5 bold predictions for the Packers in Week 18 vs Bears: Love the rivalry and more

The Packers' regular season finale against the Bears isn't meaningless from the Green Bay perspective. They can improve their playoff seeding from No. 7 to No. 6 with a victory and some cooperation from the Commanders. That may not be enough to convince head coach Matt LaFleur to go all out for the win.

At the very least, the Packers should consider limiting the work for their big-name stars. That could turn into big days for some of Green Bay's backups. In particular, making sure Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs have relatively light loads would be a smart business decision by LaFleur.

Predicting the last game of the year is always challenging and here are five bold predictions on how the Packers will perform against the Bears on Sunday.

Packers bold prediction No. 5: Josh Jacobs will get fewer than 10 carries

Josh Jacobs has been an absolute workhorse for the Packers offense this year. They need him to be as close to full strength as possible heading into the postseason. That should mean limiting his work against Chicago.

Look for Jacobs to get some work in the first quarter before giving way to his backups. Emmanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks should get all they can handle in relief of the team's top running back. LaFleur might be tempted to lean on Jacobs to prevent Love from dropping back to pass too often but that would be a mistake.

Jacobs might also lobby for a lot of carries to up his rushing totals but this is the time to emphasize team success over individual stats. Limiting him to single-digit carries would be the wise move for the Packers in their 17th game of the season.

Packers bold prediction No. 4: Jordan Love will not play in the second half

Love might get a little more work than Jacobs but he needs to finish this game on the sideline as well. The moment Green Bay goes up by more than one score they should trot Malik Willis onto the field in relief of their star quarterback.

The key for Love will be to put this game to bed early. If he gets quality protection from his offensive line there's no reason why he can't hit a few big plays in the first half to help his team sprint out to a nice lead. The Bears' defense will not come into the game with a ton of motivation. Love and his offense have the talent required to crush their spirit in the first half.

Interestingly, Love's playing time might also hinge on some scoreboard watching here. If the Commanders are beating the Cowboys it could lead Green Bay to protect Love even sooner than the half. If Dallas looks as if they might spring the upset it could make this prediction null and void.

Packers bold prediction No. 3: The Packers will only sack Caleb Williams once

Chalk this up as a matchup of two team weaknesses. The Bears have been unable to protect quarterback Caleb Williams this year. The Packers cannot seem to manufacture a quality pass rush with their limited front seven.

The end result here is that the Packers will produce mediocre pressure and only get Williams on the ground once. It will go down as a massive disappointment for Green Bay. They will want their pass rush to gain confidence against Chicago's hapless offensive front but their struggles in this game will have the opposite effect.

Packers bold prediction No. 2: The secondary will get at least two interceptions

Williams is going to try to push the envelope against Green Bay's secondary. That will be especially true when he gets outside the pocket to evade the Packers' pass rush. While Green Bay won't sack him often, they will manage to force at least two turnovers via interceptions on the afternoon.

Xavier McKinney is a ball hawk at safety and could easily bait Williams into an ugly turnover or two. Carrington Valentine is another defensive back who will fancy his chances to beat Chicago's rookie quarterback by notching an interception of his own.

The two interceptions will be a big reason why the Packers get out to a lead that they won't relinquish against the Bears. Green Bay's pass rush will struggle but their secondary will shine against Chicago.

Packers bold prediction No. 1: Jayden Reed will produce an explosive run

Reed's touches have fluctuated this year due to the whims of his coaching staff. The Packers' preference to keep the ball on the ground without Love on the field will give Reed several rushing opportunities on Sunday.

Expect Reed to pop at least one of those runs for an explosive play. He is the most dangerous player the Packers have with the ball in his hands. The coaching staff has shown they have several clever ways to get the ball into his hands on the perimeter. They should not show any new plays ahead of the playoffs but recycling something that's worked previously could yield nice benefits for Green Bay.

Reed needs a confidence boost ahead of his team's playoff run and he has a good chance to secure it against Chicago's questionable defense. One big run of over 25 yards could help propel him to a postseason run that cements him as one of Green Bay's brightest stars.