Packers' Matthew Golden Calls out Bears' Cairo Santos Over Sideline Incident

There was no shortage of storylines to come out of the Chicago Bears' disastrous Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. For one thing, any talk of Tyson Bagent becoming an intriguing trade piece for the Bears should come to a screeching halt. On the flip side of that, Bagent proved the immense value that Caleb Williams brings to the Bears, and Bears fans are hoping that he'll be ready to go for Week 6 against the feisty Atlanta Falcons.

However, there was one incident from the game that went mostly unnoticed until postgame comments from the players became public. On an offensive play for the Packers late in the first half, wide receiver Matthew Golden ran out of bounds with the ball to stop the clock and knocked a Bears' assistant coach off his feet. Fans can watch the video to judge for themselves, but Golden seemingly made little effort to avoid running into the coach.

Kicker Cairo Santos saw this and appeared to stick his leg out to trip Golden as he made his way back to the field. After the game, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic asked Golden about this incident, to which Golden dismissively replied, "It's all good. I ain't got nothing to say to him."

Bears-Packers rivalry is at its best place in decades

Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson celebrates a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This altercation could have potentially escalated into an all-out brawl on the sidelines, but it still goes to show the passion in this rivalry. These are two teams that genuinely dislike each other and tempers have been at a boiling point ever since the Bears' triumphant Wild Card victory over the Packers last year. Since then, several Packers players have gone to the media to express their disdain for the Bears, both in the offseason and in the week leading up to this matchup.

That's exactly how things should be in this historic rivalry. The Bears and Packers have been dueling for over 100 years, and there should be bad blood between them. Unfortunately, the Packers' one-sided domination of the Bears since 1992, especially during the 15-year Aaron Rodgers era, put the rivalry on ice. It can't truly be a rivalry if one team is always winning, after all.

Thankfully, that's all in the past. Including the playoffs, the score is now 2-2 since Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago and breathed new life into the rivalry. That leaves the Packers still with a substantial lead in the all-time series, but the Bears are clearly no longer their punching bag, and honest Packers fans will admit that Sunday's game could have easily been a loss for them if Caleb Williams had been healthy enough to play.

The Bottom Line

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams watches during a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately for the Bears, they won't get another crack at the Packers until Christmas Day. This will be just the third Christmas matchup between these two teams, and the Bears will have the opportunity to not only take another 2-1 series lead over the Packers but can also wash the taste of this brutal loss out of their mouths.

Until that day, however, the Packers have earned the right to talk their smack. All the Bears can do is flush this game after what will likely be a rough film review. On the bright side, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday morning that 'all signs point' to Caleb Williams returning for the Bears' Week 6 game in Atlanta, and you can bet your bottom dollar that he's itching to remind everyone of what he can do on the football field.

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