To say that the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers don't like one another wouldn't tell half of the story. This is a tale as old as time, and the rivalry goes way beyond both fan bases — it even reaches the players and coaches.
Bears coach Ben Johnson has already made it loud and clear that he doesn't care for Packers' Matt LaFleur, and this should be the most heated rivalry in the NFC North again this season. Well, at least on paper.
In reality, the Packers may not pose much of a threat to the defending NFC North champions. That's because they just struggled mightily in joint practices against the bottom-feeding Arizona Cardinals, per Matt Schneidman.
Cardinals dominate Packers' offense in joint practices
"Packers just lost all four two-minute periods against the Cardinals. Both Packers’ starting and backup offenses failed to score and both Cardinals’ offenses scored TDs," Schneidman wrote on X.
Even if it's just practice, that should be quite telling of the state of the Packers' offense. We're talking about a team that was supposed to be the Bears' major threat in the division and a Super Bowl contender, yet they can't even beat arguably the worst team in football in a joint practice.
The Packers' offense took some big hits this offseason. They let Romeo Doubs walk, traded Dontayvion Wicks, and might not have Josh Jacobs for the start of the season due to his issues off the field.
That's music to the Bears' ears, and even though they might get it together by the time they meet for the first time in Week 5, superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons won't be available because of his season-ending ACL injury.
Coach Johnson has been as open about his disdain for LaFleur and the Packers as he is about his team's chances of regression. As such, having a divisional rival struggle to get going just weeks before the season opener is certainly great news.
The NFC North is absolutely brutal; it doesn't give anyone a break. The Minnesota Vikings are also dealing with some offensive issues of their own, with Kyler Murray taking the reins of the offense, and the Detroit Lions are banged up at running back and tight end.
On paper, the Bears should be the team to beat in the division. They've also struggled with injuries in training camp, but judging by training camp reports and preseason outings, it looks like they're the only team in the NFC North that has got it together before the season opener.
As for the Cheeseheads, it might be a long season in Lambeau.
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