The Iceman comes on Christmas Day.
Caleb Williams and the resurgent Bears will host the league’s oldest rivalry when Jordan Love and the Packers come to town — the setting for January’s thrilling NFC playoff game where Chicago’s rising star cemented his ironic nickname.
Williams rallied the Bears from an 18-point deficit and threw a touchdown to give the club its first playoff win over the Packers since 1941. Before that, in Week 16 at Soldier Field, Williams threw a touchdown pass in overtime to beat Green Bay.
With a resurgent rivalry — the Bears are coming off a sweep of the Packers for the first time since 2007 — Christmas Day and winter weather in Chicago set the stage for another classic that will have playoff implications.
Williams no longer has DJ Moore, who caught all of those aforementioned TDs to topple the Packers, but Chicago returns a trio of young receiving talent in Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland. Ben Johnson expects to have the collection ready following a promising first season as Bears head coach.
The Packers, meanwhile, have had a long time to reflect on their view of Chicago’s rise to the top. Matt LaFleur’s offense has gone through a bit of a personnel overhaul with the loss of notable receivers and starters along the offensive line, while tight end Tucker Kraft is slated to return after a torn ACL ended his season prior to Green Bay’s three-game deficit against Chicago. Star running back Micah Parsons, who also sat out the two losses to the Bears with an injury, should be in midseason form on Christmas Day.