Micah's expectations for Chicago Bears and NFC North in Week 18

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It may not be the most exciting week in the NFC North as the season closes with the Chicago Bears already owning the NFC North. However, Caleb Williams and Company want to get the No. 2 seed in the NFC, ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. A good dish of revenge could be served this week. A very important milestone could finally be completed, too.

Here are my five expectations for the NFC North for Week 18:

Rashan Gary no sack streak continues

As disappointing as someone who is viewed to be a top pass rusher in the league can be, Rashan Gary has been that. It has been 9 games without a sack this year. The person who has been looked at the most to step up to fill the void of losing Micah Parsons for the rest of the season is Gary, and he simply has been a non-factor. I think against the Vikings, his dry spell will continue, and he could very well be a reason that the Packers end up being a first-round exit come playoff time.

J.J. Mccarthy ends season out on a high note

After battling many injuries this season and his own struggles, Week 18 will be an important week for McCarthy to finish the season, giving hope to the Vikings. Prior to his most recent injury, McCarthy looked to be turning a page, but the ups and downs mixed with inconsistent play gives the Vikings no choice but to look at all options next season. A good closeout performance to end the season would instill more confidence that McCarthy should hold onto his job at least until the start of next season. I think McCarthy shows out and has a good game, especially given the fact that the Packers will be without some starters.

Justin Jefferson does not finish the season with 1000 yards

It continues to be a very disappointing year for Justin Jefferson. He has had 11 straight games without a 100-yard receiving game. Dealing with struggles from a rookie quarterback and a third-string quarterback who got a couple of games as a starter. Getting 1000 yards for Justin Jefferson was a breeze; now it seems simply impossible. J.J. McCarthy and his receivers have not put up a game where they were on the same level as last year, when Sam Darnold was running things. While I think J.J. McCarthy will have a good game, I don't think his encouraging play involves Justin Jefferson having a big day. I think Jefferson will fail to get 53 yards receiving ultimately, falling short of 1000 yards receiving this year.

Bears put up the most total yards in game versus Detroit

The Chicago Bears will be looking to prove a point versus the Detroit Lions, who embarrassed them, handing them a 52-21 loss in Week 2. Factor in the point that Caleb Williams has 270 yards to get to be the first Bears quarterback to ever throw for 4000 yards. Achieving that would really show things have changed for the Bears as an organization, and this is a team finally heading in the right direction. I think the Bears build off of their dominant offensive day against the 49ers and have success through the air and on the ground. I think the Bears duo of Swift and Monangai led the Bears to 200 total yards on the ground. Caleb reaches his milestone and throws for close to 300 yards on the day. At the conclusion of this game, I think the Bears will eclipse 500 total yards, and that will be the best performance out of any team in the NFC North offensively.

Bears beat Detroit by two possessions

With the Bears posting up 500 total yards of offense, I believe they will win convincingly. It was a lopsided loss for the Bears last time these two teams met up in Week 2, but now the rest of the season has drastically been different for both squads. The Lions have nothing left to play for in Week 18, while the Bears clinched the NFC North and want to hold on tight to the 2nd seed in the NFC. This game will definitely mean a lot to Ben Johnson, as it would be less than ideal to go down 0-2 versus your former team. No starters will be resting for the Bears, and I think this team will look to put on a show and right the wrongs of Week 2's horrible showing.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Predictions for Chicago Bears and NFL Week 18 in NFC North

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