A hectic week for the Jaguars can help the Bears stay on top of their game in the NFC North

Just when the Bears seemed poised to prepare well for their division games later on, the other foot dropped.

The positive for the Bears given the recent spate of injuries in the secondary is that this all falls into the easier part of their game plan.

If Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson as well as cornerback backup Terell Smith are lost in the second half of the season, the Bears’ defense would have a harder time.

However, the entire Jacksonville Jaguars team has had to deal with adversity this week.

Their plans to arrive late didn’t leave them much time to adjust to the time change Then Hurricane Milton forced a delay and they arrived in London on Friday and only had Saturday to settle in and train on the field.

It is often mentioned that the Jaguars make these trips every year and they are routine.

“I think that’s one of the biggest things, but just having the experience of going there, you kind of know how to handle it, you know what to expect, you know how you’re going to feel,” said Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence told reporters from Jacksonville. “Once you get there you’ll feel a little sluggish and dizzy, but you’ll settle in quickly.

“I think a big part of it is also doing a lot of your preparation while you’re (in the US). “Obviously there’s going to be a few things to do there to make sure we’re ready to go,” but try to do as much as you can here so you’re really just focused on your body and your sleep and focused on the game be able to prepare on Sunday.”

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The most improved aspect of this Bears team is very easy to see

Some jaguars make this journey every year. There are eight starters who weren’t on the team last year, including the nickel back spot, and that doesn’t take into account all of their rookies or depth additions.

The coaches are the same, the roster changes, and short-term travel like this makes a difference even when someone says it doesn’t.

The Bears’ injury handicap this time is no worse than the Jaguars’ handicap. Lawrence will have the advantage of going up against a depleted Bears secondary.

But the Bears as a team will face a Jaguars team that is probably a little more tired from the travel and definitely has more disruptions in their daily training routine than in other weeks. Due to the hurricane, they didn’t arrive in London until around 4am on Friday.

Here’s how the division is shaping up this week as the Lions and Vikings continue their winning ways.

On SI Week 6 NFC North Rankings

1. Vikings, 2. Lions, 3. Packers, 4. Bears

Minnesota Vikings

Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings via SI

This week: Bye (back in action, Week 7 vs. Detroit)

Key to this week’s game: This doesn’t apply since the Vikings are bye, but the key heading into Week 7 against Detroit will be identifying the reasons for the offensive struggles against the Jets. The Jets’ defense could be very good, there’s nothing more to say about it. But it was obvious that Minnesota’s efficiency declined after Aaron Jones left the game with a hip injury. Getting him back on the field for the showdown with the Lions will be a big challenge.

Possible Achilles heel: Sam Darnold. Look, this is the same guy who is tied for second in the league with 11 touchdown passes and who dominated clutch drives when the Vikings needed points against the 49ers, Packers and even last week in London against the Jets. Things weren’t pretty in Week 5, but there are six years of history that say his 14-of-31 passing performance may not have been a fluke. It’s up to Darnold to overcome it and his supporting cast to get out of the hole.

Detroit Lions

John Maakaron, Detroit Lions via SI

This week’s game: Lions at Cowboys (3:25 p.m., Sunday)

Key to this week’s game: Start quickly. The Cowboys have already lost Demarcus Lawrence and are expected to be without Micah Parsons for the second week in a row. This gives Detroit’s offensive line a real chance to establish the run early. When the Lions’ ground game is running, the offense is also open to play-making passes. An early touchdown drive would go a long way toward setting the tone in an important away matchup.

Possible Achilles heel: The Lions secondary had trouble containing CeeDee Lamb a year ago when these two teams met. Detroit has bolstered its personnel with Carlton Davis and Terrion Arnold, but the duo has been the target of several pass interferences as the team plays a plethora of man coverage. If the Lions can’t slow Lamb down, it could be a long day. Lamb will be a difficult task and it will be interesting to see how Detroit can slow him down.

Green Bay Packers

Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers via SI

This week’s game: Cardinals at Packers (Noon, Sunday)

Key to this week’s game: The Packers had to deal with Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Anthony Richardson of the Colts, two of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL. But they’ve never had to face someone like the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray. Murray is among the league’s leaders with a passer rating of 99.1 and is averaging just 10.7 yards per rushing attempt – highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown run last week in San Francisco’s surprise bout came at the back, was underlined. The Packers need to keep him in the pocket, which means the ends need to set edges and the linebackers better get their track shoes on.

Possible Achilles heel: The Packers are a good team, but they’re not so good that they can afford to leave points on the field. Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson — dubbed “Nervous Narveson” by CBS’s Jim Nantz on Sunday’s broadcast — missed four field goals. Poor special teams was destined to doom the Packers in 2021, and poor kicking was destined to hurt their butt in 2023. And they suffered playoff losses to the 49ers in both seasons. Narveson was perfect last week, but he will need a good stretch to get some rest.

Chicago Bears

Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI

This week’s game: Bears vs. Jaguars (8:30 a.m. Sunday, in London)

Key to this week’s game: Stop the game in progress cold. Last year they did that often without a problem, but after every game this year the defense says they’re giving in to the run. Last week, it was more of a collapse than a leak when Chuba Hubbard broke through for a 38-yard TD. This was always a concern as Gervon Dexter lacked experience or fluency as a run-stopping three-point shot. So they were in the middle of the field in run defense and need to stop defenders Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby to make Trevor Lawrence’s offense one-dimensional.

Possible Achilles heel: Until Caleb Williams has a long string of successful games and beats rival teams with his arm, the rookie quarterback will always be a potential Achilles heel. He could take big risks for sales at any time. The fact is that if he continues to produce games like he did last week, he can be their saving grace too. However, you can’t go against Carolina’s defense every week. Luckily for the Bears, there’s also Jacksonville’s defense.

Twitter: BearsOnSI