The latest chapter in the Bears-Packers rivalry didn’t come with much small talk after the final whistle.
Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur met at midfield Sunday, but the postgame handshake was over almost as quickly as it began. It looked cordial enough, just not especially warm, and there didn’t appear to be any words exchanged.
That quiet finish fit the mood of a matchup that already had some edge to it. Johnson, now leading Chicago, has made no secret of how he feels about Green Bay.
He’s pushed that message to his players, too. Receiver Luther Burden III said Johnson wants the Packers embarrassed.
“He wants to beat them really bad like everyone else in the room, like every Chicago fan. Beat them real bad, and make them quit,” Burden said, via Cassie Carlson of Fox32.
LaFleur took a different route during the week, keeping the focus on the field rather than the back-and-forth.
“Because this game is about players and so we’ll keep it about the players,” LaFleur said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I’m not the one out there they’re playing. . . .
Don’t get me wrong. I love the rivalry.
It’s awesome. It’s great.
It’s intense. You can feel it on gameday.
You can feel it throughout the course of the week and also the significance, I mean, they’re the defending [NFC] North champions. So what a great opportunity, great challenge for us in our home stadium to play against the defending champs.”
On the scoreboard, Green Bay had the upper hand in a big way, rolling past Chicago 31-7. The Packers moved to 3-2, and the Bears also fell to 3-2.
It was another meeting that seemed to leave little room for friendliness between the two head coaches, and that second Bears-Packers matchup later this season now feels like one to circle.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Return Talk Just Put Bears Fans On Edge
Caleb Williams finally took a small step back onto the practice field Friday, working in a limited capacity for the first time after nearly three weeks away with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2. The Bears already ruled him out for Week 5, but the sight of their quarterback doing anything at all in practice was enough to get the discussion moving again around when he might be ready to steer the offense back.
The immediate focus now turns to the next game on the calendar, with Williams pushing to get back in time for a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. Before the injury, he had given Chicago a promising glimpse of both his arm and his mobility, and the Bears will be watching closely to see whether this recovery trend keeps building or forces them to stay patient a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Offense Just Made Caleb Williams Even More Essential
Chicagos offense has spent the past week reminding everyone how quickly the conversation changes when Caleb Williams is not on the field. Tyson Bagents rough outing against Green Bay only underscored how much the Bears have leaned on Williams since his strong start to the season, and the absence of running back Kyle Monangai has added another layer of strain to an attack trying to find any kind of rhythm.
With the Bears heading into Week 6 against Atlanta, the next few practices matter a lot. The expectation is that Williams will be back in the starting lineup, but his availability will come down to how he looks in the lead-up, which leaves the offense waiting on its most important piece before it can really settle back in. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Left Lambeau With A Problem Fans Feared All Along
The Bears left Lambeau Field with more than a lopsided loss on their hands. In a 31-7 defeat to the Packers, Chicago spent most of the afternoon searching for any kind of rhythm on offense, and the result only sharpened questions that had been hanging over the unit for weeks. Tyson Bagent got the start at quarterback and the Bears leaned on him to settle things down, but the game never really moved in that direction.
Chicagos ground game, which had shown more promise earlier in the season, was bottled up for the kind of production that leaves little margin for error. With the offense stuck in neutral and the scoreboard moving the wrong way, the Bears came away from Green Bay facing the same concern their fans feared all along: whether this group has enough answers when it cannot run effectively or find stability behind center. [Read more 🡒]