The Packers didn’t just beat the Bears on Sunday - they put the game in a vise and never let go.
Green Bay rolled to a 31-7 win at Lambeau Field, leaning on steady offensive production and a defense that shut down Chicago’s run game. The Packers piled up 428 total yards, while the Bears finished with just 81 rushing yards in a one-sided NFC North meeting.
Chicago’s offense never found much traction, and its lone touchdown came on a late first-half run. Tyson Bagent started at quarterback with Caleb Williams sidelined, but the Bears spent most of the afternoon trying to keep up.
The postgame moment that drew attention came after the final whistle, when FOX cameras caught Packers coach Matt LaFleur and Bears coach Ben Johnson sharing a brief handshake on the field as both teams headed off. It was another small but visible chapter in a rivalry that has already produced a few noteworthy exchanges between the two.
Johnson has not exactly hidden how he feels about Green Bay since taking the job. He previously talked about the challenge of facing the Packers and said he wanted to play them regularly. He also made clear he remembers the matchups from his time with the Lions, saying he enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.
That edge has shown up again and again in public. An earlier postgame handshake between the two also made the rounds after a previous Bears win, and Johnson was heard in the locker room after a Wild Card victory over Green Bay earlier this year expressing strong feelings about the Packers. He later addressed those remarks and said he was aligned with ownership on the intensity of the series.
After Sunday’s loss, Johnson didn’t dodge the reality of how the Bears were beaten. “We got punched in the face,” Johnson told reporters after the game.
He also stressed that his message in the building stays the same despite the rough result. “I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in our players and I believe in our process.
So, the process doesn’t change. The process doesn’t change.
It’s Week 5. I know we’ll respond the right way.
We got the right guys in this building.”
The teams are set to meet again later in the season, giving this rivalry another chance to produce a moment like the one cameras caught after Sunday’s final whistle.
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The next test comes with the Packers needing him to be steadier in the pocket against a Bears defense that figures to bring pressure, all while working behind a patched-together offensive line. Green Bay also knows it has to help him out with the right structure, and the expectation is that the coaching staff will need to lean into a quicker passing plan to keep the game on schedule and give Love a cleaner path to answering the pressure game ahead. [Read more 🡒]
