The Chicago Bears spent most of the past three decades at the mercy of the Green Bay Packers. Such is life when your rival enjoys Hall of Fame quarterback play. For the longest time, everyone knew that things could only change once the Bears found a way to match the Packers at the position, not to mention at head coach. Then, two champions arrived within a year of each other. First came Caleb Williams, #1 overall pick in 2024 and widely lauded as one of the most talented quarterbacks of the past decade. Next came Ben Johnson, the offensive whiz kid who helped in the Detroit Lions’ franchise resurrection.
Both men immediately had one thing in common. They hated the Packers and made it their mission to reverse years of mental torture the city had suffered. As has become their trademark, they did it in dramatic fashion. After falling to the Packers at Lambeau Field last season, they ushered in one of the most emotional comebacks in the rivalry’s history, rallying from down 16-3 in the 4th quarter to force overtime. Then, in the extra period, D.J. Moore made the catch of the year to send Soldier Field into a frenzy.
A few weeks later, the two teams met again in the playoffs. Again, Green Bay jumped out to a big lead. This time 21-3. Again, the Bears rallied in the second half, scoring 25 points in the 4th quarter to deliver an all-time 31-27 victory.
It’s possible that sequence may have broken the Green Bay Packers.
Why? Their psyche clearly hasn’t recovered. Opening day looked like a perfect time to make a statement. The Packers defense knocked Kyler Murray out of the game early and built a commanding 22-10 lead over the Vikings in Minnesota. U.S. Bank Stadium was dead silent. Then it happened again. Justin Jefferson caught a touchdown pass with two minutes left in the 3rd quarter to make it 22-17. Just like that, the floodgates opened. Minnesota scored 29 unanswered points while Jordan Love, who’d played well up to that point, committed brutal back-to-back turnovers.
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Everything felt incredibly familiar. The Green Bay Packers had spent all offseason insisting the demons from those losses to Chicago were behind them. Then they go and deliver a vintage performance. Against a backup quarterback, no less. Packer fans have insisted up and down that their team still has the mental edge in the rivalry. Last year was a fluke. Yet when you watch how that team has played since the December loss at Soldier Field, they’ve been in a funk they can’t seem to shake.
That loss already puts them in a hole.
Losing a game like that is bad enough. Losing it to a division rival is even worse. Every NFC North team won its opening game on Sunday except for the Packers. That is uncharted territory for a franchise that has enjoyed consistent success for so long. Green Bay is getting a taste of something it hasn’t felt in ages: vulnerability. Teams aren’t awed or intimidated by them anymore. The aura is gone. They may not be a bad team, but they stopped being a great team years ago.
Chicago sensed it last year. Now others have followed suit. Once you know an opponent will fold if you put pressure on them late in games, you learn how to do it very well. The Packers are likely hoping things will return to normal once Josh Jacobs and Micah Parsons return. This team is not built to win big games without them. The Bears started the ball rolling downhill. Now they’re hoping to deliver the kill shot.
