Chicago Bears: Last Sunday’s victory meant everything

Looks like times might be changing, Packers nation; get used to it.

It looked like for the first time, the demise of the Rodgers-led Packers seemed palpable. The four-year extension he signed in August keeps him in Green Bay until he turns 39. Good for him and good for their organization. As a fan of the sport, I can’t picture him in anything but green and yellow.

But he only locked himself in the division with Mack and the new-age Chicago Bears. While he wisely cashed in, victories over Chicago will be difficult to come by from this season on.

Because he has to understand that the Bears are not just built to win the division and Super Bowl this year but to win divisions and Super Bowls. Everything that Ryan Pace has done since day one and everything the Packers neglected to do has led to this.

Think I’m wrong?

Ex-Packers GM Ted Thompson avoided paying for marquee free agents, retaining his own free agents, and adding to the cast around Rodgers. He maintained a rather outdated and bland coaching staff to go with jerry-rig gameplans and schemes. Over time, the Packers started to become a one-man show; if Rodgers wasn’t at his A-game, they would crater. Also, the growing animosity between Rodgers and former head coach Mike McCarthy was becoming more and more public and profound.

Meanwhile, inside the walls of Halas Hall, Ryan Pace was lurking in the shadows. He sat in his office, ready to execute his blueprint, a plan that would require time, patience, and utmost diligence.