Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said early this week that he expects right tackle Zach Tom and quarterback Malik Willis to be ready to go for Saturday’s game in Chicago, but the team didn’t guarantee anything on their final injury report of the week.
Tom and Willis are both listed as questionable. Tom has been out since hurting his knee in mid-December and is also listed with a back injury. He rested on Thursday and LaFleur said he’ll get as much time as possible to show he’s ready to play.
“He’s looked good in practice,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “We’ll give him up till gametime, and if he can go, he’ll be out there.”
Willis was inactive with a right shoulder injury last week. Desmond Ridder is also available as a backup option for Jordan Love.
Safety Javon Bullard (knee), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion), linebacker Nick Niemann (pectoral), and defensive lineman Warren Brinson (foot) are also listed as questionable.
Bears coach Ben Johnson was asked today whether he’s planning some “exotic” play calls for Saturday’s playoff game against the Packers. He said that’s the opposite of his focus this week.
Johnson said that the Bears are focused on the basics this week, not doing anything unique because it’s the playoffs.
“I’m rooted in the fundamentals, particularly in games like this,” Johnson said. “It’s about blocking, it’s about tackling, it’s about catching the ball, it’s about ball security. Things of that nature come to the forefront. I’m more concerned about playing sound football, putting our guys in the right spot. We’ve got a lot of talented players and you just want them to play fast, play confident, and put them in good spots. That’s what we’re concerned about as a coaching staff.”
Johnson said he’s telling his players that “Every blade of grass matters, every inch matters,” and they need to play on Saturday night like they have all season.
“It won’t take long once that ball’s kicked off for us all to understand, it’s another football game,” Johnson said. “You focus on your fundamentals, you focus on your details and little things, and that’s what we’ve been talking about all week.”
The Bears will not have safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for Saturday’s game against the Packers.
Gardner-Johnson missed practice all this week with a concussion and he was officially ruled out of the wild card round on Saturday. Gardner-Johnson joined the Bears in November and appeared in 10 games. He started seven of them and finished the regular season with 51 tackles, two interceptions, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Wide receiver Rome Odunze is set to return to the lineup. Odunze has missed five games with a foot injury, but he has no injury designation for this weekend.
Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka have also been ruled out with concussions. Cornerback Kyler Gordon (groin) and tackle Braxton Jones (knee) are both listed as questionable to come off injured reserve.
When it comes to finding his next coaching job, John Harbaugh will attack the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
Starting next week.
The plan to press pause conflicts with the Harbaugh ethic. It’s a strategy, aimed at one apparent thing: Finding out whether the six games to be played this weekend will lead to more openings.
Multiple reports indicate at least nine teams have expressed interest in Harbaugh. With only six non-Ravens openings, that leaves three teams that currently have coaches. And 14 teams still have games to play.
For more than a few of the playoff teams, there’s no way Harbaugh would be a consideration. The Broncos and Seahawks, obviously, will be standing pat. Ditto for the likes of the Patriots, Chargers (that would be a very awkward phone call), Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, Bears, and Texans.
As to the rest, is it crazy to think the Steelers are thinking about the possibility of Mike Tomlin choosing to exit after 19 years? Sure, the Steelers typically hire coaches in their 30s and keep them for a long time. (Harbaugh, at 63, is four years older than Chuck Noll when he retired in 1991.) But if Tomlin walks, maybe they’d embrace a guy who seems to be more than ready to go for another decade or longer.
Some are suggesting that the Eagles would consider bringing Harbaugh back to Philly, where he spent 10 years before becoming Baltimore’s head coach. That would be beyond stunning, given what Nick Sirianni has accomplished in his first five seasons. There’s still a lingering sense that the Eagles are supremely talented, and that they fail far too often to get the most out of what they have. (It would still be an all-time “oh shit” move.)
In Carolina, is David Tepper (a former Steelers minority owner who knows very well what Harbaugh can do) thinking about an upgrade? Even though the Panthers won the NFC South, they were 8-9. And Dave Canales is 13-21 in two seasons, a winning percentage of 38.2.
Harbaugh, in 18 years, has won 61.4 percent of his games.
The two to watch most closely — and the two teams that folks around the league are indeed watching the most closely — are the Packers and Bills.
In Green Bay, new team president Ed Policy has already made it clear that a decision will be made after the season as to whether Matt LaFleur will get a new contract. Policy also has made it clear that he doesn’t like lame-duck arrangements, and LaFleur is signed only through 2026.
Less than two weeks ago, Policy saw what a Harbaugh-led team can do at Lambeau Field, when the Ravens steamrolled the Packers in a 41-24 win.
In Buffalo, it can be argued that the window has already closed on the Bills, and that the supreme skills and abilities of quarterback Josh Allen have created the impression that it remains open. An early, ugly exit against a Jaguars team that is, frankly, better than the Bills could be the thing that prompts owner Terry Pegula to make a change.
Regardless, the fact that Harbaugh’s agent initially said seven teams called combined with the decision to wait until next week to interview for any of the vacancies creates the inescapable impression that one or more of the teams playing this weekend could be contemplating a potential coaching change. And folks in the know are eyeballing Green Bay and Buffalo.
If nothing else, the Harbaugh factor adds plenty of spice to an already spicy six pack of first-round playoff games. Especially if Packers-Bears or Bills-Jaguars comes down to a 44-yard field goal that is missed.
The Titans are continuing to add more names to their list of candidates for their head coaching position.
According to multiple reports, they have requested interviews with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Neither coach will be able to interview this week because their teams are playing this weekend, but can interview virtually next week.
Hafley joined Matt LaFleur’s staff in Green Bay in 2024. He was the head coach of Boston College for four seasons before making the move to the Packers.
Smith spent 10 years coaching for the Titans and was their offensive coordinator for two seasons before being hired as the Falcons’ head coach in 2021. He was fired after going 21-30 over three seasons and has spent the last two years on Mike Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh.
