Packers Punch Their Bullies In Statement Victory Over Rival Bears

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers didn’t just beat the Chicago Bears. They demolished Ben Johnson’s team, punching the wannabe bullies in the face early and often during a 31-7 victory at Lambeau Field.

Spin it however you want. The Bears will spin it as losing without their star quarterback and powerhouse running back. The Packers will spin it as a statement win, a season-changing win and a rivalry-changing win.

Both sides probably have a point. The reality is the Packers, who were 2-2 this season and 2-7 in their last nine games, needed this win. They needed it for the standings. They needed it for their psyche after last year’s epic collapses in Chicago. And they needed it to remind their rivals that, while the Bears definitely don’t suck, the Packers’ demise has been greatly exaggerated.

The Bears (3-2), well, they’ll forever have bragging rights following last year’s wild-card game and they’ll get a chance to turn the tables on Christmas, presumably with Caleb Williams and Kyle Monangai on the field.

With Green Bay leading 23-7 late in the third quarter, Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden on a bomb between two defenders for a gain of 36. Then, with the seconds ticking away and the Bears appearing shellshocked, Love hit Golden for 15 more to the 6.

As the teams changed sides of the field for the fourth quarter, receivers Bo Melton and J. Michael Sturdivant ran onto the field to exchange high-fives with Golden. The fans, who booed the Packers off the field two weeks earlier in a blowout loss to the Falcons, stood on their feet and roared. A thunderous “Go Pack Go” chant rang out through the famed stadium.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, MarShawn Lloyd bounced a run to his left and high-stepped his way into the end zone. Love hit Golden on the two-point play to make it 31-7.

Bears coach Ben Johnson had enough of Tyson Bagent, who had thrown two interceptions to Xavier McKinney. Case Keenum made it a third interception when, on fourth-and-goal at the 9, he was picked off by linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper before getting buried by Lukas Van Ness.

“Roll Out the Barrel” rang out as the crowd celebrated the blowout. Then, it was a “Go Brewers Go!” chant.

On the first play of the ensuing possession, Jordan Love went deep to Golden for a gain of 50.

It was the football equivalent of Johnson yelling “F*** the Packers” after last year’s playoff game.

“That was a huge win,” Love said. “Just for where we’re at in the season, starting off, that was definitely needed a much-needed win against an NFC North opponent. So, yeah, it was a huge win.”

Total Domination by Packers

Love had 300 passing yards through three quarters and finished 25-of-31 passing for 367 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 137.5 passer rating.

Christian Watson and Golden each blew past 100 receiving yards – six catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns for Watson and six catches for 123 yards for Golden. Throw Tucker Kraft into the mix, they combined for 330 yards.

“I love it,” Love said. “We kept our foot on the gas, Matt was dialing it up and that’s what it needs to look like.”

Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown as Bears defensive back Jaylon Johnson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McKinney had two interceptions as the Packers, the king of the unforced error in the first four games, had zero turnovers and only four penalties through the first 57 minutes, when defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon cleared the bench. They were plus-five in turnovers.

Earlier in the week, safety Javon Bullard said he wanted to kick the Packers’ “ass.”

Was that mission accomplished?

“What was the score 31-7? Shit, you tell me,” he said.

For the second consecutive week, the Packers went with veteran Laken Tomlinson at left guard and young Travis Glover at right guard. And, for the second consecutive week, the Packers ran the ball a little – the production was sporadic but Lloyd had two touchdowns – and Love benefitted from cushy pockets. Other than a pair of sacks during a deflating end to the first half, the Bears barely got within an arm’s reach of Love.

About the only black eye was kicker Trey Smack missing two field goals and an extra point. That’s what Brandon McManus did in last year’s playoff game. Fortunately for the Packers, Smack’s misses were irrelevant.

Also, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was carted off after the 2-minute warning.

Fast Start by Packers

The Packers, following the advice of Evan Williams, bolted to a 14-0 lead.

“Yeah, anytime it’s a division game, you kind of got to get your piss hot for the most part, understanding that these are going to have long-term effects on the standings for where we want to be at the end of the year,” Williams said this week.

“And also carrying over from last year, understanding we also have a bad taste in our mouth from what happened. You can understand a 12-round fight. It’s going to be a fistfight for sure.”

The Packers struck first on a 42-yard touchdown bomb to Watson. The worst third-down offense in the NFL beat the second-best third-down defense for a pair of conversions.

The Packers struck second on Xavier McKinney’s interception. Javon Bullard made a leaping deflection of a ball intended for Luther Burden, with McKinney grabbing his second pick of the year.

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) intercepts a pass intended for Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They struck third when Lloyd posterized Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson by running him over near the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown. Pierre Strong converted fourth-and-1 behind Mark Redman’s lead block.

The Bears eventually stemmed the bleeding, then embarked on a 16-play, 9-minute touchdown drive to cut the margin to 14-7.

When the Packers butchered their end-of-half possession, the Bears took all the momentum into the locker room for intermission.

They didn’t keep it for long.

Packers’ Pivotal Start to Second Half

On the first play of the second half, Love faked a toss to Lloyd and hit Watson over the middle for 31. Moments later, on third-and-12, Love threw a touchdown bomb to J. Michael Sturdivant against Johnson. It looked like a potential breakout moment for the undrafted rookie. Instead, Sturdivant was flagged for pass interference – a horrendous call in which Johnson appeared to get the NBA-style “star” call.

So, on third-and-22, the Packers could have opted to pick up a chunk gain to give Trey Smack a shot at a 55- or 60-yard field goal. Instead, Love found some space to step into a bomb to Watson, who made an incredible catch for a 53-yard touchdown.

Watson caught the ball behind the back of the helmet of safety Dillon Thieneman, survived a collision and hit the turf with a baseball slide.

Smack, however, missed the extra point, so it was 20-7.

The battle of the missed kicks worked in Green Bay’s favor when Cairo Santos missed a 43-yard field goal on the ensuing possession. On third-and-8 before the kick, Dani Dennis-Sutton, who was sucked on a bootleg early in the drive, spotted a receiver screen and buried Kalif Raymond for a loss of 3.

The Packers tacked on a field goal with 1:58 left in the third quarter, a drive springboarded by Tucker Kraft’s 46-yard catch on the first play of the drive. It was a beautiful design, with Love booting left and hitting Kraft, who ran a post to the right.

With 77,755 fans in attendance for one of the hottest home games in franchise history, the day started with a moment of silence for former Bears player and coach and NFL legend Mike Ditka.

Evan Williams said the Packers had to come out with hot piss against the Bears.

Here are some hot-piss studs and duds as Green Bay leads at halftime. ⬇️https://t.co/BGmltxhYEQ
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 11, 2026

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