The Packers just absolutely smoked their NFC North rivals, the Bears, in a 31-7 rout at Lambeau Field, and trust me, this wasn’t just another divisional game. Green Bay came into this one with a massive chip on their shoulder, still stinging from blowing late leads to Chicago in both the regular season and the playoffs last season. That alone was enough fuel, but then Bears wide receiver Luther Burden decided to pour gasoline on the fire.
Pre-Game Talk Ignites a Rivalry
Burden went on record earlier this week, telling everyone that the Bears were coming to “beat them real bad and make them quit.” You know that kind of talk gets clipped, printed, and plastered all over the locker room. There’s no way the Packers heard that and didn’t remember those crushing losses from the previous year. You talk like that, you better back it up, especially when you’re facing a team that already has a score to settle. It set the stage for one heck of a showdown, and the Packers clearly took that challenge personally.
Franklin Delivers a Postgame Reality Check
After Green Bay dropped a 31-7 hammer on the Bears, Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin wasn’t holding back. He went straight for Burden in his postgame comments, and man, did he lay it out there. “You got guys that never really made a real play in this league talkin’ bout making somebody quit,” Franklin said. “That’s weird. We don’t do that. He quit today, by the way. He ain’t wanna play anymore.” Ouch. That’s a direct shot, right to the gut. Adding insult to injury, Burden’s stat line for the loss was pretty quiet, pulling in just six catches for 47 yards. When you talk that big, you need more than 47 yards on the board to back it up, especially when your team gets blown out.
That kind of smack talk, especially when it backfires so spectacularly, can linger. You know this rivalry isn’t cooling off anytime soon after comments like that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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