A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Nothing to smile about for the Chicago Bears as their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, tied them to a pole and smacked them around like a volleyball for 60 consecutive minutes.
The 208-mile trip back to the Windy City will feel like 2,008 miles with the cheers of 80,000 fans wearing green and gold echoing in their minds.
This game was a disappointment on all fronts for the Bears, especially for the man upstairs looking down on them from the heavens.
HEAVY HEARTS
Just two days before the contest, on October 9, Chicago legend and Hall-of-Fame tight end/head coach Mike Ditka passed away at the age of 86.
Ditka played 12 seasons, six of them for the Bears, becoming the first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After his playing career was done, he was the head coach of the Bears for eleven seasons, including the legendary ‘85 Bears that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
His passion and personality made him an icon on and off the field, with his teams never lacking toughness. His signature sunglasses, stache, and sweater created a timeless look that many Bears fans wore in Green Bay.
If only the imagery could’ve inspired the modern Bears to play with some toughness.
EVERYONE GETS A TURNOVER
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was once again in the driver’s seat of Chicago’s offense, which made sense. He helped the team cruise to 494 total yards and over 42 minutes of possession last week against the New York Jets.
Yes, one of the crucial parts of that performance, running back Kyle Monangai, was out for the game with turf toe, but surely Bagent would be just fine without him.
Nope, he drove the offense straight into a brick wall and got benched.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Brandon Cisse (2) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) during the first quarter of the game on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Dan Powers / Imagn Images)
Secret Bagent No. 17 threw for just 87 yards on 21 pass attempts, and Packers safety Xavier McKinney picked him off not once, but twice.
38-year-old Case Keenum took over signal-calling duties for Bagent in the fourth quarter and was slightly better. Unfortunately, a trash can with sparkles on it is still just a trash can.
He managed 108 yards on his nineteen passes with an interception at the goal line and a fumble lost. Over the bar, but not pretty.
With these low passing stats, none of the Bears receivers had more than 50 yards, but wide receiver Rome Odunze did have an awful fumble that pretty much summed up his team’s day in a single play.
Chicago’s rushing attack couldn’t pick up the slack either. A unit that came in averaging 196.3 yards per game and 4.9 yards per attempt was held to just 81 yards on 3.4 yards per attempt by a rushing defense in the bottom five against the run.
Running back D’Andre Swift did score the team’s only points on a rushing touchdown, so that’s something.
Under 200 yards passing. Under 100 yards rushing. Five turnovers.
All these pieces come together to make for one rough offensive performance, but there’s no way the defense could’ve been just as bad, right?
MORE HOLES THAN SWISS CHEESE
Correct. It wasn’t as bad.
It was worse.
Somehow.
While it is true that the unit suffered a trio of injuries during the game to defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and defensive back Tyrique Stevenson, this doesn’t explain why two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Jaylon Johnson was getting torched harder than Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar.
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love didn’t need Toyotathon to have another phenomenal showing against Chicago. He launched bomb after bomb en route to 367 yards and two touchdowns, the most yards by any Packers quarterback against the Bears at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love looks to pass under pressure from Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) during the first quarter of the game on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Mike Dinovo / Imagn Images)
More than Brett Favre ever did. More than Aaron Rodgers ever did.
The recipients of these bombs were largely receivers, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, who each had six catches for 143 and 123 yards, respectively. Tight end Tucker Kraft also joined in on the party with five grabs for 64 yards.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) stiff-arms Chicago Bears cornerback Malik Muhammad II (24) during the third quarter of the game on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Dan Powers / Imagn Images)
Watson was also the man who caught both touchdowns, including a sensational catch on safety Dillon Thieneman’s head in the third quarter.
The mid-week additions of offensive linemen Laken Tomlinson, Mekhi Becton, and Kevin Zeitler helped lift a struggling Packers pass game out of the mud, but the same can’t be said for the run game.
Green Bay only managed 70 rushing yards, continuing their string of bad performances on the ground, but with running back Marshawn Lloyd having two touchdowns and how potent the pass game was, I doubt they’re losing sleep over it.
As far as bright spots for the Bears go, defensive end Austin Booker had two sacks, so at least he’s having a good year. Can’t say much for anyone else, though.
ROUGH ON BOTH SIDES
Neither kicker had a good day, with Chicago’s Cairo Santos missing his lone 43-yard attempt and Green Bay missing two out of his three kicks.
At least Chicago rookie Zavion Thomas had one nice kick return.
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
One thing is clear for the Chicago Bears going forward. They need Caleb Williams back desperately.
A 2-1 record with backup quarterbacks is pretty good, but this game showed that their magic is running out, and they’ll need the magic Williams provides to keep up in the NFC North.
The Minnesota Vikings currently lead the division with a perfect 5-0 record, while the Bears, Packers, and Detroit Lions are all huddled together at 3-2.
Both of Chicago’s losses this season are to division opponents. Head coach Ben Johnson now has a 2-6 regular-season record against NFC North foes, who always seem to have an answer for his offensive creativity.
The Bears still have a chance this season with a winning record, but they must get their act together starting next week in Atlanta if they want to repeat as division champs.
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