The Green Bay Packers have owned the Chicago Bears for the past 30 years of the rivalry. A big reason for that was the decisive edge at quarterback, trotting out Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers while the Bears have thrown Erik Kramer, Steve Walsh, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, Mitch Trubisky, and Justin Fields at them over the years. The mismatch has been obvious every single time. Packer fans probably expected it to stay the same even as the Bears secured the #1 overall pick this past off-season. They opted for USC standout Caleb Williams.
After some ugly early bumps, the young quarterback seems to have blossomed in recent weeks. His 340 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota was the latest indication Chicago may have finally gotten one. Former Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert admitted on Twitter (X) that the Patrick Mahomes comparison may have been more accurate than he wanted to believe.
While his numbers last week weren’t as gaudy, the rookie still had 301 total yards, including 70 on the ground. The biggest signal of his imminent arrival came late in the 4th quarter when he delivered passes of 16, 21, and 12 yards to get the Bears in position for a 46-yard field goal. Green Bay escaped thanks to a blocked kick, but it was still a warning sign that their mastery of previous Bears quarterbacks wasn’t quite there. Was it an anomaly or a sign of things to come? Benkert seems to think the latter, which won’t make Packers fans too happy.
Their mastery of the NFC North is already weakened thanks to the ascent of Detroit and constantly present Minnesota. If the Bears figure things out, every year will turn into a dogfight. That makes getting to the playoffs even harder, never mind a Super Bowl. Remember, the Packers won two championships with Favre and Rodgers despite 22 trips to the postseason. Caleb Williams is good enough to stand in their way. This is a challenge they haven’t encountered in decades.
