The Green Bay Packers will attempt to win their first division game of the 2026 season and avenge a pair of memorable losses to end the 2025 season when the Chicago Bears come to Lambeau Field for a Week 5 rivalry game on Sunday.
Can Matt LaFleur's team beat the Bears for the first time in three tries, or will Ben Johnson's squad continue their takeover of the rivalry?
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 5 showdown with the Bears will go down:
Zach Kruse: Bears 27, Packers 20 (3-1)
It's hard to believe in this Packers team until they prove they can go play 60 minutes of quality football. There are still too many avoidable mistakes happening, especially on offense. Consider this: the Bears have won the last two games -- with two different backup quarterbacks under
center -- by 31 points. The Packers are -32 for the entire season despite playing a quarterback schedule of Carson Wentz/Geno Smith/Michael Penix/Jalon Daniels. Should the Packers win at home against a backup quarterback? Probably. But they will not go into Sunday as the better team. The Bears have a dominant offensive line, an adaptable playcaller and a defense that is flying around and making life difficult in the key situations. A win for the Packers here could truly be a turning point for the season, but I don't see it happening -- not with all the factors working against Matt LaFleur's team. Losing Edgerrin Cooper the week before facing the Bears was terrible timing.
Brandon Carwile: Packers 20, Bears 17 (2-2)
Green Bay will face a backup quarterback for the second straight week, but Chicago head coach Ben Johnson is one of the best offensive minds in the game, and Tyson Bagent has NFL starting experience. Despite Caleb Williams being sidelined the past couple of weeks, the Bears enter this game with the top-ranked rushing offense. However, with Kyle Monangai ruled out and D’Andre Swift banged up, Bagent could be the X-factor. He’s thrown seven interceptions in his career compared to just three touchdowns, and the Packers had two picks in last week’s win over the Buccaneers. Offensively, their pass protection is trending in the right direction, and I think Jordan Love will have success attacking Chicago’s struggling outside corners. The Packers win a close one to get this rivalry back on track after losing to the Bears twice last season.
Mark Oldacres: Packers 23, Bears 20 (2-2)
Once again the Packers get ready to face a backup quarterback, and although Tyson Bagent will be helped by having offensive whiz Ben Johnson in his corner, the Bears have been dealt another blow with Kyle Monangai ruled out. Chicago’s run game has not been as effective since they ran all over the Panthers in Week 1, and without Monangai it will be down to D’Andre Swift (who is also banged up) to carry the load. Johnson will no doubt cook up a gameplan to put points on the board, but if the Packers can continue the momentum they built on offense a week ago and limit unforced errors, they should have enough to beat their previous high for points in a game of 22 and outlast the Bears.
Brennen Rupp: Packers 20, Bears 10 (2-2)
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 5 vs. Bears
