The rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears has been the hottest it's been in a long time, and former Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert may have just fanned the flames.
Benkert commented on a highlight from a Bears OTA practice, where Caleb Williams threw a long pass running to his right into the arms of Rome Odunze. Potentially intoxicated from the slow-motion camera and the hip-hop beat in the background, Benkert shouted out the potential of the Bears offense, even throwing Williams into the MVP conversation.
"I fear the Bears offense scares me this year," Benkert wrote on his X account. "Odunze, Burden Loveland…Caleb might win an MVP."
Kurt Benkert's 'Caleb Williams for MVP' hype could be snuffed out by Packers in 2026
Benkert is the latest analyst to run the Bears' hype train to sickening levels. Chicago won its first division title since 2018 last season and overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit against the Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Ever since Ben Johnson gave Matt LaFleur a lukewarm handshake and screamed "F*** the Packers" in the locker room, the Bears have been full of themselves as they head into next season.
With a Week 16 overtime victory that also helped the Bears claim the NFC North, there's a little detail that everyone seems to be forgetting about.
Micah Parsons missed the final two meetings with Chicago after suffering a torn ACL in a Week 15 game against the Denver Broncos. In the Week 14 meeting against the Bears, he racked up seven quarterback pressures, including two hits, to help Green Bay come away with a 28-21 victory, per Pro Football Focus. It should also be noted that Williams completed just 19 of 35 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in that game, which also helped Green Bay earn that win.
While Parsons has been rumored to be placed on the physically unable to perform list to begin the season, LaFleur told reporters this week that he's "doing great" in his rehab, making it possible he could be activated by the time the Packers face the Bears in Week 5. It also doesn't account for the giant target on Chicago's back and a growing list of teams that want to wipe the smirk off Johnson's face next fall.
It was easy for the Bears to smash against a fourth-place schedule last season. But that challenge will be much harder against a first-place schedule that includes home games against the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots and road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.
There's also the fact that Williams didn't take as big of a jump as people think last year. While he threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions under Matt Eberflus's guidance in 2024, he only threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions last season, with his completion percentage dropping to 58.1 percent.
It's conceivable that Williams could take a bigger leap this year, and if he does it against a tougher schedule, he will rightfully be in the MVP conversation. But for now, Packers fans may think that Benkert would be best served sticking to destroying teenagers in Madden while praying for the downfall of Williams and the Bears next season.
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