For anyone who didn't know the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears this week, the players and coaches made sure it was clear. Leave it to Ben Johnson to stir the pot with post-game comments.
Packers players are all too familiar with the bitter spirit of the rivalry, but for his part, Evan Williams has had enough of the Southsiders' smack talk.
"It's easy to have a camera in front of you and say whatever you want. That's not going to stop you from getting hit in the mouth on any given Sunday," Williams said via The Athletic's Matt Schneidmann. "It's great for the news articles and all that, but at the end of the day, it's not going to show up on Sunday. It's not going to save you."
Welp, that's one way to respond. Better bag that W on Sunday or prepare for an onslaught of trolls and memes.
Packers need this win more badly than record suggests
In a rivalry as bitter and ingrained as this one, it doesn't matter much what you do or say before the game. No 'taking the high road.' The winner will relish a victory lap regardless, throwing jabs along the way.
And for better or worse, Williams is right. The game is won on the field, not on Facebook or Instagram or at the press-conference podium.
Of course, Bears fans have license to revel a bit at his comments - as if they're the ones who need saving from fourth-quarter meltdowns, the average Chicagoan is probably thinking. With reason.
Let's just forget how the last two ended. What walk-off touchdown? What halftime lead? Wipe the slate clean. Doesn't matter. Doesn't count.
Only, of course it does, at least in the context of the rivalry. Back at Lambeau, a win would go a long way toward living down the nightmares that have gone down at the soon-to-be-demolished Soldier Field.
Green Bay needs a win badly enough as it is. Fans aren't fooled by that 2-2 record. The Packers should have blown out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week but couldn't get out of their own way. Despite the win, Week 5 feels like a get-right spot for the Green and Gold.
In addition to subduing their demons against a hated rival, it's also a chance to appease the home crowd after that humiliating opener against Atlanta. Those boos were well-deserved. Perhaps they should have been louder.
On the flip side, playing at home means the Packers have even more pressure to deliver. The Bears are 3-1 and on a two-game winning streak despite losing quarterback Caleb Williams. The Vikings are, criminally, 4-0. How? The Packers need to keep pace.
And, hey, a 3-2 start after everything we've seen? Sign me up.
If anything, Evan Williams' comments only crank up the stakes to field a product they can be proud of. It's going to be a rough next week otherwise, all the way until Green Bay's second meeting with the Bears on Christmas. Let's hope they get this done.
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