That was it?
Weeks upon weeks of anticipation -- months upon months, even -- and that's all we got?
Chicago Bears fans couldn't wait. Green Bay Packers fans were waiting anxiously with anticipation after what's been a miserable and mediocre start to the season.
Lambeau Field. The greatest rivalry in sports.
We had seen it before. We wanted more.
And that's what we get?
A simple, boring postgame handshake between Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur with no drama or words exchanged -- what a disappointment! What a rip-off!
Oh, you thought I was talking about the game?
Well, to be frank, that was more of a two-framed lead-in -- the handshake and the game.
Bears fans had waited months to see this team continue its winning ways over their biggest rival. Caleb Williams or no Caleb Williams, the Bears were the better team coming in at 3-1. But, would they leave the better team?
Just one game is all it took to question a lot about this football team.
It would have been different with Williams under center, but that wouldn't change the defensive side of the ball.
But, one thing at a time.
The Bears' performance in their Week 5 loss had to have Packers fans laughing while expecting more
From the Packers' perspective, their fan base had to be thinking similar things about the postgame handshake as they were the game, itself, for much of the second half.
This is it? This is the product you Bears fans have been talking up for months, now?
It was as pathetic a Bears performance as I've seen in the last couple of years, and coming from a Ben Johnson-coached team, that's completely out of character. It's not what we're used to seeing.
The Bears' biggest strength became an afterthought, as the offensive line looked pedestrian against an active Packers front. Chicago couldn't get their run game going consistently and Bears quarterbacks were sacked a total of four times. The Bears ran for just 81 yards and 3.4 yards per carry after leading the league in rushing over the first quarter of the season.
Tyson Bagent got the start but was pulled after continuing to make the same mistakes time and time again. He looked as if the moment was too big for him and made life easy on the Packers' defense.
Funny enough, even though Johnson pulled the plug on Bagent too late in favor of Case Keenum, a similar sentiment could be felt from Packers fans once that move was made. You have to believe many Bears fans wanted Bagent benched long before the start of the fourth quarter, clamoring for Keenum.
And, when Keenum finally got the call, I'm sure Packers fans were thinking, "this is it? This is what you were waiting for?"
Keenum wasn't much better. Granted, it's tougher after not practicing as the starter and being thrown in down three scores. But, the point still stands.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears looked like they were playing a JV squad against lightning-fast receivers. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden consistently beat Bears defensive backs like a drum. It wasn't even fair.
Chicago defenders had zero chance. The difference between how good the Packers' wide receivers were, and how slow and ill-prepared Bears defensive backs looked, was astounding. It was a major gap.
It was embarrassing.
And, again, I come back to the thought from Green Bay's point of view late in the second half.
This is it? This is what you all were excited for? This is the Bears team, down their starting quarterback, that was still a road favorite at Lambeau?
Talk about an underwhelming performance. At least give the Packers a decent run for their money.
But, no, Johnson's crew looked lost all day. They were outplayed in every sense; even out-coached on this afternoon.
So, that ho-hum postgame handshake was, in fact, appropriate. It was exactly what we should have expected.
The Bears were trounced and hardly put up a fight.
"That was it?"
Read more: Caleb Williams update puts him in line for triumphant return in Bears' Week 6 game
Sadly, it sure was.
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