Dating back to 1990 when bye weeks started, Green Bay is 19-15 (.559) in the game following the bye week.

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 Burkhardt joins analyst Tom Brady and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.
• 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 139 or 384 or through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).
• Sports USA Radio will be broadcasting the game to a national audience with Larry Kahn (play-by-play) and Mark Carrier (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 at Bears:

• All-time, regular season: 106-94-6
• All-time, postseason: 1-1
• All-time, at Chicago (regular season): 53-52-2
• Streaks: Green Bay has won the last 10 regular-season games played.
• Last meeting, regular season: Jan. 7, 2024, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 17-9

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 62-30-0, .674; (3-4 postseason); 6th NFL season
• Matt Eberflus: 14-29, .326; (0-0 postseason); 3rd NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 4-0 vs. Eberflus
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 10-0 vs. Bears; Eberflus 0-4 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 five seasons leading the Packers, authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 56 wins are tied for the second most in league history by a head coach in his first five seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (62 in 1989-93).
• 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).

MATT EBERFLUS…In his third season as the Bears' 17th head coach.

• Is in his 16th season in the NFL, having previously spent time with the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Dallas Cowboys (2011-17) and Indianapolis Colts (2018-21).
• In his second season as head coach in 2023, the Bears' defense led the league in total rushing yards allowed (1,468) and rushing yards per game (86.4), while the offense ranked No. 2 in the NFL in total rushing yards (2,399) and rushing yards per game (141.1).
• Finished third in the voting for the 2018 Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year after helping the Colts' defense improve from 30th in the NFL in scoring and total yards in 2017 to 10th in scoring and 11th in total yards in his first season as defensive coordinator in 2018.
• Spent 17 years as a college coach in various roles at Toledo (1992-2000) and Missouri (2001-08).

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

THE PACKERS-BEARS SERIES

• These two franchises have met 208 times (regular season and postseason), which is the most in NFL history. Green Bay's 106 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 (10-0) against Chicago since head coach Matt LaFleur took over prior to the 2019 season (2019-23).
• Green Bay's 10 consecutive wins over Chicago is the team's longest active win streak over a single opponent and is tied for 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 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 tight ends 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 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 played for the 49ers when Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich were on San Francisco's staff in 2018…Bears LB T.J. Edwards (2015-18) and LB Jack Sanborn (2018-21) attended the University of Wisconsin…Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was the RBs coach at Wisconsin in 2014…Bears WRs coach 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 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 Bears TE Gerald 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 also 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 Bears head coach Matt Eberflus coached together on the staff in Dallas from 2013-17…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.