Bears Packers – The 3-1 Chicago Bears head to Green Bay as road favorites, looking to prove their early-season dominance against a struggling Packers squad.
The familiar script of the NFL’s oldest rivalry has been flipped. When the Chicago Bears arrive at Lambeau Field this Sunday for their Week 5 matchup, they will do so not as the customary underdogs, but as 2½-point favorites over the 2-2 Green Bay Packers.
While the Bears boast a 3-1 record and a plus-47 point differential. the Packers have stumbled to a 2-2 start with a minus-32 point differential. The weight of history remains, however, and looms large. The Packers controlled this series with 11 straight wins from 2019 to 2024. part of a 15-2 stretch that included the 2010 NFC Championship Game and three decades of general dominance. For the Bears. the current two-game winning streak against their rivals feels less like a changing of the guard and more like a brief interruption in a long. difficult history. The Bears hold a 9-28 record within the division since 2019, a reminder that the wheels could shift at any moment.
Injuries have complicated the path forward for Chicago. Quarterback Caleb Williams remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Tyson Bagent to make his second consecutive start. The coaching contrast is equally sharp. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has cultivated an intense. often prickly persona that has resonated with the Chicago faithful. starting his tenure with a 14-7 record. By contrast. Packers coach Matt LaFleur. who holds an impressive 78-42-1 career record and a 12-3 mark against Chicago. finds himself under increasing scrutiny as his team struggles to run the ball or avoid dropped passes. LaFleur. facing criticism from voices like former Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert. remained diplomatic this week. referring to the Bears as the defending NFC North champions.
Efficiency has become the hallmark of the Bears’ early campaign. While they lack the turnover margin that defined their previous season—when they led the league with a plus-22 differential—they are currently dominating games through ball control. The team leads the NFL in rushing and has recorded nine rushing touchdowns. while the Packers rank last in the league in rushing and have yet to find the end zone on the ground. The Bears are doubling their opponents in third-down conversion rates at 47.4% to 23.7% and are commanding time of possession at 36:35 per game. compared to 23:24 for their opponents.
Internal discipline remains a point of emphasis. Bears running back D’Andre Swift has fumbled twice this season. a trend that coach Ben Johnson has made clear he will not tolerate. This has opened the door for Kyle Monangai. who has displayed rare ball security. handling over 700 touches at Rutgers and nearly 1. 000 including his time with the Bears without a fumble. Whether Monangai sees an increased workload remains to be seen. though the team is unlikely to replicate his 30-carry outing from the win against the Jets.
As the rivalry fervor reaches a fever pitch—with the chant “Green Bay sucks!” echoing from baseball games to local events—the upcoming contest serves as a critical barometer for both clubs. For the Bears. it is a chance to solidify a division lead while the 4-0 Vikings hold steady atop the North. For those observing the history of the game. the atmosphere offers a moment of reflection: Wednesday marked 42 years since Walter Payton took a pitch from Jim McMahon to break the NFL’s career rushing record. a milestone that continues to anchor the franchise’s identity.
Bears Packers NFL Ben Johnson Matt LaFleur Lambeau Field NFC North Chicago Bears Green Bay Packers