Colston Loveland spent his college years hating Ohio State. Now he spends his falls hating the Green Bay Packers. The Bears tight end says the jump wasn’t much of an adjustment.
Loveland, who played at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh before Chicago drafted him, appeared on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, hosted by former Michigan lineman Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. Lewan asked him directly: does the Bears-Packers rivalry compare to Michigan-Ohio State?
“Yeah, for sure,” Loveland said. “As far as like in the building. What are you doing to beat Ohio State? Every day in Michigan. Every TV. Everything. That’s how it is.”
At Michigan, that meant campus signage everywhere asking the same question on repeat. Ohio State fans famously cross out every letter “M” they see around Columbus during rivalry week — a detail Roundtable’s coverage of the podcast noted as backdrop for just how deep the animosity runs on both sides.
Loveland said the Packers occupy the same mental real estate inside Halas Hall now. “At the Bears, it’s everyone, only talking about the Packers,” he said. “You can’t go a day without talking about them. Talking about beating them. Talking about the bad things. So, it’s very comparable there.”
Ben Johnson Has Leaned Into It
Loveland isn’t the only one drawing the Harbaugh comparison. According to NFL.com, head coach Ben Johnson has taken a similar approach since arriving in Chicago, publicly needling his NFC North rival from the moment he took the job — including comments about beating Packers coach Matt LaFleur that date back to his time in Detroit.
The results have backed up the noise. Sports Illustrated’s Bears coverage notes the Bears had dropped ten straight to Green Bay before Caleb Williams arrived, and are 3-2 against the Packers since — with every one of those games decided in the final minutes. That stretch includes a comeback win in last season’s Wild Card round after Chicago trailed by three scores in the first half, a game Yahoo Sports says capped a regular season the two teams had split.
A Rivalry Loveland Knows Both Sides Of
Loveland went 2-0 against Ohio State during his time at Michigan. He’s now 2-1 against the Packers as a pro, per SI’s tally of his head-to-head record since entering the league. Few rookies walk into two of the sport’s nastiest rivalries back to back — and fewer still seem to enjoy talking about it as much as he does.
Not everyone was thrilled with the comments. Reaction on social media split along fan lines, with some Packers supporters framing the remarks as proof Chicago is preoccupied with Green Bay rather than the other way around.
What’s Next
The Bears and Packers haven’t released their 2026 regular-season matchup dates yet. Until then, expect more of this — from both locker rooms.
