A Crushing Finish: Bears Lose Rivalry Battle at the Wire
The Chicago Bears lost 28-21 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, snapping their five-game winning streak. Chicago now falls from the first seed in the NFC all the way to the seventh seed. They’ve also now given their rival first place in the NFC North, as the Packers remain undefeated against the division at 4-0, as they just came off defeating the Detroit Lions last week. While the game was close and came down to the final minute, it was a tale of two halves for Chicago and mainly for their offense.
The Bears’ offense would only have 71 total yards in the first half, where they’d struggle to get any sort of success. They’d go into halftime down 14-3; it felt like the game had already been decided with the Packers looking completely dominant. In the second half, head coach Ben Johnson brought out the offense Bears fans have been accustomed to seeing all season. They out-gained Green Bay 244 to 130 yards in the second half and tied things up at 21-21. While the offense had found its footing, it was the Bears’ defense that began to lose its way, with quarterback Jordan Love ending the game with 234 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Down 28-21, Chicago received one last chance on offense and drove the ball down the field into Green Bay territory. On a fourth-and-one attempt, quarterback Caleb Williams threw the ball into the end zone for tight end Cole Kmet, but underthrew the pass to be picked off to end the game. Williams ended the game throwing for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Fortunately for Chicago, they have the opportunity for revenge in just two weeks on December 20th. They’ll get to take on Green Bay once again, but this time at Soldier Field in what could potentially decide the Bears’ playoff chances. The Windy City hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2020, and the path to doing it this year just got a bit more difficult. Sitting in the seventh seed, they’ll more than likely need to win at least two more games to get in. If they want to still win the NFC North, then round two against the Packers in Chicago will be a must-win. First, they’ll
