The Green Bay Packers did everything in their power last season to insist the Chicago Bears weren’t a real threat. Yeah, they won at Lambeau Field in 2024, but that was a fluky game that ended on a last-second field. Nothing had changed. They were still the superior team and would prove it last year. Things seemed to return to normalcy after the Packers held serve at home with a 28-21 win. Then things went sideways as the Bears stunned them in overtime at Soldier Field, and then completed an epic comeback in the wild card round to win 31-27. Two stunning losses in the space of a month. Safety Xavier McKinney, like many others, was left speechless.
Even now, most Packers fans and players refuse to acknowledge the Bears. They have plenty of bigger threats in the NFC to worry about. McKinney is not one of them. The Packers Pro Bowler seems to have changed his stance on the Bears after having some months to absorb what happened in December and January. He admitted as much to Kevin Clark on the This Is Football show. In his mind, the Bears now have his full attention. They have a good team, led by a good quarterback and an even better head coach.
Xavier McKinney knows denial is the enemy now.
In years past, the Packers had every reason to ignore the Bears. Not only did they have a Hall of Fame quarterback running the show in Aaron Rodgers, but Chicago was overrun with mediocrity from top to bottom. It was never a fair fight. All of that changed when Caleb Williams arrived. The #1 pick from USC arrived with two things: world-class talent and zero fear. He made it clear from the beginning that he was not in awe of the Packers. That has since been proven by his 3-2 record against them. Adding Ben Johnson to the mix as head coach only makes it worse for the Packers, as he’s put up 21 points or more against them in three straight games.
The last time that happened was between 2003 and 2004. Over 20 years. That should give you an idea of how bad the Bears have been in this rivalry. McKinney isn’t naive. The happy times are over. These aren’t the same old Bears. They’re young, hungry, and now know they can stare down the Packers in a big game and not blink. These two teams are now on equal footing. The sooner Green Bay accepts that, the better their chances of reasserting control of the rivalry. If they don’t, it’s only going to get worse.
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This season will be a telling one.
Both teams are again considered playoff contenders. Green Bay brings back mostly the same roster from last season, with some minor tweaks. Their primary goal is to keep the season competitive until Micah Parsons returns from his ACL injury. Current projections have that being sometime in late October or early November. Once he returns, they should be able to make the Super Bowl run they failed to last season. As for the Bears, they have gotten younger and faster at several positions. Many wonder how they’ll respond to losing key veterans like D.J. Moore and Kevin Byard.
Xavier McKinney doesn’t seem to think it will affect them that much. After all, they still have the two most important pieces in place. Williams and Johnson now enter their second season together, and that growing comfort level should lead to even more productivity. If good health follows the Bears this season, they could be even more dangerous than before.
