Bears coach Ben Johnson had a devious grin when he awkwardly said that he enjoyed beating Packers coach Matt LaFleur twice a year during his introduction to the Chicago media less than two years ago.  

Perhaps somewhere, in one of the tunnels of Lambeau Field, LaFleur flashed a grin of his own knowing that his Packers took some of the thunder from the Bears’ eventful Thursday. Chicago was declared a winner by many for going all in to acquire star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in a blockbuster trade with the Titans on Thursday morning. 

But depending on how you look at it, the Packers were the real winners on this news-filled Thursday. First of all, they actually won a game after beating the Panthers, 27–19. They’re now 5–3—LaFleur already holds a win over Johnson’s Bears this season—and are a day closer to getting star edge rusher Micah Parsons back on the field. 

Green Bay knows very well that results don’t come quickly for teams that execute all-in trades. The Packers, just like the Bears did on Thursday, coughed up two first-round picks to acquire Parsons’s services from the Cowboys ahead of the 2025 season. Parsons’s production last year showed he was well worth the steep price, but he sustained a season-ending knee injury in December—that’s why he hasn’t been on the field this year—and Green Bay finished with the No. 7 seed for a third consecutive season before falling to Chicago in heartbreaking fashion in the wild-card round. 

Again, depending on how you look at it, the Bears (5–2) could also be losers on this Thursday. They mortgaged their future despite their Super Bowl path not getting any easier. In the NFC North alone, the Vikings are 6–0 with a special defense, the Lions are 4–2 with an explosive offense and the Packers might have the most-balanced team in the division with Jordan Love and a defense that has stifled opponents even without Parsons. 

That's SIX sacks now for the Packers defense 🔥

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— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2026

The Packers’ defense would have looked better had the offense done a better job in the fourth quarter to sustain drives and kill clock. The pressure didn’t always get there in time against a shifty Bryce Young, but the fourth-year quarterback was under duress for most of the night, including on a pivotal fourth-and-5 that saw a hurried Young misfire on the throw. With how aggressive defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was on Thursday, it makes you wonder how this unit will look once Parsons is cleared to return. Green Bay recorded six sacks on Thursday.

This might seem like I’m reaching for more wins for the Packers here. But in this petty coaching rivalry between LaFleur and Johnson, you know someone is keeping track of all the small wins. 

It wasn’t close to perfect for Green Bay on Thursday night. Downfield threat Christian Watson left in the first half and went to the hospital to get his chest checked out, but eventually returned to the stadium and received loud cheers from Packers fans at Lambeau Field. 

The crowd went crazy when Christian Watson came back to Lambeau 💚

CARvsGB on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/52Qu2JNCLp

— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2026

Even without Watson (eight catches, 113 yards), whose 53-yard reception sparked the team in the first half, the Packers’ offense still did plenty of damage with emerging second-year wideout Matthew Golden (seven catches, 79 yards, TD), dynamic tight end Tucker Kraft (six catches, 53 yards, TD) and workhorse running back Josh Jacobs, who recently returned after being removed from the commissioner’s exempt list on Oct. 19. Jacobs’s second touchdown gave the Packers a comfortable 27–10 advantage with 7:30 left in the third quarter. But Jacobs and the rushing attack failed to move the chains in the final quarter to give the Parsons-less defense more work, especially on a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive by Carolina that trimmed the deficit by eight points with 5:37 left in regulation. Love finished 30-of-41 for 288 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

Once Parsons is fully cleared to return to action, the Packers could be at full strength before their schedule gets tougher. They face the Patriots on the road next week, followed by a home game against the Vikings, a bye week and a road matchup against the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve. 

After that grueling stretch, we’ll likely get a better sense of who might be the true winner of the mighty NFC North. But there’s plenty to like about LaFleur’s team, and maybe destiny is on their side. 

It’s sort of wild that the Packers, coincidentally, had a home game in prime time the day after the Milwaukee Brewers captured their first World Series title in franchise history. Watson jogging back into the stadium was the second-best scene from Lambeau Field Thursday night. Nothing was going to top members of the Brewers walking onto the field with the World Series trophy in hand for everyone in attendance to see. That was a special moment, perhaps one that could motivate the Packers to deliver another trophy to the state of Wisconsin. 

Brewers pulled up to Lambeau fresh off winning the World Series 🙌

(via @JoeyWarchola) pic.twitter.com/p7XmNfhduw

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 30, 2026

I recently saw a graphic on social media that said Wisconsin is one of three states to have a Super Bowl title, an NBA title and an MLB title since 2010—the other two states being California and Massachusetts. Wisconsin barely made the cut because the Packers won their last Super Bowl way back in 2010 behind a young Aaron Rodgers. The Milwaukee Bucks did their part in ’21.   

The Packers are long overdue for another one to allow Green Bay to maintain the moniker “Titletown.” Based on all the small wins that occurred Thursday, the Packers could be the ones cashing in on their all-in trade in the near future, not Johnson’s Bears.