Wearing their new "Rivalries" uniforms in the bright sunshine at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers
started fast, consistently dominated in the big-play passing game and on defense and eventually finished off a blowout win over the rival Chicago Bears in Week 5 on Sunday. The 31-7 win improved the Packers' record to 3-2 and could serve as a turning point for a team that mostly limped through the first four weeks of 2026.Highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers' win over the Bears:
The Good
Take your pick: Plenty of good options this week. Jordan Love was kept mostly clean, and he hit four completions of at least 40 yards and finished with 367 passing yards in his best performance of the season. The Packers defense forced
five turnovers, including two picks from Xavier McKinney that were eventually turned into touchdown drives, and mostly stuffed the Bears' vaunted run game. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden were big play creators, finishing with 266 combined receiving yards and two scores. The Packers raced out to a dominant 14-0 start and finished by outscoring the Bears 17-0 in the second half. Fast start, strong finish. Matt LaFleur's team committed only four penalties and didn't have a turnover. By a wide margin, this was the most complete performance by the Packers through five games in 2026. A thoroughly dominant win over a rival that came into the game with a 3-1 record bodes well for where this Packers team is headed, and now everyone in the organization can put to bed the demons of last season's collapses in Chicago.
The Bad
End of the first half, and Trey Smack: A couple of missed scoring opportunities didn't hurt the Packers on Sunday, but Matt LaFleur won't be happy with how the first half ended or Trey Smack's kicking performance. The Packers had the ball at midfield after getting a quick defensive stop late in the second quarter, but two sacks of Jordan Love and a procedural penalty prevented the Packers from even attempting a long field goal. Then again, there's no guarantee Smack would have made the kick. The rookie missed an extra point and two field goals in the second half, costing the Packers seven points. LaFleur will hope this was a blip on the radar and not the start of real struggles for Smack, who has otherwise been excellent to start his first season.
The Ugly
Javon Hargrave's injury: There's never a good time to lose a veteran player to what is expected to be a season-ending injury, but it's even harder to see when the injury happens late in a game with the result in hand. Hargrave went down with a non-contact injury while pressuring Case Keenum in the fourth quarter with the Packers up 24 points. He was eventually carted off, and coach Matt LaFleur said the team believes he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. For the second straight week, the Packers are losing a defensive starter to a season-ending Achilles injury. After battling injuries to start the season, Hargrave was just starting to come on as a disruptor. An Achilles tendon tear would be a brutal injury for a 33-year-old player who was attempting to revive his career with the Packers.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Good, bad and ugly coming out of Packers' Week 5 win over Bears
