The Bears-Packers rivalry felt different in Week 14, and one matchup ensures that’s not going to change anytime soon
The impact of Caleb Williams and Micah Parsons made this rivalry even more exciting.
The Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers matchup in Week 14 had playoff football written all over it and was one of the more eventful games this rivalry has seen in years and it’s clear after the game that similar outcomes will be a staple moving forward.
“I love it for our guys. This is what the football gods made football to be,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said after the game. “Cold weather in December like this and Green Bay-Chicago, I think it is outstanding. I think it’s awesome to have this rivalry alive and well right now.”
The week started with a lot of headlines centered around Johnson’s bold statement he sent in his introductory press conference in regards to beating Packers head coach Matt LaFleur twice a year. Once it came to Sunday, the gloves came off and it was everything fans were hoping for, including a top matchup everyone will be anticipating for years to come between these two teams.
Caleb Williams vs. Micah Parsons element added a new wrinkle to the rivalry
For years, Aaron Rodger tormented the Bears as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and it seemed like another decade plus of pain was coming for Chicago after Jordan Love won his first three games head-to-head against the Bears.
In Week 18 of the 2024 season, the Bears took down the Packers at Lambeau with quarterback Caleb Williams leading the team, but even that felt off considering the Packers had already clinched playoffs and rested players in the second-half.
In this first matchup with Williams at QB and Johnson at head coach, Bears needed to sent a message that the tide was starting to turn in his rivalry and the Packers wanted to show off their new star player in pass rusher Micah Parsons. While the Packers earned the win, the right message was sent by both teams. The Packers respected Williams/Johnson and the Bears respected Parsons.
“I definitely think we had their attention, their respect,” Parsons said. “I mean, you go watch any of their games, they never played a football game like that.”
The game plan for Williams and Johnson played perfectly against what the Packers game plan was hoping to be with Parsons. Green Bay wanted to keep Williams in the pocket and allow Parsons to be the dominant force on Sunday. Johnson, instead, schemed multiple boots and play-actions to keep Williams safe and Williams, himself, made some ridiculous plays to avoid the pressure.
“I expected more of a drop back game, but no drop back,” Parsons added. “A lot of boots, a lot of shifts, just really trying to get the ball out of his hands as much as possible. So, I think we earned a lot of respect. But we’ve just got to adjust for the next time we see them, understanding how they’re going to play us.”
Going forward, this will become quite the chess-match between this offense and this defense, a fun little wrinkle to throw into these rivalry games. Williams continues to show each week how dangerous he can be out of structure and over time will develop into a complete QB under Johnson.
For the time being, Sunday’s game was a sound one for Chicago, at least in the second-half once the Bears started moving Williams and letting him throw outside the pocket. Although, Parsons made it known he still found a way to impact the game without actually hitting home in the pocket.
“I just let him know, you’re not going around me,” Parsons explained. “And I held to that the whole game. He did not beat me to that, not one time. I kind of hold that with passion. If you’re going to run the boot, run it the other way. That’s part of the hunt. Eventually, I’m going to get him. I came close a couple times. It was like playing free-for-all football, when you’re young again.”
This Williams vs. Parsons battle isn’t going to go away anytime soon. Williams has noted that Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been his favorite coach to play against from a challenge perspective. I guarantee Parsons will be his favorite player in the same way after this year.
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