2) Life without Parsons begins for Green Bay. Saturday’s showdown in Chicago will be the first game after Micah Parsons’ season-ending ACL tear, which raises a big question: How will the Packers’ defense adapt without one of the league’s best passers? Parsons led the NFL with 83 QB pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, and led his team with 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 26 QB hits in 2025. With 40 more QB pressures than the next Packers passer (Rashan Gary), Parsons’ impact was monumental for Green Bay’s sixth overall defense, allowing an 89.1 passer rating with Parsons on the field compared to a 101.4 rating from opposing QBs when off the field this season, according to NGS. With Gary providing a reliable presence, Green Bay will rely on Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare to step up their efforts. Van Ness returned last week from a nagging foot injury that forced him out most of the season, but was limited in snaps played. Enagbare, meanwhile, has been hot lately, scoring a QB hit in each of the last five games while collecting 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss during that span as a rotation piece. While the Packers’ pass rush should take a step back, it’s the Bears’ rushing attack that they may have to worry about more. Powered by D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai – the only running back duo in the NFL with over 650 rushing yards each in 2025 – Chicago leads the league with 171.1 rushing yards per game since Week 6, and that ground attack has really balanced the Bears’ offense and made them one of the best units in the NFL. Bears players Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are ruled out of Saturday’s game, making their rushing game a key part of getting Green Bay to make a stop – but they’ll have to figure it all out without Parsons.
