Justin Jones is a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears. Never heard of him? Don’t feel bad; not many people have.

Heading into his Week 1 matchup with the Packers, he was asked for his thoughts on the NFL’s oldest rivalry. Without much provocation from reporters, Jones sounded off on Packers fans in an apparent attempt to surge into relevancy.

“Their fans are really s****y,” said Jones. “Just the way that they’re just freaking obnoxious … Half of them don’t even know football.” 

Jones’ comments would seem to contradict Packers fans’ reputation as one of the best fanbases in the league, according to USA Today and just about every other website that bothers to rank them. The fans are generally known for their hospitality, fun-loving nature, and diehard attitude toward the team. 

Even if Packers fans were “freaking obnoxious,” Jones had better be able to back up his trash-talk when he disparages 5 million opposing fans in a 10-second soundbite, or, I suppose, 2.5 million, since only half of them “don’t know football” according to Jones. To his credit, he sounded locked in before the game.

“I want to go out there and I want to beat the hell out of them. I’m ready to take it over. It’s a good time to be a Bears fan.”

The problem is that Jones certainly did not “take it over,” let alone “beat the hell” out of Jordan Love’s Packers, who embarrassed the Bears defense with four touchdowns while Jones failed to record a single stat in the 38-20 Packers win. 

That’s right. After all that talk, Justin Jones walked out of his home stadium with 0 sacks, 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 0 QB hits and 0 QB pressures. He laid an egg against a Green Bay offense that was plagued by inexperience, especially since it was missing star wide receiver Christian Watson due to injury. The conditions were perfect for him to back up his words, and he failed to do so in the worst way possible. 

The Packers, on the other hand, looked phenomenal in every phase of the game. Love became just the third Packers quarterback to begin a season in over 30 years, and his poise was impressive in a hostile environment. He threw three touchdown passes, had zero turnovers, and finished with a quarterback rating of 123.2. Aaron Jones had two touchdowns and 127 total yards. Romeo Doubs caught two touchdowns, including a fantastic contested grab on a goal line fade. The defense forced two turnovers, including a pick-six from linebacker Quay Walker. 

Bears QB Justin Fields was under pressure the whole game, and first-round linebacker Lukas Van Ness earned his first career sack. Jayden Reed showed promise as a punt returner, and rookie kicker Anders Carlson, despite a tumultuous preseason, had a perfect game. 

The Packers will look to carry this momentum into next week’s game against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.