After a comeback playoff win over the Packers, Bears QB Caleb Williams made it clear postgame that Chicago’s days of being pushed around in the rivalry are over.
Ask any Chicago Bears fan what they’ve been most excited about during this new era of football and the answer probably isn’t just playoff appearances, coaching stability, or even finally having a true franchise quarterback.
All of that is significant. But what fans have really been waiting for is a team that can compete with — and beat — the Green Bay Packers.
For more than a decade, that wasn’t the case. From 2011 through the start of 2025, the Bears went 3–26 against Green Bay. The rivalry became one-sided to the point of being exhausting. The Packers always seemed to have the better quarterback, the bigger moments, and the final word.
Chicago felt stuck in a cycle where every even the promising seasons ended the same way — losing to Green Bay and being reminded of where it stood in the NFC North.
That changed when Caleb Williams arrived.
With Williams at quarterback, the Bears are now 3–2 against the Packers. One of those losses came on a blocked field goal as time expired. Another was decided by a late interception. Even in defeat, the margin between the two teams has been thin with games coming down to the final play.
The wins, however, have been memorable. Williams closed his rookie season with a walk-off victory at Lambeau Field. Earlier this year, Chicago forced overtime at Soldier Field and beat Green Bay on a game-winning deep ball to DJ Moore.
And on Saturday night, the Bears delivered their most meaningful statement yet.
Trailing 21–3 at halftime in a postseason matchup, Chicago stormed back for a 31–27 win, completing a comeback that would have been unthinkable for Bears teams of the past. It was just the third postseason meeting between the two franchises and one that Bears fans will carry with them forever.
With their backs up against the wall, this team did not panic. Caleb Williams did not look overwhelmed. The Bears kept chipping away.
That confidence has become a defining trait of this group under head coach Ben Johnson. All season long, there has been a sense that this roster does not carry the weight of past failures. The Bears are playing with true belief that they'll find a way.
They showed that against the Packers in the playoffs.
After the game, Caleb Williams sent a message to the people of Green Bay and Packers nation.
“We’re here. And I’ll be here for a while,” he said.
Not trash talk. A statement of intent. And even the Packers die hards know it's true.
This does not mean Chicago will suddenly dominate the rivalry or win every matchup going forward. But it does mean the Bears and Packers are finally operating on equal footing again. Green Bay can no longer assume these games will break its way. Chicago is no longer a team that folds under the bright lights.
When the schedule comes out every season, the Packers are going to have to circle each game against the Bears and realize they’re about to deal with absolute hell - because Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are relentless.
They’re explosive, uniquely, talented, and they don’t know how to quit. That’s one powerful combination.
It’s really all Bears fans could ask for. The rivalry being restored to just that — a rivalry. Because if we’re being honest with ourselves, it hasn’t been much of one in recent years.