Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers: Full Green Bay Game Preview

The Green Bay Packers will have a short turnaround this week when they take on the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving this Thursday night at Lambeau Field.

The Packers (7-3) are coming off a much-needed victory over Minnesota to push them back into first place in the NFC North, while the Bears (4-6) have won two of their last three games and could have their best player (Matt Forte) back healthy this week.

Thursday's contest will be the first time Green Bay and Chicago face off on Thanksgiving in the 191-game history of their rivalry. It'll also be the first time the Packers play host on the holiday since 1923. 

Although the Bears own a 93-92-6 head-to-head advantage in the all-time series, it was the Packers who came away victorious back in Week 1 of this season in the first of two meetings between the division rivals.

In the 31-23 win, the Packers were led by Aaron Rodgers and James Jones—who caught two touchdowns in his return to the team he spent his first seven season with.

For Chicago, Forte tore it up on the ground to the tune of 141 rushing yards and a score.

With just days to go before the Bears visit the Packers in Week 12, let's go over everything you need to know ahead of this Thanksgiving night showdown.

Viewing Info

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: Thursday, November 26

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Week 11 Results and Recap

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

NFC North Standings

Team	W	L	T	PCT	Div.	PF	PA	Streak
Green Bay Packers	7	3	0	.700	2-1	249	198	W1
Minnesota Vikings	7	3	0	.700	3-1	211	184	L1
Chicago Bears	4	6	0	.400	0-3	214	251	L1
Detroit Lions	3	7	0	.300	2-2	185	274	W2

Week 11 Recap

The Packers snapped their three-game losing streak in a big way with a 30-13 road victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers tossed a pair of touchdowns, and Eddie Lacy ran for 100 yards to lead Green Bay's offense in the win over its division rivals. 

After being held without a catch a week ago, James Jones caught six passes for 109 yards—including touchdown and two-point conversion receptions on back-to-back plays. 

Green Bay's defense also caused all sorts of trouble, as it held the Vikings' Adrian Peterson to 45 rushing yards, a fumble and a score and racked up six sacks of opposing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Linebacker Datone Jones, playing in a new role on the outside, had two of those sacks. 

Kicker Mason Crosby even got in on the action, as he nailed all five of his field goals despite missing his game-winning try in the loss to Detroit last week.

It was a statement win for the Packers, who had fallen behind the Vikings in the division standings during their three-game skid. They not only handed Minnesota its first loss in six games, but they also tied the NFC North up with six weeks left in the season.

News and Notes

Mark Brettingen/Getty Images

Packers to Honor Favre

At halftime this Thanksgiving night, the Packers will honor Brett Favre by unveiling his retired No. 4 on the north end zone façade at Lambeau Field. 

Favre, 46, recently had his jersey number retired by Green Bay in July.

It will certainly be a monumental night in Packers history, as legendary quarterback Bart Starr is expected to make an appearance at the ceremony. Starr, who suffered a heart attack and multiple strokes a year ago, will fly from his home in Birmingham, Alabama to Wisconsin on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. 

Although Starr has gone through stem cell treatments in his recovery, the former Packers great does not remember his career with Green Bay, according to his wife, Cherry, via Demovsky. 

"I hope when Bart walks on the field that it will bring back a lot of really nice thoughts and experiences," Cherry told Demovsky Monday night. "I just think it will be really stimulating to him to see all the lights and all the people and to hear the cheering. I hope it brings back memories for Bart, even if it's just for that moment. It's been a long road to get to this point, and we're all very excited about it."

Favre was also announced Tuesday as a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The group of 25 will be narrowed down to 15 by January with inductions in Canton, Ohio scheduled for August. 

Team Hoodie Catching On

In last week's win over Minnesota, wide receiver James Jones debuted a new sweatshirt-under-the-jersey look that caught the attention of every football fan.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, a couple of his teammates have joined in on the fun.

"

Both Randall Cobb and Davante Adams joined James Jones on Team Hoodie at Packers... https://t.co/BZr3LJj1jL pic.twitter.com/6OeBEv0sYE

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 24, 2015"

Jones, who's made a habit of wearing a hooded sweatshirt under his jersey during practice this season, wore it in a game for the first time Sunday to keep warm. 

"I might break one out," Cobb said when asked whether he might wear a hoodie Thursday night, via Demovsky. "That’s crazy that it got that much attention."

"Man, we’ve all been wearing them hoodies in practice now forever," Jones said, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I definitely did not want it to get the attention that it has gotten. The only point I wore it was to stay warm. The same reason why I do in practice. For it to blow up the way it did, that wasn’t the intent. I’m not even on Twitter, and they’re talking about it’s got its own Twitter account."

Latest Injury News

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Week 12 Injury Report 

Player	Position	Injury	Status
Jared Abbrederis	WR	Rib/Chest	DNP
Davante Adams	WR	Ankle	LP
David Bakhtiari	OT	Knee	LP
Bryan Bulaga	OT	Knee	LP
Morgan Burnett	S	Ankle	FP
Jayrone Elliot	LB	Ankle	FP
Micah Hyde	DB	Hip	LP
Eddie Lacy	RB	Ankle	FP
T.J. Lang	OG	Shoulder	LP
Corey Linsley	C	Ankle	DNP
Clay Matthews	LB	Ankle/Knee	LP
Ty Montgomery	WR	Ankle	DNP
Mike Pennel	DT	Quadricep	LP
Damarious Randall	CB	Hamstring	LP
Aaron Ripkowski	FB	Ankle	FP
Josh Sitton	OG	Ankle	LP

** Official injury report courtesy of Packers.com ** 

DNP = Did not participate in Tuesday's practice; LP = Limited participation; FP = Full participation

Injury Notes

Despite 15 Packers appearing on this week's injury report, only three were held out of practice Tuesday. 

Most notably, Green Bay's starting center Corey Linsley failed to participate in practice after injuring his ankle in last week's victory over Minnesota. 

With a short week before Thursday night's game, it's still up in the air if Linsley will be able to go against Chicago. If not, backup center JC Tretter will be the man snapping to Aaron Rodgers, as he did on Sunday as Linsley's replacement in the second quarter. 

Green Bay fans may be a little unsettled to see the entire Packers starting offensive line on this week's injury report. Yet besides Linsley, the other four big men up front—left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), right tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) and guards T.J. Lang (shoulder) and Josh Sitton (ankle)—were all at least limited in Tuesday's light practice. 

Defensive back Micah Hyde left in the second quarter of Sunday's game on a cart after re-injuring his hip on a missed tackle that led to a Kyle Rudolph touchdown.

Hyde told reporters this week his hip goes numb "every time it gets hit," according to Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"The big thing was this is a lower-body injury, so that’s why I wasn’t going to walk off the field," Hyde said, via Cohen. "That’s why I was carted. I think people see the cart and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s going to go immediately into surgery.’ No, it was a lower-body injury and they didn’t want me walking off. It wasn’t that significant. It was a hit, it didn’t feel good, just kind of went numb on me."

Hyde was a limited participant in practice Tuesday, as the Packers prepare for a quick turnaround against the Bears. 

"It's never out of the question," Hyde said when asked if he could play Thursday, via Cohen. "Last week was hard to get ready and get going. Yes, this is a short week, but I’ve made progress since Sunday, so we’ll see."

In other news, tight end Andrew Quarless is eligible to play Thursday after being placed on injured reserve/designated to return on Sept. 30. 

Quarless, who injured his knee in the Packers' Week 3 win over the Chiefs, was required to miss a minimum of eight games with his designation. Still, he's yet to practice fully with the team and has only been seen working out on his own on the sidelines, according to Cohen.

"Every day, every time during practice I do my own thing on the side," Quarless said, via Cohen. "But I kind of mimic practice. That was our biggest thing to try to mimic practice. When they run certain drills, basically do the same thing."

It's unlikely Quarless will see the field on Thanksgiving on such a short week with almost no practice time, but it's still a good sign either way, as the Packers will get their starting tight end back soon enough.

Top Matchup

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

LB Clay Matthews vs. Bears RB Matt Forte

If the Packers are to win Thursday, they'll need to find an answer to the Bears star running back Matt Forte. 

Forte—who killed Green Bay in Week 1 to the tune of 141 rushing yards and a touchdown—sat out Chicago's last three games with an MCL sprain. However, the 29-year-old said he expects to play on Thanksgiving night.

Much like the Vikings' Adrian Peterson, Forte has haunted the Packers defense in recent years. In his past five games against Green Bay, he's rushed for at least 100 yards four times.

Then there's the damage the veteran can do as a receiver out of the backfield. Since 2008, Forte leads the NFL with 12,198 yards from scrimmage and 25 games with at least 150 all-purpose yards. 

The Packers should look to their defensive leader Clay Matthews to slow down Forte's big-play threat. The middle linebacker was outstanding in shadowing Peterson last week and was a big reason why Green Bay held the league's rushing leader to just 45 yards on the ground.

Forte, though, is much more versatile than his divisional counterpart—especially in Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase's scheme. On passing downs, Forte is deadly as a check-down option for quarterback Jay Cutler. Gase also calls up designed screen plays on numerous occasions. 

Matthews will need to man the middle and keep a watchful eye on Forte coming out of the backfield. Smelling out those screens early on and coming up to make a tackle could make the difference between a negative play and a 30-yard gain.

Green Bay's playmaker showed he was up for the challenge last week against Peterson with six tackles and two for a loss, but can Matthews replicate that performance on Thursday? 

Either way, a Matthews-Forte matchup will certainly be one to watch on Thanksgiving night.

X-Factor

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Packers X-Factor of the Week: WR Jeff Janis

For the first time this season, Jeff Janis played a key role for the Packers early on in their victory over the Vikings. 

After Micah Hyde went down with an injury on Minnesota's touchdown in the first quarter, Janis was the next man up as Green Bay's returner on the ensuing kickoff.

Although it was the second-year receiver's first return in his NFL career, he found a seam on the outside and broke off a 70-yard return to put the Packers in field-goal range right off the bat. Janis' play proved even more worthy when Green Bay went nowhere on the following drive, and Mason Crosby drilled a 47-yard field goal to put the Packers up 9-6. 

"I kind of had a feeling that I was going to be taking some kickoff returns this game anyway," Janis said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "I took a couple of reps in practice and talked with the coaches before I went out there and made sure I knew what I was doing. Had some great blocks, saw the hole and I took it." 

It was clear Janis' 4.42 40-yard dash speed finally paid off for the Packers—yet it wouldn't be the last time. 

On Green Bay's touchdown drive at the end of the first half, Aaron Rodgers put Janis' breakaway ability to good use when faced with a 3rd-and-15 at the Packers' own 15-yard line. 

Rodgers launched a deep pass downfield to a streaking Janis, who was then interfered with by Vikings cornerback Terence Newman to give the Packers a fresh set of downs in Minnesota territory. Janis had beaten Newman with pure speed, forcing a 50-yard penalty that would ultimately lead to a Green Bay touchdown.

"I was thinking I was going to beat him deep because I saw him settle into his feet, so I knew I was going to be able to run by him," Janis said of the play, via Demovsky. "Aaron [Rodgers] had some pressure, so he had to throw it up and then in order to get the P.I., I knew I was going to have to come back to the ball and attack it."

With Jared Abbrederis and Ty Montgomery both inactive Sunday, Janis was elevated to the No. 4 receiver spot. He saw just 20 snaps in the game and failed to catch either of the two passes thrown his way, but showed Rodgers and the Green Bay offense that his speed could be a weapon to unsuspecting defensive backs.

Janis could be in a similar situation Thursday as both Abbrederis and Montgomery have yet to practice this week and look doubtful to play against the Bears.

Janis will also likely be the kickoff returner again if Hyde is a no-go—the Packers' usual returner was limited in Tuesday's practice and could be held out if his recurring hip injury doesn't improve.

Prediction: Packers 34, Bears 16

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

When these two division rivals battled it out in the opening week of the season, neither expected what was to come next. 

The Bears would go on to lose four of their next six games and watched as their star running back went down with a sprained MCL. Ironically, in the three weeks Matt Forte missed, Chicago won two straight with a resurgent Jay Cutler and backup Jeremy Langford filling in.

Following their 31-23 victory over Chicago in Week 1, the Packers would win their next five games before a three-game skid of their own left fans all over the country wondering which Green Bay team to expect.

This Thanksgiving showdown will certainly be an exciting one with Aaron Rodgers and Co. finding their groove again and Forte returning to action.

Still, this matchup might end up coming down to how well Eddie Lacy plays in the aftermath of his 100-yard performance against the Vikings last week.

Chicago's 25th-ranked run defense enters the contest having given up 123.7 rushing yards per game on the year, yet has allowed just two 100-yard rushers in its last six games (Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Denver's Ronnie Hillman).

With Lacy seemingly taking back his lead role from James Starks in the offense, we'll see who the Packers choose to give the majority of carries to. It'll likely be a hot-hand approach, but if Lacy can get going early, there's no telling the damage he can do on the ground. 

Either way, expect Rodgers to have a huge game for a couple reasons—not only will both Brett Favre and Bart Starr be in the house, but Rodgers has also been notoriously better in prime time at home.

If that's not motivating enough, then the Packers should just trot out Scott Tolzien to troll the nation. With Mike McCarthy coaching, don't rule it out.

Prediction: Packers 34, Bears 16