Bears vs. Packers expert predictions: What to watch for in Week 18

The Chicago Bears will close out their 2024 season on Sunday, as they head to Lambeau Field to take on their rival Green Bay Packers, with many hoping some sort of fight can be put up. Entering the contest on a 10-game losing streak after starting the season 4-2, the Bears have been a laughable failure this year after coming in with high expectations behind the arrival of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

While Williams has had more than respectable numbers on paper, the biggest and most important stat, team wins, has not been there for him and the Bears. Having worked with three different offensive coordinators and two head coaches in his first year in the NFL, the start of Williams' NFL career has been less than ideal, but he'll have an opportunity to close out the year in a big way against the franchise's biggest foe, in one of the NFL's most historic rivalries.

Ahead of their season finale, here is everything Bears fans should be watching for as the 2024 season comes to an end.

1. Caleb Williams closing the season on a high note

There's been only two quarterbacks in Bears history to throw for more passing yards in a single season in franchise history than Caleb Williams -- Erik Kramer (all-time leader) and Jay Cutler (second, third, and fourth most), that's the list. While Williams has put up the passing yards, mainly due to the team playing from behind all year, he's currently short of the 20 passing touchdown mark on the season, but just needs one passing touchdown to get there. Williams did not record a touchdown in the first meeting against Green Bay, so if he can just find the end zone once, he'll have a chance to eclipse 3,500 passing yards and 20 touchdowns on the season with a good game.

2. Keenan Allen's final game in Chicago?

Coming into the 2024 season, the Bears traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for wide receiver Keenan Allen, who had one year remaining on his deal. Allen's presence in the locker room, especially in the wide receiver room, and as a mentor to both rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze has been a talking point all season. Current offensive coordinator Chris Beatty recently called Allen the smartest football player he's ever been, going as far as to call him an extra coach on the team. Allen certainly did not enjoy the team success he had hoped for, like everyone else on the roster, but he did say this week that if he does play in 2025, his focus will be a return to Chicago or Los Angeles.

If the Bears can end on a high note, there's a chance that Allen could find an eagerness to right the wrongs of the 2024 season, or he can depart in a very disappointing season. The other side to Allen's situation is the potential growth from Odunze, who could be in line to take over as the team's second wide receiver if Allen departs. It would be great to bring back Allen, only if it was on a team-friendly deal, as there's no denying the impact he's had on his teammates and coaching staff.

3. Thomas Brown's final impression

If there was ever a moment where a coach sold himself on a podium, Thomas Brown did just that when he was named the interim head coach following the firing of Matt Eberflus after a Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions. Brown carried himself with a no nonsense manner, sounding like a coach who wanted to rebuild the culture in the locker room, and get productive results on the field. He had plenty of fanfare from players in the locker room, but the most important part, getting wins, has not been there.

Ironically, for all the verbal inspiration that Brown provided, the team has come out looking more flat than they did in the final games under Eberflus. It is highly unlikely that Brown, who is 0-4 in his interim role, will get real consideration to be the team's next head coach. But he is auditioning for a spot around the league and some pride to defeat the team's biggest rival in his final game this year.

4. What draft position will the Bears secure?

There are a lot of bad teams tied together in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL draft order, and Week 18 will get it all sorted out. Currently, the Bears (4-12) are slated for the ninth overall pick, but they are tied with four other teams with the same record and they lose the strength of schedule tiebreaker against them all. But depending on how the other teams do in their respective games, the Bears could wind up with a much better position. If they were to lose to the Packers and the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars all win in their games, the Bears would secure a top-five pick.

If they were to defeat the Packers and the New Orleans Saints lose, the Bears would at worst be picking at 10th overall. Much intrigue for franchise who has to pick wisely in the first round of next year's draft, as the focus should be to upgrading the trenches on both sides of the ball.

5. How many sacks will the Bears give up on the season?

Williams made a huge statement this week when he spoke to the media and referred to the "stupid" connotation that he has a poor offensive line that gives up all the sacks. Instead, Williams, who has been sacked 67 times in his rookie year, put a lot of the sacks taken on himself, for holding the ball too long and having poor decision making. It's a move that likely gained him respect in the locker room and in the media for putting the blame on himself, but there's no doubt the team needs to get better in the trenches, as does Williams with getting the ball out of his hands.

In his first season in the NFL, Williams is the fourth-most sacked quarterback in NFL history, trailing only David Carr (68, 76) and Randall Cunningham (72) for most sacks taken in a single season. Here's hoping that Williams doesn't climb that list any higher in the Week 18 game, facing a Packers defense that has 44 sacks on the season.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers expert predictions: What to watch for in Week 18