The Green Bay Packers head south to take on the Chicago Bears in what promises to be another classic matchup in one of the NFL’s oldest rivalries.

After a well-timed bye, the Packers are rested and ready to get back on track, especially with a team that was battling the injury bug. With an extra week to regroup after their loss to the Detroit Lions, they will focus on adjustments and arrive at Soldier Field at full strength — or at least close to it.

Meanwhile, the Bears are licking their wounds after a tough game against the Patriots. New England came into Chicago and handed out a crushing 19-3 defeat, exposing Chicago’s offensive problems.

The Bears converted just one of 14 third downs, allowed nine sacks and punted eight times in their first home loss of the season. Two days later, they replaced their offensive coordinator.

Interestingly, this Week 11 game will be the Bears’ first taste of divisional play, meaning they will have a tough road ahead with six NFC North games in just eight weeks. The Packers, who lost NFC North home games to the Vikings and Lions, will look to earn their first division win of the season while extending their rivalry winning streak to 11 games.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s health has been a concern recently, but the bye week gave him valuable time to rest and recover. He participated fully in Wednesday’s practice after barely practicing before losing to Detroit.

“I would say everyone is dealing with something,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “But, certainly, when you’re limited in your lower half as a quarterback, it can have a big effect on your ability to move around the pocket or throw accurately. So it would be nice to allow him to train where he is in perfect health.

Love will face a stout Chicago defense that ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (190.4) and second in opposing passer rating (77.4).

Critically, the Bears rank seventh in third-down conversions (33.3 percent) and first in the red zone (37.0 percent). The Packers offense is 19th on third down (37.4 percent) and 29th in the red zone (47.1 percent).

LaFleur praised the Bears’ defensive approach and their coach, Matt Eberflus.

“I think it’s a really strong, solid defense,” LaFleur said. “It was tough playing Matt the last two years of his career. I have always had a lot of respect for the way he coaches and the way his players play.

“You can say it’s an effort-based unit. I mean, it shows up all over the tape. Their style of play is exactly what you’re looking for, and when you combine that with really good players, you usually get really good defense, and that’s exactly what they are.

On the offensive end, the Bears are led by quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

Williams has thrown for 1,785 yards, has a 60.5 percent completion rate and has nine touchdowns against five interceptions. Out of 36 qualified quarterbacks, he is 32nd in completion percentage, 31st in yards per attempt and 28th in passer rating.

“He does well in the pocket,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “He can extend games. He’s actually quite strong in the pocket. He has good feel and is aware of when he is under pressure, and he is able to come out and extend plays down the field.

“He’s a young quarterback. He’s growing, he’s learning as he goes, but he’s going to be a very good quarterback in this league.

The Bears offense has struggled for most of this season and hit rock bottom over the past two weeks with no touchdowns scored in losses to Arizona and New England.

They average only 19.4 points (24th) and 277 yards (30th). Their passing game ranks last in the league at 169.6 yards per game (30th), and they struggle to maintain drives, converting on third down just 28.7% of the time (31st).

Their ground game has been excellent at times – 202 yards in the loss at Washington, for example – but it has totaled 142 yards over the past two weeks.

Left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright, who were inactive during the nine-sack debacle against the Patriots, practiced Wednesday, but left guard Teven Jenkins did not.

Defensively, the Packers are 11th with 21.6 points allowed per game. While they are second with 19 recoveries, they did not force any against the Lions.

Green Bay’s ability to create turnovers could be a key factor against a Bears offense that has struggled with consistency, particularly in maintaining drives. If Green Bay’s defense can continue to capitalize on its mistakes and pressure Williams, it could limit Chicago’s ability to score points.

Some contrasting strengths and weaknesses create an interesting dynamic that could determine the outcome.

While the Packers’ offense can be successful against Chicago’s struggling defense, which ranks 28th with 4.85 yards allowed per carry, the Bears’ strong red zone defense could limit scoring opportunities once Green Bay is in goal position.

Meanwhile, the Packers’ ability to create turnovers could put added pressure on the Bears’ inconsistent offense, but Chicago has the eighth-fewest giveaways and Williams hasn’t thrown an interception during the three-game stretch. Bears’ consecutive losses.

“We don’t take any team for granted, no matter who it is, no matter their track record and no matter what they’re going through,” McKinney said. “We always try to keep the same laser, the same mentality and the same mindset and try to get the same winning results on Sunday.”

Latest Green Bay Packers News

Packers-Bears injury report Wednesday | Xavier McKinney has beef with DJ Moore | In good health after the bye | Updated playoff odds | Packers-Bears: TV, history, bets, notes | Packers–Bears matches | No easy solutions in attack | Bears change offensive coordinator | Packers on SI Consensus Power Rankings | MarShawn Lloyd returns; tough choices in the backfield | Rashan Gary and others react to the Preston Smith trade |

The best of the bye week

Three problems to solve | Mid-Season Report Card: Coaching and Staff | Mid-Season Report Card: Defense | Mid-season report: attack | ESPN Solves Biggest Weakness | Predicting every game on the rest of the Packers schedule | How good are the Packers after the bye? | Packers mid-season awards | Where is the pass rush?