Bears-packers: Can Tyson Bagent Keep The Ball Away From Xavier Mckinney?

Never in my life have I thought of the Chicago Bears entering Lambeau Field as a trap game — but a lot of things in 2026 don’t quite make sense.

So here we are, with the Bears on the road in Green Bay as favorites with their backup QB starting. A combination of sloppy play and injuries on the Packers and the utter dominance of the Ben Johnson/Dennis Allen coaching insulates the Bears from any disadvantage that Lambeau and Bagent might present.

Still, Tyson needs to approach this game very carefully. You have to assume that Ben Johnson’s game plan will be run-heavy given their success to start the season, coupled with the injury to standout Packer linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. This means that Bagent’s role is likely to be that of game manager, keeping the offense on schedule, with a few well-timed downfield shots to the keep the defense honest.

It’s those downfield shots that have me most nervous.

Against the Jets, Bagent was fairly efficient with his deep passing game, going 7/10 with passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield.

But one of those three misses was a doozy, where he threw behind Colston Loveland on a crosser, gifting Minkah Fitzpatrick an INT, the first interception for the Jets in 20 games.

Unfortunately for Bagent, the Packers have a very similar type of player to Fitzpatrick in Xavier McKinney — a ballhawking safety that likes to roam over the middle of the field.

In fact, McKinney has already secured an interception that is eerily similar to the one Fitzpatrick had against the Bears.

While McKinney had a down year last season, only securing two interceptions, he is one of the lone players on a depleted team that can make big impact plays for the Packers. Bagent would be wise to be extra careful when throwing downfield so that McKinney cannot give the Packers’ offense extra chances.