The Bears (9-3) will seek their sixth consecutive win and 10th in their last 11 games Sunday when they visit the rival Packers (8-3-1) in a battle for first place in the NFC North at Lambeau Field.

The Bears are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff race. They'll head to Green Bay having won five of their last six road contests, including four in which they rallied to erase a deficit in the final 2:00 of regulation.

The Packers have won three straight games and six of eight since their Week 5 bye.

"They're playing good football right now," said coach Ben Johnson. "They've really come on, especially these last three games. Offense is playing at a high level. Quarterback is very accurate. So we've got a challenge on that side, and this defense, it might be the best defense we've seen all year. All hands on deck; it's going to take all three phases for us here this week."

When the Bears have the ball

Caleb Williams quarterbacks an offense that ranks eighth in the NFL in scoring (26.1 points per game) and sixth in total yards (374.3), second rushing (153.8) and 15th passing (220.4). The unit has produced an NFL-high 94 explosive plays (passes of 20-plus yards and runs of 10-plus yards). The Packers will counter with a defense that has permitted 51 explosive plays, the second fewest in the league.

The Bears have excelled on the ground, rushing for an average of 179.6 yards in eight games since their Week 5 bye, tops in the NFL. That includes outings of 283 yards Nov. 2 in Cincinnati and 281 yards on Black Friday in Philadelphia. The rest of the league has combined for one 250-plus-yard rushing effort on the road this year.

In last Friday's 24-15 win over the Eagles, Kyle Monangai (22 carries for 130 yards) and D'Andre Swift (18-125) became the first Bears teammates to both rush for at least 125 yards in a game in franchise history.

The passing game, however, has not been as effective, and Johnson addressed that aspect of the offense with players during a Monday meeting at Halas Hall. Later in the day, he told reporters: "Everybody's got a role to play to get this pass game cleaned up."

On Tuesday, Johnson stressed that his comments about the need to improve the pass game were directed at all 11 players on offense and were not a criticism of Williams.

"It's easy to construe it as I'm not happy with the quarterback," Johnson said. "That's not the case whatsoever. He continues to get better each and every week, and I couldn't be more pleased with how he played last week."

This season, Williams has thrown for 2,722 yards with 17 touchdowns, five interceptions and an 88.2 passer rating. He has demonstrated outstanding scrambling ability, rushing for 306 yards and three TDs on 61 carries. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has drastically reduced the sacks he's taken from 68 last season as a rookie to 19 this year.

The offense will be shorthanded Sunday, with leading receiver Rome Odunze (44 catches for 661 yards and 6 TDs) ruled out of the game with a foot injury.

The Bears will face a stout Packers defense that ranks sixth in the NFL in points allowed (18.8 per game) and fourth in total yards, eighth against the run and sixth versus the pass. The unit had limited four straight opponents to fewer than 21 points before a 31-24 Thanksgiving win over the Lions in Detroit.

Green Bay's defense is led by edge rusher Micah Parsons, who ranks third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks, including 6.0 in his last three games. Traded from the Cowboys to the Packers Aug. 28, he is the only player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons.

"He's certainly a challenge," said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. "There's a number of guys that you play in the league that you have to be aware of on every snap. He's one of those guys. Very talented player. He's slippery. He's a great pass rusher. They'll move him around. They do a great job in the defensive scheme of putting him in different positions, and it's simple to them, and yet it can create complex looks for us. So the biggest thing is that you don't overlook anything. You don't overlook where he is on the field. You've got to be aware of him at all times and that's really the way the plan gets put together."

The Packers defense also features end Rashan Gary (7.5 sacks), linebackers Edgerrin Cooper (86 tackles) and Quay Walker (84 tackles) and, according to Johnson, "probably the two best safeties we've seen all year" in Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney, who have combined for 153 tackles and five interceptions.

"Personnel-wise, they're pretty loaded across the board," Johnson said. "And when you combine it with the scheme … those guys just go out and they play really, really fast, and that's what shows up all over the tape."

Key matchup: Bears offensive line vs. Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons

The Bears offensive line has been performing at an exceptionally high level in both the run and pass games and will need another strong outing Sunday to contain Parsons, a game wrecker who lines up all over the field. Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo and right tackle Darnell Wright will probably oppose Parsons the most, but he also occasionally lines up inside as well, so it will require a collective effort.

When the Packers have the ball

Jordan Love quarterbacks a Green Bay offense that ranks 10th in the NFL in scoring (24.5 points per game) and 13th in total yards (340.6), 16th rushing (117.2) and 13th passing (223.4). The unit is especially adept in the red zone, scoring TDs on 67.4% of its possessions inside-the-20, the third best rate in the league.

This year, Love has completed 67.0% of his passes for 2,794 yards with 19 TDs, three interceptions and a 104.3 passer rating that ranks sixth in the NFL. In Green Bay's Thanksgiving victory in Detroit, he tied a career high with four TD passes.

"I see a quarterback that does a really good job of processing," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "He gets to his reads, he knows where he wants to go with the football, he delivers the ball accurately. I see a guy that's playing really at a high level, and he's got a lot of good skill players to get the ball to. So it's certainly a challenge for us, that's for sure."

Love likes to spread the ball around. Receiver Romeo Doubs leads the Packers with 45 receptions for 542 yards and 5 TDs. But since making his season debut in Week 8, Christian Watson tops Green Bay wideouts with 363 yards and three TDs. Running back Josh Jacobs has rushed for 731 yards and 11 TDs, tied for the second most in the league.

"They have a multitude of guys that they can get the ball to," Allen said. "They've had a lot of guys that have stepped up in critical moments and made plays, and it's not always the same guy. So they make you defend all five skill players on the field. You have to defend all five of them on every single play because you don't know where the ball is going to go."

The Bears defense has permitted fewer than 21 points in three of its last four games and will head north leading the NFL with 26 takeaways and 17 interceptions. With the offense committing nine giveaways, the Bears boast a plus-17 turnover ratio that's tops in the league by a wide margin—no other club is better than plus-9.

The unit will be bolstered Sunday by the return of veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards, who has missed the last four games with hand and hamstring injuries.

Safety Kevin Byard III leads the NFL with six interceptions and cornerback Nahshon Wright tops the league with eight takeaways via five picks and three fumble recoveries. Wright was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month after generating a takeaway in all five of the Bears' November games. He's the team's first player to force turnovers in five straight contests since at least 1970.

Meanwhile, the Packers have committed the fewest giveaways in the NFL with seven. The Eagles previously held that distinction with six before the Bears produced two takeaways during their Black Friday win in Philadelphia.

Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Packers right tackle Zach Tom

Sweat leads the Bears with 7.5 sacks, including 6.5 in his last seven games. He'll spearhead a pass rush against Love and set the edge for the run defense against Jacobs while battling Tom, who is the NFL's only offensive lineman to start at least 45 games over the past four seasons and not be penalized for holding.

Fun facts

• Sunday's meeting between the rivals is only the second in the Super Bowl era with both teams being at least five games above .500. The only other occurrence was Dec. 9, 2001, when Green Bay's 17-7 win gave both clubs 9-3 records. The Bears followed by winning their final four games to capture the NFC Central title.

• The Bears are 8-0 this year when generating at least two takeaways. They have forced 25 turnovers in their nine wins and one in their three losses.

• The Bears are 6-1 in one-score games this season, tied with the Panthers for the best such record in the NFL, and are 5-0 in one-score games since Week 5.

• Wright is the first NFL player to record at least five interceptions, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in a season since Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019.

• The Bears have scored 80 points off takeaways this season, the second most in the league behind the Steelers.