Matt LaFleur isn’t interested in turning Packers-Bears week into a coaching soap opera.
With Green Bay heading into Sunday’s matchup against Chicago, the Packers head coach said he wants the rivalry to stay where it belongs - between the players on the field. LaFleur made it clear this week that he’d rather keep the focus on the game itself than on any back-and-forth between himself and Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Green Bay is coming off a hard-fought win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that moved the team to 2-2. It was hardly clean work.
The Packers had to grind through a game against a rookie quarterback and escaped with only a narrow victory over the still-winless Buccaneers. Even so, the result gave Green Bay a .500 record, and the team will take it while knowing there’s plenty to tighten up.
Now the attention shifts to Chicago, and this one carries more weight than a typical early-season meeting. The Packers understand what’s at stake in the NFC North race, and they also know exactly what this rivalry means to both fan bases. The Bears eliminated Green Bay in the playoffs a year ago, and this is the first meeting between the teams since that matchup.
Chicago enters at 3-1, which only adds to the challenge for Green Bay. A win would not only help the Packers keep building momentum, it would also give them a chance to knock a division rival down a peg.
LaFleur, though, is keeping his message simple: let the game speak for itself. Fans may want more fire from the sideline, especially in a rivalry this old and this charged, but the Packers coach has made his position clear. He wants the players to decide it.
Kickoff is set for Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Packers Pass Rush May Be Close To A Huge Boost
Micah Parsons remains sidelined by a left knee injury, and the Packers are not expecting him back for Week 5, but there are signs the recovery is moving in the right direction. Head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst both have stressed that Parsons is making progress, even if the team is still keeping the timeline guarded because of how central he is to their plans.
The cautious approach makes sense for a pass rush that could look very different once Parsons is available again. For now, Green Bay is watching the rehab closely and waiting for the next step in his ramp-up, with his return date still uncertain as the Packers try to balance urgency with the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Why Packers Fans Still Talk About What No. 89 Came To Mean
Before it was attached to memorable catches and familiar Sunday moments, No. 89 carried a different kind of Green Bay weight. The number has been worn by a few recognizable Packers over the years, including Mark Chmura and James Jones, but the deeper thread in the jerseys history runs through a linebacker who helped define one of the franchises most dominant eras.
Dave Robinson arrived as a first-round pick in 1963 and became part of the force behind three consecutive NFL championships, plus two Super Bowl wins. His place in Packers history was cemented long ago with Hall of Fame recognition in Green Bay and later in Canton, which is why fans still bring his name up whenever the conversation turns to the best player to ever wear that number. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rivalry Game Just Got More Complicated For Sunday
Caleb Williams return to practice Friday added a layer of uncertainty to an already charged NFC North matchup, and it matters plenty to the Packers as Sunday approaches. The Chicago quarterback had missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, leaving the Bears to lean on Tyson Bagent, who stepped in last week and helped guide them to a win over the New York Jets.
Williams is now listed as questionable, which leaves Chicago with a late call to make on its most important position. If he is not ready to go, Bagent would get the nod again, giving Green Bay a very different look to prepare for and turning an already familiar rivalry game into one with a little more suspense. [Read more 🡒]