The NFC North is heating up in Week 14, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Bears vs. Packers with first place - and potentially a first-round playoff bye - on the line.
Green Bay will host the first of their two regular-season meetings with Chicago, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. But if the playoff implications weren’t enough to raise the temperature, Micah Parsons just turned up the heat even more.
Parsons, the Packers’ newly acquired defensive star, didn’t mince words when asked how he feels about the Bears. “I just don’t like them,” he said.
“I just see the disrespect that comes from the Bears. You’ve got to earn someone’s respect… Respect is something that’s earned.”
It’s not about history. It’s not about geography.
For Parsons, it’s personal - not in the emotional sense, but in the competitive one. He’s not holding a grudge from past games or leaning into the long-standing rivalry narrative.
He’s talking about respect, and in his eyes, the Bears haven’t earned it.
“You know how to earn someone’s respect?” Parsons added. “Beating the shit out of them.”
That’s the kind of statement that gets locker rooms buzzing and fans circling the date on their calendars. And for a game that already had massive playoff implications, Parsons’ comments just gave it an edge of raw intensity.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just another chapter in the oldest rivalry in the NFL. This is a collision between two teams with legitimate postseason aspirations, both playing some of their best football of the season.
The Bears come in at 9-3, holding a narrow edge in the division. The Packers, at 8-3-1, are just a half-game back, thanks to that tie earlier in the season.
Every snap, every possession in this game could tilt the balance of power in the NFC North.
And now you’ve got a player like Parsons - one of the most disruptive forces in the league - calling out the Bears before the first whistle. That’s not just bulletin-board material; that’s gasoline on the fire of a rivalry that already burns hot.
Parsons will have Lambeau Field behind him this week, with a sea of green and gold ready to echo every hit he delivers. But he’ll also be walking into Soldier Field soon enough, where Chicago fans now know exactly how he feels about their team. That return leg is going to be loud.
For now, though, all eyes are on Sunday. The Bears want to prove they belong at the top.
The Packers want to reclaim the crown. And Micah Parsons?
He wants respect - and he plans to take it.