Caleb Williams is inactive at Lambeau Field. He is still working back from the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in Week 2, practiced on a limited basis Friday, carried a questionable tag into the weekend, and then came off the board Sunday morning. Tyson Bagent starts.
That is the headline going into the most-played rivalry in the NFL, and it matters less than it would almost anywhere else.
Chicago Has Been Winning Without Its Franchise Quarterback
The Bears came in at 3-1 with a plus-47 point differential, 112 scored and 65 allowed, and they got there mostly with backups. Case Keenum started and beat the Eagles, then took the first snap against the Jets to make it official before Bagent played the rest of that win. Ben Johnson described the snap as “like his ceremonial first pitch.” Bagent threw for 268 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in that game.
Bagent gets this one because he has been the QB2 since the offseason. He missed Week 3 with a concussion, which is the only reason Keenum ever had the job. Mike Garafolo reported that Williams has a chance to return next week against Atlanta, so this is a one-week handoff unless Bagent forces a conversation.
Chicago’s other inactives were running back Kyle Monangai, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, tackle Ozzy Trapilo, and defensive linemen Jamree Kromah and Jayden Loving. Green Bay sat offensive linemen Jacob Monk, Aaron Banks, and Donovan Jennings plus defensive tackle Anthony Campbell.
Green Bay Is the Team With the Actual Problem
The Packers entered 2-2 and still had not won a home game. They lost their home opener to Atlanta, and both wins came on the road, at the Jets and at Tampa Bay. They had scored 73 points and allowed 105, a differential that looks nothing like a contender’s.
That is why Chicago walked in as a small road favorite, which had not happened at Lambeau in two decades. The Bears are 14-7 since Johnson took the job. Green Bay’s offensive line has been patched together all year and then sat three more linemen for this one.
The Ditka Tribute
Chicago is wearing a navy decal with an orange border and a white No. 89 on the rear left of the helmet for Mike Ditka, who died Friday at 86. Ditka wore 89 as the Bears’ Hall of Fame tight end, and it was the last number the franchise retired before it stopped retiring them. The Bears did something similar for Steve McMichael last year.
Johnson called Ditka the “gold standard” inside Halas Hall. The Packers planned a moment of silence before kickoff, and Chicago has more tributes coming at its next home game.
The game was still going when this published, so there is no result here. What is already true: Chicago arrived with the better record and the better point differential while starting its third quarterback of the season, and Green Bay arrived as the team that owes somebody an explanation.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.