The Packers have done enough talking. It’s the Bears‘ turn.
Quarterback Caleb Williams had a mission to “create history” when the Bears drafted him, and that was a monumental task. The franchise had a lot of maddening narratives before this season, and one of them was that it can’t put up a fight against the archrival Packers.
That’s done. After a stunning win against them in the regular season last month and an even more unbelievable 31-27 victory over them in the playoffs Saturday, Williams has sent a clear message to the Packers.
“We’re here, and we’re going to be here for a while,” Williams said Saturday night. “That’s my plan: Be here with [Ben Johnson], win a bunch of games, be in these moments and come out victorious. That’s the mindset for this year and also the future.”
Before this season, the Bears hadn’t beaten the Packers in a meaningful game since 2018. They were on a 10-game losing streak at the time they drafted him, and he won at Lambeau Field at the end of last season in a game that had no stakes for either team.
This victory was as big as they come. The Bears rallied from an early 21-3 deficit, as well as a 27-16 hole with less than five minutes left, to win and advance to a divisional game against the Eagles or Rams at Soldier Field.
Williams and the Bears were of the belief that the Packers wanted to face them in the playoffs, and he said Saturday, “Yeah, they wanted us. That’s what I heard. They wanted it and they got it.”
Johnson added, “There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start the week, which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike. This one meant something to us.”
Safety Kevin Byard heard it. He cited comments by receiver Christian Watson, cornerback Keisean Nixon and even defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley that annoyed the Bears during the week.
“Even before the game, there was a lot of [trash]-talking this week. …” he said. “We heard the noise. . … We heard that loud and clear.”
The yapping continued before kickoff Saturday, when Bears and Packers players confronted each other at the 50-yard line. Bears players said they came to the defense of their teammates after the Packers chirped at punter Tory Taylor.
“They were begging,” he said. “That was all bulletin (board) material. … When they were talking [Saturday], it was like, ‘O.K., we gotta turn it up.'”
The Bears did — eventually. As Byard noted, they didn’t start with the same emotion that they showed during the pregame trash-talk.
They were happy to have the last word after the game.
“Eff Green Bay,” linebacker D’Marco Jackson said.
His coach used the real word in his postgame speech to the Bears.
“Man, [screw] the Packers,” Johnson said.
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