The Chicago Bears came up short in Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, with Caleb Williams throwing an interception with the game on the line in the final minute.
The Bears-Packers rivalry appears to be “alive and well,” as Bears coach Ben Johnson said after the game. These teams will meet again Dec. 20 in a prime-time game at Soldier Field.
Tribune Bears reporters Sean Hammond and Phil Thompson tackle this week’s pressing questions.
1. This version of the Bears-Packers rivalry, with Ben Johnson/Caleb Williams vs. Matt LaFleur/Jordan Love, is the most interesting iteration since when?
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrates with his teammates after scoring a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Hammond: These games at this moment, with so much on the line, feel like the biggest Bears-Packers games since the infamous “I still own you” game when Aaron Rodgers and the Packers beat the Bears in Week 6 of 2021. That loss sent the 2021 Bears into a tailspin that coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace never recovered from. It will be fun to see how this plays out again in two weeks and what this rivalry might develop into over the next two or three seasons.
Thompson: Since Rodgers’ Packers bounced Jay Cutler and company from the NFC championship game in the 2010 season. Well, more like Caleb Hanie and company, thanks to Cutler’s untimely knee injury. Where this rivalry is concerned, calamity stalks the Bears in the most creative ways.
2. Kyler Gordon was injured in pregame warmups and has appeared in just three games after earning a big contract extension. The word to describe Gordon’s season is __________?
Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon warms up to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Hammond: Concerning. Entering this season, Gordon had never appeared in more than 14 games in a season, but he had never missed this much time. Concerning is my word of choice because the new money in Gordon’s contract hasn’t even kicked in yet. The 2025 season is the final year of his four-year rookie contract. Beginning next season, his salary-cap number jumps to $13 million per year. We don’t know how bad Gordon’s latest injury is, but at this point it seems like the bigger concern is getting him healthy for the next three years beyond 2025. If he plays again this season, that feels like a bonus.
Thompson: Exasperating. Gordon has teased the fan base with glimpses of greatness, but it has been hard to keep him on the field for stretches of his four-year career. It’s also exasperating because the secondary has an interesting collection of skills for Dennis Allen to work with, but they can’t seem to all get on the field together because of injuries.
3. Rome Odunze missed the game with a foot injury. Which pass catcher has the best rapport with Caleb Williams when Odunze isn’t available?
Hammond: Colston Loveland. The rookie tight end has played well over the last two months and statistically has developed into the No. 1 tight end in the offense. When Williams throws to Loveland, good things usually happen. Loveland has to clean up some penalty issues (he has five since Oct. 13), but when he’s running routes, he and Williams look like they’re on the same page.
Thompson: Well, you can’t say it’s DJ Moore. Sometimes he feels like a decoy in this offense, though that’s not the case. Moore was Williams’ leading receiver (98 catches) in the quarterback’s rookie season, but this season it feels like Justin Fields had a better connection with Moore. This offense likes to spread the ball, but if I had to pick Williams’ next “safety blanket” after Odunze, I’d say it’s Loveland, based on how he’s targeted in high-leverage situations.
4. The Bears defense has totaled two or more takeaways in eight games. With an inexperienced QB in Shedeur Sanders coming to town, over/under 1.5 takeaways Sunday?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders runs with the ball during a game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)
Hammond: I’ll take the over. Cleveland’s offense is in the bottom half of the league with 17 turnovers. Eleven of those are interceptions. Sanders is coming off a good game, but that was against a 2-11 Tennessee Titans team. Dennis Allen has been creating exotic looks all season that have been tough for the more inexperienced quarterbacks the Bears have faced. Allen certainly will try to confuse the rookie.
Thompson: Over. Sanders operates with a lot of confidence, probably more than most rookies, and sometimes that can be the undoing of a young quarterback. He has had an interception in three of four games and also takes a lot of sacks, creating even more openings for an opportunistic Bears defense.
5. Ben Johnson said the Bears need at least two more wins to feel good about their playoff chances. So is Sunday’s game against the Browns a must-win?
Hammond: I mean, it’s not, but it is. I think the Bears will be in all of these games down the stretch — and they might even pull off some surprises — but beating the Browns really would take off some of the pressure. If the Bears don’t win Sunday, Chicago’s angst will be really high heading into the rematch against the Packers.
Thompson: Yes, it is. Granted, technically they would have three more opportunities to get two wins, but that schedule — the Packers rematch followed by the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions — is absolutely brutal. Those teams are playing for the playoffs, just like the Bears. Facing the Packers was a test, but so is this game against the 3-10 Browns. The Bears can’t toy around with a team that doesn’t have the postseason at stake.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/chicago-bears-cleveland-browns-pressing-questions/
