The Green Bay Packers delivered a 31-7 beatdown of the Chicago Bears in week five, moving to a 3-2 record and tying for second place in the NFC North.
This was an important game for Green Bay after two collapses against Chicago last season, including the wild-card game where the team blew an 18-point lead. Luckily, the Packers took control early and never let up. This was a fantastic performance for both the offense and the defense, showing what the Packers can do when they’re firing on all cylinders.
Listing the entire defensive unit as a “winner” was well earned, given how good the Packers defense was on Sunday. The Bears entered week five with one of the league’s most explosive offenses, ranking number one in rushing yards and touchdowns across the NFL. Green Bay, however, was up to the task against Chicago, holding the Bears to 3.7 yards per rush while only allowing seven points.
The Packers’ defense also forced a whopping five turnovers with three interceptions and two fumbles. Multiple players had big games; Evan Williams was all over the field with 12 tackles, continuing to build on his impressive season. Xavier McKinney picked off two passes, bringing his season total to three. Rookie pass rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton is starting to make some noise as the starter opposite Lukas Van Ness, getting a sack and two QB hits.
The Packers defense has played well under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon this season, and this game showed it, too.
Like last week’s injury to linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, this isn’t about Javon Hargrave’s play in this game, but what happened at the end of it. It’s been confirmed that Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Hargrave was brought in this offseason on a two-year deal and could very easily be considered a cut candidate this coming offseason.
Hargrave battled injuries throughout camp and at the start of this season. He saw up to 46 percent of snaps on defense, but hasn’t offered much production this season despite expectations of being a veteran voice and leader on that side of the ball. While no one wants injuries, the Packers have good depth on the interior line to replace him going forward.
Matthew Golden is becoming a true go-to weapon for this Green Bay Packers offense. In Sunday’s contest, Golden caught six of seven targets for a career-high 123 yards. At the end of Sunday’s game, Golden had moved into sixth place in the NFL for receiving yards.
After his poor rookie season, questions lingered about Golden’s future. Those who watched the games, however, saw him buried under the depth chart. With how 2026 has panned out so far, the latter seems to be true. He has stepped into the Packers’ No. 2 receiver role very nicely and is an excellent one-two punch with Christian Watson.
Grouping a couple of “winners” together, both of the Green Bay Packers’ top receiving threats had huge games against the Bears. Christian Watson was already a top-10 receiver in yards this season, and after adding another 143 yards, he will be close to the league lead. He also found the end zone twice, including a beautiful 53-yard catch.
Watson has a rare combination of size and speed, standing at 6’4″, weighing 215 lbs, and running a sub-4.3 40-yard time at the combine. Injury and inconsistent play have bogged him down. Through five games in 2026, he looks like one of the league’s top wideouts, on pace for 1,600 yards. If he stays healthy, he should easily eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time.
Rookie Trey Smack has been very solid for a rookie kicker, but he was disastrous against Chicago. He left seven points on the board with two missed field goals and one missed extra point. With the game being a blowout, the mistakes didn’t factor into the score, but these would be crucial misses in a closer game.
Heading into Sunday, Smack only missed two kicks all season and had shown leg power, hitting a 59-yard field goal in week one. Before the Bears game, Smack looked impressive and will hopefully get back to that after this week.
For the second straight week, Jordan Love put together a phenomenal game and is the biggest “winner” of the week. Love played a masterful game, completing 25 of 31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, with an impressive passer rating of 137.5 and a QBR of 94.
Love is putting together a really nice season, and these last two weeks have shown that when the offensive line gives him competent play, he will produce. The Green Bay offense has looked much better these last two weeks, and the high-level play from Love is a massive reason why.
This was absolutely a huge win for the Packers to beat their hated rival the way that they did, especially after how last season ended is a big confidence booster. Green Bay has strung together a nice couple of weeks and will play the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football next week.
The team is in the midst of a tough part of the schedule, with several tough opponents coming up such as the Lions, Panthers, and defending AFC champion Patriots. 2026 has just gotten started, but sitting at 3-2 isn’t a bad sign for this team that has had its fair share of questions all season.
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