The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers share a long history of on-field and off-field animosity, but it’s more personal than that for superstar edge-rusher Micah Parsons as he steps into the rivalry for the first time in Week 14.
Parsons’ first taste of the bitterness between the two ancient NFL franchises comes at a time of considerable stakes, as the Bears (9-3) currently hold the NFC North Division lead and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Meanwhile, the Packers (8-3-1) are just a half-game back and could play their way to a division title and/or a bye through Super Wildcard Weekend, which would start with a win on Sunday.
Reporters spoke to Parsons in the locker room on Thursday, December 4, and he pulled zero punches in what amounted to a direct warning to Chicago and its entire locker room.
“Rivalries are for the people, it’s for the fans. For me, it’s just going out there and just dominating. I just don’t like them because I just see like the disrespect,” Parsons said. “I play for respect. You know how to earn someone’s respect is beating the [expletive] out of them.”
Micah Parsons Directing Earlier Frustrations at Bears
GettyOutside linebacker Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers.
Parsons did not elaborate as to who from the Bears disrespected him or how that person, or people, did so.
“You gotta go out there and take it. Respect is something that’s earned, and these people wanna come here and beat us in our house,” Parsons continued. “Someone comes and [expletives] on your lawn, what are you gonna say? So it’s a respect thing, especially losing a couple games at home and the way we lost them.”
Parsons was referencing back-to-back three-point losses to the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles that led into the Packers’ current three-game win streak. And it sounds as though the star edge-rusher may simply be repurposing the frustration stemming from those defeats and manufacturing a perceived, even if not actual, disrespect from Chicago as a motivational tactic.
But whatever the case, the Bears will need to prepare themselves for an onslaught from Parsons, who has amassed 12.5 sacks in 12 games played and is on pace to smash his career-high mark of 14 sacks in a season. Parsons also has 12 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hits on the year.
Bears Among Hottest Teams in NFL Heading Into 2 Games Against Packers Over Next 3 Weeks
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
As hot as the Packers are, the Bears are even hotter. Chicago has won five games in a row and nine out of ten contests after starting the year 0-2. The Bears bested the reigning NFC champion Eagles last Friday to assume the top spot in the conference.
Chicago faces Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Sunday and will then host the Packers at Soldier Field just 13 days later. The Bears take on the Cleveland Browns at Chicago in between those matchups.
The two contests between Chicago and Green Bay are likely to decide the division race, though the Detroit Lions will still have their say down the stretch, and will have serious implications for playoff participants and seeding within the conference. The Packers are 6.5-point favorites to win at home this weekend as of Thursday evening, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
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