Packers’ Zaire Franklin Fires Back At Bears’ Luther Burden: ‘He Quit Today’

Luther Burden III said the Bears wanted to make the Packers quit. Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin kept receipts. Franklin unloaded on Chicago’s second-year wide receiver after Green Bay’s 31-7 rout of the Bears at Lambeau Field. “He quit today,” Franklin told reporters. “He didn’t wanna play no more.” Franklin didn’t stop there. He also said Burden has never done anything in the league. Burden finished with four catches for 47 yards and four carries for 2 yards against Green Bay and Franklin fired back at Burden’s comments from earlier in the week. Burden made his comments after the Bears beat the Jets 23-12. He was asked about head coach Ben Johnson’s well-known dislike of rival Green Bay ahead of the teams’ first meeting of the season, and he leaned all the way in. “I feel like [Johnson] wants to beat them really bad, like everybody else in the room, every Chicago fan,” Burden said. “We just want to beat them real bad and make them quit.” Burden also said that what happened between the teams in the past didn’t matter and that the Bears were ready to “come back home with a dub.” Green Bay delivered a blowout victory instead. Chicago came in having won the last two meetings, a 22-16 overtime victory in Week 16 last season and a 31-27 win in the wild-card round in January. It was the first time the Bears had beaten the Packers in back-to-back meetings since 2007. Johnson’s profane postgame shot at the Packers after that playoff win was not forgotten in Green Bay. “They do a whole lot of weird stuff since I’ve been here,” Franklin said afterward. “We worry about ourselves, so hopefully they learn to stop dissing us.” The Packers’ defense forced five turnovers, with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Green Bay sacked Tyson Bagent, who was replaced by Case Keenum late in the game, four times. Both teams are now 3-2. The Bears will head to Atlanta to face the Falcons while the Packers host the Cowboys next Sunday night.