The Green Bay Packers had Week 5 marked on their calendars for months. Even without Micah Parsons, they were hellbent on getting back at the same Chicago Bears team that ended their season with a tough comeback win in the Wild Card round.
More than that, they just had to beat a team coached by a man who clearly didn't respect the Packers' organization, its players, or even his colleague head coach. This meant more; it was personal, and it showed from start to finish.
That's why, following a 31-7 route of the Bears, veteran linebacker Zaire Franklin didn't waste the opportunity to call out the losing team for all their trash-talking. Now, they might want to focus on their own issues instead of what's going on at Lambeau Field.
Zaire Franklin dunks on the Bears after Packers blowout win
“They do a whole lot of weird stuff. Since I been here, they do a whole lot of stuff that they worried about us. We worried about ourselves. Hopefully they learn to stop dissing us. Real talk,” Franklin said in the locker room (h/t Matt Scheidman).
That sums it up. Don't they have a ton of issues to worry about? Don't they have a team to run and an operation to fix? They're clearly still not over being owned by Aaron Rodgers for nearly two decades. Let it go, boys.
Admittedly, this was a much-needed motivation boost for the Packers. Not only did they beat a divisional rival, but they also exposed the most-hyped offensive mind in the game. Matt LaFleur didn't even have to say anything after the win; he took the high road and didn't even acknowledge Ben Johnson, but this clearly meant a lot to the locker room.
There's still no timetable for Micah Parsons' return, but the pass rush is holding its own pretty well with Lukas Van Ness playing the best football of his career. They've also found a promising star in Dani Dennis-Sutton, who may have introduced himself to the world in Week 5.
Matthew Golden and Christian Watson are making a case for being the new top wide receiver duo in the game, and Jordan Love is back to doing Jordan Love things, now that he's finally had some time and room to move around in the pocket for a change.
Sometimes, all it takes is one win to set the course straight. If that win happens to come against the same team that got the best of you last season, a divisional rival, and a coach that's become public enemy No. 1 in town, even better.
Maybe this will teach the Bears some humility. Perhaps this was the reminder they needed to realize that, even though they're a team on the rise, they're still the Packers' little brother. Rodgers may have left, but he still has that certificate of ownership, boys.
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