The Green Bay Packers didn’t just beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday. They put together the kind of game that calms a restless fan base and turns down the noise around a shaky start to the season. In a 31-7 win, Green Bay answered the taunting, handled the moment, and set itself up with something real to build on before next week’s Sunday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
The biggest reason for the turnaround was simple: Jordan Love finally had room to work.
For much of the season, Love has been fighting through a battered offensive line. This time, the front five held up, and it showed.
The newly added pieces, especially Laken Tomlinson at left guard, arrived at the right time after the Packers’ ugly Thursday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 24.
Since then, the front office has patched up the line, and the results have been immediate over the last two games.
Against Chicago, Love looked comfortable from the start. He finished 25-of-31 for 367 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores going to Christian Watson on plays of 42 and 53 yards.
Watson finished with 143 receiving yards, while Matthew Golden added 123. Love’s pocket stayed cleaner, his timing sharpened, and the passing game kept finding big chunks.
It was easily Love’s best outing of the season and the top passing performance of the week behind Drake Maye and his 374-yard, four-touchdown day for the Patriots. When the protection is there, Green Bay can play the kind of football that lets Love take control.
The run game, though, still has work to do.
With Chris Brooks out, the ground attack never really found traction. The backs who did play combined for just 70 yards, and Marshawn Lloyd accounted for 31 of them on 10 carries while scoring two short touchdowns from seven yards or less. The Packers got enough on the ground to finish drives, but not enough to make the unit feel settled.
That matters because Green Bay can’t expect Love to carry the offense snap after snap. Josh Jacob’s uncertain future only raises that concern.
Even as the offensive line continues to get better, the running backs need to keep pace. If they don’t, the Packers may end up looking outside the roster for help.
If the offense was efficient, the defense was flat-out disruptive.
The week started with heavy concern after the season-ending loss of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, and things got even murkier when defensive tackles Javon Hargrove and Anthony Campbell showed up on the injury report. None of that slowed Green Bay down on Sunday. The Packers held Chicago to seven points, intercepted three passes, and forced two fumbles.
Caleb Williams was not in the lineup, and that certainly played a role. Still, the Packers’ front created problems all afternoon, getting after Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum for two sacks each. Devonte Wyatt and Dani Dennis-Sutton each finished with two TFLs and three solo tackles.
The secondary did its part too. Xavier McKinney picked off two passes, his first multi-interception game since Jan. 7, 2024, when he was with the New York Giants. Ty’Ron Hopper added another interception.
Green Bay’s defense forced four punts and five turnovers overall, and the unit looked aggressive from start to finish. The catch is obvious: the group has to stay healthy. More injuries would put an already thin defense in a dangerous spot, and the Packers can’t afford that this early.
The one real rough edge came from the kicking game.
Rookie Trey Smack had his first ugly NFL game, missing two of three field goal attempts and one of three extra points. It was his worst performance as a pro, though the overall sample still points to a reliable leg. Smack is 7-of-10 on field goals and 9-of-11 on PATs, and he’s already 2-for-2 from 50-plus yards.
For one Sunday, though, the Packers had enough elsewhere to make the mistakes from the kicking unit manageable. The line protected, Love delivered, the defense dominated, and Green Bay walked out with the kind of win that can steady a season.
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The buildup to Packers-Bears had already taken on an edge before kickoff, and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton helped underline just how personal it felt in Green Bays locker room. Speaking ahead of the game, he acknowledged the intensity of the rivalry and the tension surrounding the coaching staffs, while making it clear he was not going to repeat the private details of those conversations.
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Packers Suddenly Have A D-Line Decision That Could Matter Fast
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One of the first steps came with a workout for former Patriots defensive tackle Isaiah Iton, along with a physical as the Packers sort through their options. It is the kind of early-season roster tweak that can seem minor in the moment, but for a defense trying to stay intact through a tougher stretch, the timing makes the decision worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]