The Chicago Bears head up to Lambeau Field on Sunday for a Week 5 matchup between the Bears and the Packers. It's the continuation of the rivalry that exemplifies the NFL incarnate, and for once in recent history, the Bears are favored. While the Bears are fighting to take back their spot on top of the NFC North, the Packers are just fighting to survive.
Colston Loveland did more than his part last season to help the Bears to taste sweet victory over their bitter rivals. After his breakout performance against Cincinnati in Week 7 in which he posted an impressive 118 yards on the board, he helped the Bears to two separate heart-stopping wins over the Packers.
Loveland has come across to many Bears fans as a letdown this season, but that's only due to the fact that he finished his rookie season with the most receiving yards on the Bears, even in the company of DJ Moore. But I maintain that he's right on track. He had a slow start to the season in 2025 as well, and through four games, Loveland is actually farther ahead than he was last year.
Loveland is ahead of last year's pace
Here's the raw data: through four games in 2025, Loveland had compiled 5 receptions on 9 targets and posted 54 total yards. That's only a 55% reception rate. In 2026, however, Loveland has 11 receptions on 18 targets, and he's posted 91 total yards.
It's possible that head coach Ben Johnson is keeping Loveland in the back pocket and instead is favoring other methods on the field that have yielded success. That would certainly be true of the Bears run game, which is to date, the best one in the NFL.
We could also attribute his lessened usage to Caleb Williams absence. The pair of them forged a clear connection toward the end of last season that drew many eyes. Without Williams in the lineup, it would be fair to argue Loveland has a smaller chance to get the ball.
A quarter of the way through the season and we've hardly seen Williams or Loveland at their best. But with plenty of football in front of us, there will be plenty of time for the pair to get things together and bring back some of the magic they displayed last season.
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