For the Green Bay Packers, the first and most important step on the path to beating the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday will be playing a cleaner game across the board.
The rivalry is important to both sides. But focusing on anything other than what needs to get done on the field Sunday is probably a waste of energy for a Packers team that can't afford any focus- or concentration-related mistakes.
At this point in the 2026 season, the Bears are simply the better football team, even factoring in a backup quarterback under center. Ben Johnson's team has gained the most yards in football and ranks top five on defense in yards and points. All three of Chicago's wins have been by two or more scores. Packers fans won't like it, but the Bears are good,
and beating a good football team is always a difficult task.
It's hard to imagine the Packers winning Sunday -- or even being in contention late -- if Matt LaFleur's team is committing penalties, dropping passes and fumbling away the football, all themes for Green Bay during the first four weeks.
The Packers have to give themselves a chance to win, and the first task is making sure you don't beat yourself.
Penalties negatively affect offensive possessions and field position and can extend drives for opponents. By both total accepted penalties and total accepted/offsetting penalties, the Packers have the second most in football through four weeks. The offense has 22 total penalties, and of the 42 total penalties, 17 have been pre-snap penalties. The consistency of these infractions is making it difficult for the Packers to play winning football, especially on offense.
What about drops? Depending on the source, the Packers have 12 or 13 drops through four games, and no quarterback has been hurt by more drops than Jordan Love. Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson all have three or more drops. Last week, Kraft dropped a touchdown pass, Bo Melton dropped what would have been an explosive play on third down, and Golden dropped a third down conversion. The Packers cannot afford missed opportunities in the passing game on Sunday.
Fumbles are an increasingly alarming problem. Kaleb Johnson and MarShawn Lloyd both had fumbles last week, including Johnson's turnover inside the 5-yard line. Johnson and Lloyd both have two fumbles in four games. Love has fumbled four times, which is hardly surprising given the number of times he's been hit this season. Entering Week 5, the Packers are one of 11 teams with at least three lost fumbles in 2026. Protecting the football is going to be a very important part of beating a team that still thrives on takeaways.
Penalties, drops and fumbles are all things the Packers can control on Sunday. They are avoided through focus and concentration on the task during every second of the game and by all 11 on the field.
Clean football means no pre-snap or post-whistle penalties. No drops on passes that should be completions. No putting the ball on the ground. It means the Packers taking a huge step in the right direction in a few of their most troublesome areas.
The Bears are a formidable opponent. They will border on unbeatable if the Packers are continue to fail the controllable things that have plagued them throughout the 2026 season. Play clean, however, and the Packers should be right in the game with a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers must play clean football to have chance of beating Bears
