For one Sunday, the Green Bay Packers looked like the version of themselves everyone had been waiting for.
In a 31-7 rout of the Chicago Bears, Green Bay did more than just get back above .500 at 3-2. The Packers controlled the game from the jump, flashed real balance on offense, and turned in a defensive performance that made the margin feel even wider than the final score. After two ugly losses to Chicago last year, this one looked and felt different.
The headliner was Jordan Love, and he delivered the kind of performance that changes the tone around a season. Love completed 25 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 137.5 passer rating and a 95.2 QBR.
He only missed on six throws and kept attacking downfield, with completions of 53, 50 and 46 yards among his biggest strikes. Even beyond the deep shots, he worked through the Bears’ coverage with poise and kept drives moving.
Christian Watson and Matthew Golden were right there with him. Watson kept his history of production against Chicago rolling, catching six passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. One of the defining plays of the afternoon came on a 3rd-and-22 when he hauled in a 53-yard gain that gave Green Bay breathing room again after the Bears had started to poke back into the game.
Golden was just as important in his own way. The sophomore receiver finished with six catches for 123 yards on seven targets, added a two-point conversion, and consistently showed up when the Packers needed a chunk play. Between the two receivers, Love had the kind of security blanket he has been looking for all season.
Green Bay’s defense also made this game lopsided. Caleb Williams did not play after getting a surprise “questionable” tag on the injury report, and the Packers ended up facing Tyler Bagent and Case Keenum.
Even with that caveat, the defense put together a strong day, holding Chicago to 246 total yards and forcing five turnovers. Xavier McKinney picked off two passes, Javon Bullard kept stacking positive plays, and Danis Dennis-Sutton added a sack, two QB hits and two tackles for loss.
That kind of defensive outing mattered because it shut down the Bears before they could get comfortable. Ben Johnson had shown the last two weeks he could scheme offense around those quarterbacks, but this time Green Bay took control of the script. Jonathan Gannon put together one of his better games and helped keep Chicago from ever finding a rhythm.
Matt LaFleur deserves credit too, even if the afternoon had a few rough patches. The Packers head coach coached with more aggression than he has in a while, and the plan clearly had a sharper edge to it.
Still, the second quarter got clunky after Green Bay built a 14-0 lead, with some poor run calls leading to stalled drives and boos as halftime approached. LaFleur adjusted after that, leaned more heavily into the passing game, and closed the door.
Up front, the Packers’ offensive line had one of those games that doesn’t always grab headlines because there’s no crisis to talk about. Love was sacked twice late in the first half, but otherwise had a clean enough pocket to operate. PFF credited Green Bay with allowing just six pressures and one QB hit, and even the run game had its moments.
The Packers won’t face an opponent every week that struggles to get pressure on the quarterback. But this was the kind of performance that can steady a team. Green Bay has now put together two encouraging outings in a row, and Sunday’s blowout offered the clearest sign yet of what this roster can look like when it’s clicking.
In Other News...
Packers Mourn The Loss Of A Champion Who Never Left Green Bay
Nelson Toburen was one of those Packers whose impact lasted far beyond his playing days. The former Green Bay linebacker was part of two NFL championship teams, and when his football career ended early, he built another life in Wisconsin as an attorney and later as a state district judge. Even after leaving the field, he stayed tied to the franchise and remained a familiar part of the Packers extended family.
Toburens story carried a toughness that fit the era and the organization, from championship runs in Green Bay to the abrupt end of his career in 1962. He went on to earn respect in the courtroom, but his connection to the Packers never really faded, which is why his passing on October 4 lands as more than just a footnote for the team. It feels like the loss of one of the last links to a championship generation that helped define Green Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Need Pierre Strong Jr. More Than Anyone Expected
Green Bay turned to Pierre Strong Jr. this week, activating the running back from the practice squad ahead of Sundays matchup with the Bears. The move comes with the Packers searching for any spark they can find on the ground, a concern that has only grown as the offense has struggled to get its rushing game moving.
The timing underscores how urgent the problem has become. Through four games, Green Bay sat last in the NFL in rushing yards with 232, a startling figure for a team that expected more balance early in the season. Whether Strong can change that picture right away remains unclear, but the Packers are clearly willing to give him a look in a spot where they need answers fast. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Faces A Pressure Game The Packers Can't Afford
Jordan Love heads into a divisional matchup with Chicago carrying the kind of early-season numbers that can be read two ways. He has thrown for 1,041 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, but the more telling number is his 56.5% completion rate, which reflects the uneven rhythm Green Bay has had on offense and the stretches where the quarterback has not looked fully settled.
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 🡒]