Packers Reeling, Bears Rising: Fallout from Green Bay’s Playoff Collapse Still Echoing
A month has passed since the Green Bay Packers’ stunning fourth-quarter collapse at Soldier Field, but the sting hasn’t faded - not for the locker room, not for the fans, and certainly not for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
The Packers were in control. Up 27-6 heading into the final quarter of their NFC Wild Card matchup, Green Bay looked poised to punch their ticket to the next round.
Then the wheels came off. The Bears rattled off 25 unanswered points, flipping the game - and perhaps the power dynamic in the NFC North - on its head.
Gutekunst isn’t hiding from it. He’s not sugarcoating it either.
“I’ve digested it… not well,” he admitted, reflecting on the collapse. He praised aspects of the team’s performance over the course of the season, but made it clear where the growth needs to happen: finishing games.
And that’s not just coach-speak. It’s a direct acknowledgment of the gut-punch loss that now defines the end of their 2025 campaign.
Sources close to the team described Gutekunst as unusually testy during recent media availability. One noted he was as “salty” as they’ve ever seen him - a rare public glimpse into just how much that loss is still eating at the Packers’ top decision-maker.
Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t dodge the pain either. In the immediate aftermath of the game, he was so emotionally drained he wouldn’t even discuss his future with the team. When asked if he expected to return for an eighth season, LaFleur deflected.
“With all due respect to your question, now’s not the time for that,” he said. “I’m just hurting for these guys. I can only think about what just happened.”
Ultimately, LaFleur did return - with the backing of quarterback Jordan Love - but there’s no mistaking the pressure cooker he’s now sitting in. With the Packers still reeling and expectations sky-high, anything short of a deep playoff run next season will turn up the heat even more.
Bears Seize the Moment - and the Momentum
While Green Bay is licking its wounds, Chicago is riding high. That comeback win wasn’t just a playoff victory - it was a statement.
The Bears didn’t just beat the Packers; they broke them in the fourth quarter. And that kind of win can reverberate through an entire offseason.
Chicago now owns back-to-back comeback wins over their biggest rivals, regular season and postseason. That’s not just bulletin board material - that’s the kind of momentum that builds belief in a locker room. And with Caleb Williams leading the charge in his first playoff appearance, the Bears’ arrow is pointing straight up.
Don’t expect Bears GM Ryan Poles to overreact this offseason. If anything, that win gives Chicago the luxury of patience. With the salary cap on the rise and a roster that already proved it can hang with the best in the conference - at least for one electrifying quarter - the Bears may opt for stability over splash.
Some names that were assumed to be on their way out - safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Nahshon Wright, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, and offensive lineman Braxton Jones - could all find themselves back in the fold. There will still be tough decisions.
A D.J. Moore trade remains a possibility, and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds could be a cap casualty.
But this isn’t a team scrambling to fix something broken. It’s a team fine-tuning something that’s starting to work.
Two Franchises, Two Very Different Offseasons
The contrast couldn’t be sharper. In Green Bay, the wounds are fresh, the pressure is real, and the front office is staring down a pivotal offseason with more questions than answers.
In Chicago, there’s hope - not just in the stands, but in the locker room. They’re not just dreaming of a brighter future.
They’re building it.
That playoff win may not have brought a championship to the Windy City, but it did something nearly as important: it shifted the tone of the rivalry, and maybe even the balance of power in the NFC North.
The Packers have long been the standard in this division. But if that fourth quarter meltdown was a sign of things to come - and Gutekunst’s reaction suggests it just might be - then the Bears didn’t just win a game.
They may have started a new chapter.