The Green Bay Packers were mad. They couldn’t understand how they let their game at Soldier Field in December slip away. They’d played so well for three quarters, building a 16-3 lead. Everything was as it should be, as it had been for 30 years. Then everything fell apart. The Chicago Bears forced overtime in the final seconds and then won the game on that unforgettable 46-yard bomb to D.J. Moore. Unable to accept what happened, Green Bay entered the wild card playoff week full of confidence and bravado.
One might even call it arrogance.
It was actually shocking how much they were talking. They wanted to play the Bears. They couldn’t wait to put Chicago’s season to bed. The game was a foregone conclusion. Players and coaches were both guilty of it.
One had to think the Bears were hearing all of it. They had done zero talking all week. The only notable quote was from head coach Ben Johnson, who said players shouldn’t bother coming in for practice if they weren’t totally focused on winning on Saturday. After the comeback, both he and Caleb Williams admitted that Green Bay’s chirping made it 100% personal.
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Green Bay forgot history with the Chicago Bears.
Be prepared for consequences if you decide to trash-talk them publicly before a playoff game. This goes all the way back to 1940. Washington’s owner called them “crybabies” to the press after the Redskins beat them 7-3 in a regular season game. Chicago had clips of that quote posted across the locker room for weeks. Sure enough, the two teams met again in the NFL championship. The Bears proceeded to crush Washington 73-0 in what is still the most lopsided game in league history.
What the Packers did was just as egregious. They willingly handed their rivals extra motivation when they could’ve easily avoided it by keeping their mouths shut. It was baffling how they felt that was okay. This Green Bay team had lost each of their last two playoff openers. The Chicago Bears had already proven a month ago that they could beat you. Yet you decided to treat it as if it never happened. Green Bay committed every cardinal sin imaginable, and they deserve to wallow in it for the next six months.
