Zaire Franklin straight up said Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III “quit today” after the Packers absolutely stomped Chicago with a 31-7 blowout at Lambeau Field. Franklin didn’t pull any punches, telling reporters that Burden “didn’t wanna play no more” and hadn’t “done anything in the league” period. This wasn’t just some off-the-cuff comment either; Franklin was firing back at Burden’s own talk from earlier in the week, and man, did he make him pay.
The Receipts Were Rolling In
Just days before the game, after the Bears beat the Jets 23-12, Burden was feeling himself. He was asked about head coach Ben Johnson’s legendary dislike for Green Bay, and he leaned all the way into it. Burden declared that Johnson, “like everybody else in the room, every Chicago fan,” wanted to beat the Packers “real bad and make them quit.” He even said past matchups didn’t matter and the Bears were ready to “come back home with a dub.” Oof. You just know that stuff was circled in the Packers’ locker room. And Burden? He finished the game with four catches for a measly 47 yards and four carries for just 2 yards. Not exactly the kind of stat line that backs up that much trash talk, is it? Franklin, clearly, thought the same thing.
No Love Lost, No Mercy Given
This rivalry has been simmering, especially after the Bears snagged a 22-16 overtime win in Week 16 last season and then bounced the Packers in the wild-card round with a 31-27 victory in January. That was the first time Chicago had beaten Green Bay back-to-back since way back in 2007, and Ben Johnson’s “profane postgame shot” after that playoff win was definitely not forgotten by the Packers. After the big win, Franklin made sure to remind everyone, “They do a whole lot of weird stuff since I’ve been here. We worry about ourselves, so hopefully they learn to stop dissing us.” The Packers’ defense absolutely feasted, forcing five turnovers with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. They sacked Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent four times, forcing him out of the game for Case Keenum late. Both teams now sit at 3-2, making that win even sweeter for Green Bay and leaving the Bears with some serious soul-searching to do.
What’s next for these two? The Bears have to try and shake this off as they head to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Meanwhile, the Packers get to ride this momentum at home, hosting the Cowboys next Sunday night. You gotta wonder if the Bears are still feeling like they want to “make them quit” after that kind of reality check.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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