CHICAGO (WGN) — For the first time in weeks, the Chicago Bears showed some moxie on offense and fought the Green Bay Packers tooth and nail, but came up short in the win department for the fourth straight week.
The Bears lost 20-19. It was their 11th straight loss to their biggest rival in the National Football League, which also set a new record for the longest win streak in the historic rivalry, breaking a tie with a 10-game win streak, also by the Packers, from 1994 to 1998.
Here’s how the game went.
Game Recap
The Packers got off to a hot start, but the Bears closed the gap heading into halftime before a barn burner ensued at Soldier Field.
On the opening drive of the game, Green Bay drove 70 yards in eight plays and used up 3:45 of clock before Jordan Love shifted the Packers’ offense into the hurry up and hit Jayden Reed for a 15-yard TD pass.
However, the rest of the first half belonged to Chicago.
Cairo Santos knocked a 53-yard field goal through the uprights on the Bears’ ensuing drive before Chicago’s defense forced a punt, and Terrell Smith picked off Love in the red zone with six minutes to go in the second quarter.
The interception, the first of Smith’s career, set the Bears up for a 13-play, 76-yard drive that burned 5:42 of clock and ended with a 1-yard TD run by Roschon Johnson with seven second left in the half, giving them a 10-7 lead.
Johnson’s TD run ended a streak of 25 straight drives and more than 150 minutes on offense without scoring a touchdown for Chicago.
The Bears won the pregame coin toss and deferred to the second half. Coming out of the tunnel to start the third quarter, Williams converted on a gutsy fourth down try, but Chicago came up short of the end zone, leading to a 27-yard field goal from Santos to extend their lead to 13-7.
Williams had one of his better games as a pro, despite not accounting for a touchdown. He finished his day 23-for-31 with 231 yards passing, while running the ball nine times for 70 yards on the ground.
The former USC Trojan’s 301 total yards are the most total yards he’s accumulated in a single game since the Bears’ Week 5 win against the Carolina Panthers, when Williams accounted for 338 total yards and two TD passes.
Green Bay’s offense woke back up midway through the third, putting together a quick six-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead, 7-yard TD run by Josh Jacobs.
Chicago maintained momentum on their following drive, as Braxton Jones set the edge for a speeding D’Andre Swift up the left sideline, who broke the ankles of Packers’ DB Xavier McKinney on his way to a 39-yard TD run.
Swift outpaced Williams by one yard on the ground by day’s end. The Georgia alum ran the ball 14 times for 71 yards and a TD, while also bringing in two catches for 13 yards as a receiver out of the backfield.
Williams and Chicago failed to punch in the following 2-point conversion, and took a 19-14 lead.
Green Bay battled back again though, as Love punched in a one-yard TD run with just under 3 minutes to go to give the Packers a 20-19 lead.
Cairo Santos lined up for a 46-yard field goal as time expired to win it for the Bears, but the Packers blocked the kick and walked away with the 20-19 win.