Going into the first iteration of the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers rivalry of the 2026 season, it felt as if the tide had officially turned. Chicago was coming off back-to-back wins against Green Bay, and the Packers were struggling through the first four games of the season. By the end of the game, unfortunately, it felt like the same old story we had seen for the better part of 20 years.
The Bears got smoked in every direction on Sunday, losing 31-7 at Lambeau Field. The offense, led by backup quarterback Tyson Bagent with Caleb Williams still out due to a hamstring injury, could only muster one scoring drive and put on a terrible performance in a hostile environment. Bagent only completed 12 passes for 87 yards while throwing two costly
interceptions. He was benched in the second half for Case Keenum, who didn't fare much better. The two players combined to complete 23 of 40 passes for 165 yards and three interceptions and lost a fumble for a passer rating of 39.1.
The offense couldn't get going, while the defense took a major step back. Packers quarterback Jordan Love unleashed fury upon the secondary, completing multiple passes of 40+ yards to Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, and Matthew Golden. Love's 367 yards were the most by a Packers quarterback against the Bears at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay scored 14 unanswered points early and just when it seemed the Bears might get some momentum with a 14-7 halftime score, Love and the offense shut down any hope with a quick scoring drive to open the third quarter. Thanks to a few special teams gaffes by the Packers, the score appeared better than the game actually went.
In a game where seemingly nothing went right, here are our takeaways from Sunday's loss:
1. Watch the tape and burn it
This was possibly the worst game the Bears played as a collective since the 2024 season. Even last year's 51-21 blowout against the Detroit Lions had some redeeming moments. There were barely any on Sunday. The Bears need to own this loss and do some soul searching while going over the film to see just how badly they were outcoached, outplayed, and outhustled. Then they need to burn it.
Lingering on a loss like this does no one any favors. Even against a rival like the Packers. Ben Johnson has done a nice job of turning the page quickly after bad games to rebound the next week. With Week 6 in front of us and more weeks to go, it's imperative the Bears pick themselves up and lock in against the Atlanta Falcons. They're still 3-2, with Williams likely returning as early as Sunday. Let this one sit for only a short period of time and move on to the next.
2. The myth surrounding Tyson Bagent has finally collapsed
To some people, Bagent was the hidden gem of the NFL. An undrafted free agent quarterback who was just waiting for his opportunity to light the world on fire while playing in a friendly system. And with a pivotal road matchup against the Green Bay Packers, this would be his coming out party with a big game. Instead, Bagent showed who he really is: an average-at-best backup quarterback that struggles in road environments.
The myth surrounding Bagent has officially collapsed. Everyone can now see he's just another guy who can step in when needed and have adequate-at-best games. The talk of him being one of the best 32 quarterbacks and worth nothing less than a second-round pick was comical before, and now it's hysterical. Bagent had one of the worst quarterback performances we've seen from a Bears signal caller in years, and it came against a defense that was gashed for much of the early part of the season.
And though many people are piling on, it needs to be made clear that Bagent still did his job. He managed to (unofficially) put together a .500 record as a backup. That's what he's supposed to do. Of course, you'd want your backup to not put the ball in harm's way like Bagent did the last two weeks. But if we learned anything from Sunday, it's that a good portion of the Bears fanbase and others severely overvalued him. That's what happens when backups have to play, though. The myth and mystery disappear.
3. Ben Johnson had a Matt Nagy-esque game
First and foremost, Johnson's biggest error of the day was not benching Bagent soon enough when it was already clear he didn't have what it takes to lead the Bears back. Waiting until the fourth quarter to put Keenum in was a waste. When it comes to the other play calls and decisions, however, this game was reminiscent of those we saw from former head coach Matt Nagy.
Putting Bagent's missed opportunities aside (there were many as players were open), Johnson seemed to get too cute at the wrong time when trying to generate something on offense. We saw too many jet sweeps at key moments that rarely seemed to work out, while Roschon Johnson got way too much work at the expense of D'Andre Swift, who was rolling in the first half. While they were down two scores in the third quarter, abandoning the run with Swift was something Nagy would have done. Swift had just one carry in the second half all together, which is a major problem for a team built on the ground game while they were also missing Kyle Monangai.
Johnson followed up arguably one of his best playcalling days with one of his worst. The confidence and hubris he exuded has worked well up to this point, but you can't let it reach Nagy levels. We know where that path goes.
4. Jaylon Johnson is a shell of his former self
Aside from Bagent, the other player who is getting hit with criticism left and right is cornerback Jaylon Johnson. The former All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerback has become a shell of his former self, and we witnessed perhaps the worst game of his career on Sunday. Johnson let up a massive gain to Matthew Golden, where he looked more like a linebacker than a cornerback (credit to Shayne Marsaw for the comparison).
The issues didn't stop there, though. Johnson would have allowed a big touchdown to J. Michael Sturdivant had offensive pass interference not taken place, and he got absolutely trucked by MarShawn Lloyd on a touchdown run in the first half. Johnson seemingly can't get much of anything going, and he's only getting worse as the years go on. Through five games, he's allowing a completion percentage of 83.3% and an opposing passer rating of over 118, both of which are career worsts.
It's clear we've seen the best of Johnson, and any chance of him returning to the Pro Bowl player he once was is over. The best the Bears can hope for is that he plays adequate enough while the rest of the secondary gets healthy.
5. The blueprint for how to beat the Bears defense has been revealed
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was a quiet killer this week. He didn't lean into the rivalry with Ben Johnson and let the game itself do the talking—all while he concocted a recipe to obliterate the Bears defense and spark the Packers' struggling offense.
After a few weeks of excellent defensive play, the Packers exposed the Bears and let everyone know how to beat them. LaFleur took advantage of mismatches, such as Christian Watson going against Devin Bush and Dillon Thieneman for his first touchdown of the day, and leaning on explosives to move the ball. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Bears were the first time since the 2019 Cincinnati Bengals to allow five completions of 35+ yards in a single game.
Green Bay lulled the defense to sleep early on with long drives and then continued to put the dagger in them with big plays. Their defensive backs were lost and couldn't seem to track the deep ball all day long. Of course, it's also tough to make stops when the offense turns the ball over five times. But the blueprint on how to attack this defense has been revealed. Let's see if the Atlanta Falcons follow suit next week.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 takeaways from Bears' embarrassing loss to the Packers
