The Chicago Bears have reached the highly anticipated first week against the Green Bay Packers this season. They are 3-1 and have a chance to put their rival’s season on early life support. The Packers are 2-2 with both wins by a combined 6 points against the dismal Jets and Buccaneers. They’re also already 0-1 in the division. If they lose this game, they drop to 0-2 and last place in the NFC North. That would be a massive hole to climb out of while the Bears push their record to 4-1. So there is plenty at stake, and quarterback Caleb Williams is setting the tone.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked about the heavy trash talk happening from Bears head coach Ben Johnson after his team beat the Jets on Sunday. His response came across as somewhat subdued to many, who tried to downplay it as just another important game on the schedule.
Packer fans immediately called LaFleur out for such a soft answer. Williams certainly liked it. He indicated as much by liking the post above on Twitter (X). If you weren’t sure whether he’s in the heads of Green Bay, the response below should tell you everything.
Caleb Williams has become the Boogeyman.
It is no small thing when you get a prominent beat writer of your rival to respond to you simply by liking a tweet. That is the reality Williams has created. It comes from all of the effort he’s put into getting the Bears to this point. Everything started with that last-second win at Lambeau Field at the end of the 2024 season. That was the first seed of doubt being planted. Everything reached a true genesis last December when Williams authored that iconic comeback, capped by D.J. Moore’s unforgettable overtime touchdown catch.
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That was the moment the Packers suddenly realized their grip on the rivalry had slipped. So when Caleb Williams drove a stake into their heart in the wild card round of the playoffs, erasing a 21-3 lead, the complex had been created. He became the Boogeyman for Packers fans, the guy they hated and also feared in equal measure. It is exactly how Bears fans used to feel about Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Try to imagine what it would’ve been like if they’d been on social media in their day.
Sunday will be interesting.
After all, the Packers won’t be facing Williams. The Bears’ starter remains out with a hamstring injury. That means it’ll be Tyson Bagent in this game. Unsurprisingly, this has given Green Bay fans some confidence that they can pull off a victory. Then again, this is the same team that almost lost to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels last week. This doesn’t feel like the sort of situation where they should be overlooking anybody. Bagent is 3-2 as a starter and knows Johnson’s system inside and out.
Never mind, they won’t have Micah Parsons or Edgerrin Cooper for this game. There is a reason the Bears are favored despite being on the road. The best thing for the Packers to do is ignore Williams and focus on the task at hand. They’ll have to deal with him soon enough. If they can’t beat the Bears when he’s not playing, it doesn’t bode well for the rematch when he returns.
