GREEN BAY, Wis. — This was not a success for the Bears. Not at all. Their standard needs to be higher, and thanks to Ben Johnson, it seems like it finally is.
There’s no question, though, that they revitalized the NFL’s most storied rivalry Sunday despite losing to the Packers 28-21 at Lambeau Field. For years the Bears have been a punchline here, but there was much more relief than laughter in Green Bay when cornerback Keisean Nixon intercepted quarterback Caleb Williams’ pass in the end zone with 22 seconds left to close it out.
This was all drama, no comedy. And Act II is coming soon as the Bears host the Packers on Dec. 20.
“It’s awesome to have this rivalry alive and well right now,” Johnson said. “We get another chance at it in two weeks.”
They traded punches throughout the second half — the Bears tied it with eight minutes left, the Packers pulled ahead again on the next drive, and the Bears fired right back to reach fourth-and-one at the 14-yard line — before Nixon knocked them out.
The loss sent the Bears staggering from the top seed in the NFC at the start of the day to the seventh spot with the Lions at their necks just one game behind. It also vaulted the Packers to the No. 2 spot, putting the teams on course to meet in the first round of the playoffs.
Netflix doesn’t have any show as bingeable as that.
Johnson picked a fight with Packers coach Matt LaFleur in January by saying at his introductory news conference one of his favorite things about staying in the NFC North would be beating him twice a year. LaFleur, with a stunning .677 career winning percentage, brushed it away like a gnat.
Johnson has his attention now, no doubt. Their post-game handshake, if it could even be called that, was approximately one millisecond and as cold as icy air.
LaFleur said, “It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in two weeks,” and when asked if there was any satisfaction in shutting Johnson up, he replied, “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”
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