The great Billy Joel once said, 'the times they are a-changin'. That sentiment can easily be applied to the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers since Ben Johnson landed at O'Hare in the 2025 offseason.

Former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers owned a 25-5 record against the Bears, and it initially looked like Jordan Love would pick up right where he left off. One of the league's most storied rivalries also turned into one of the most one-sided battles from 2008 through 2024. Then Johnson arrived and reinvigorated the Bears organization.

Conversely, he also seems to have knocked the Packers down a peg (a record-breaking come-from-behind playoff win will do that) in the process. Johnson hasn't hidden his disdain towards their neighbor to the north, which was clear in their three matchups last season.

At this point, it's become clear which side the consensus is on heading into Sunday's game. The Bears are favored at Lambeau Field (by 2.5 points, according to DraftKings Sportsbook) for the first time since the 2006 season opener.

How did that game go for Chicago?

Devin Hester introduced himself in style

The Bears were coming off an impressive 11-5 campaign in 2005, and vibes were high heading into the 2026 season. Their first matchup was against their hated division rivals in Green Bay, and Chicago was favored by 3.5 points on the road.

Bears signal-caller Rex Grossman and Co. had no issue beating the spread. They came away with an impressive 26-0 win on Green Bay's own turf. A surprising rookie contributor put the final nail in the Packers' coffin early in the fourth quarter.

Bears rookie third-round selection Zavion Thomas hopefully took notes on Hester's performance. He hasn't made much of an impact through the first month, but his abilities in the return game are the main reason the team pulled the trigger on him when they did. Here's to hoping they start utilizing him in the punt return game on top of his normal kickoff duties.

What did the Bears do after the impressive season opener? They became the team we all thought they would be (if you know, you know). They went on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl before ultimately falling short to the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts.

Can the Bears repeat history?

The Bears and Packers are seemingly two teams heading in polar opposite directions.

Johnson turned the Bears into a legit contender as soon as he arrived in Chicago. He helped a team that won only five games the previous year more than double their win total last season. They went 11-6 and were a play away from being a game away from a Super Bowl appearance.

Meanwhile, the Packers were the team Chicago beat to put themselves in that situation. The first half of their Wild Card matchup looked much like virtually every game the two teams have played over the past 20 years. Green Bay owned a 21-3 lead and looked utterly dominant. Then the fourth quarter happened, and the Bears mounted a furious comeback to send their rivals packing with a 31-27 win.

Green Bay seemingly hasn't recovered from that loss (and the loss of Micah Parsons on defense a few weeks earlier). Their two wins this season have come in games where they've barely squeaked out wins against the 1-3 Jets and winless Buccaneers (who were starting an undrafted rookie at QB). Their two losses have been blowouts.

While the Bears would be hard-pressed to repeat their 26-0 drubbing with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent under center, they do stand a good chance of coming out on top on Sunday. The Packers seem rudderless right now, and Ben Johnson and Co. probably smell blood in the water.

From there, they'll take it one game at a time. There's little doubt that they firmly have their sights set on another Super Bowl run. They'd hopefully have much better luck this time around.

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