By Kevin Fishbain, Dan Wiederer, Matt Schneidman and Darnell Mayberry
Jordan Love threw for three touchdown passes while the Green Bay Packers hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 28-21 on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon sealed the win by intercepting a pass by Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the end zone in the closing seconds.
Green Bay (9-3-1) moved into first place in the NFC North, ahead of the Bears, after snapping Chicago’s five-game winning streak. Packers wide receiver Christian Watson caught two touchdown receptions, and running back Josh Jacobs scored the go-ahead score on a 2-yard run with 3:32 remaining.
These teams will meet again Saturday, Dec. 20, in Chicago.
Packers back atop NFC North
The Packers haven’t won the NFC North since 2021. Their three-year absence atop the division is their longest since 2008-2010. Green Bay hasn’t gone four consecutive years without winning the division since 1998-2001. After beating the Bears on Sunday, the Packers now leapfrog Chicago to sit atop the NFC North entering Week 15. The Packers went 1-5 in the division last year, but they’re now 4-0 with two wins against the Detroit Lions and one each against the Minnesota Vikings and Bears. Remaining on the Packers’ schedule are a visit to the Denver Broncos, a visit to the Bears, a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field and a visit to the Vikings. — Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer
Watson emerges as Love’s go-to
The last time Watson faced the Bears, he tore his ACL. Now, seven games into his return, Watson continues to prove how important he is to the Packers’ offense. The fourth-year receiver caught four passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. On his second, Watson caught a slant and, according to Next Gen Stats, hit 21.6 mph while outrunning C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the score. Watson now has five touchdown catches in the past four games and has emerged as Love’s top target on a team without a true No. 1 wide receiver. — Schneidman
Nixon shines when it matters most
Nixon has been far from perfect in his first year as Green Bay’s true No. 1 cornerback, and his penalties have been abundant, including Sunday, but he made the biggest play of the season to ice Sunday’s win. Williams rolled out on fourth-and-1 from the Packers’ 14-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining and lofted the ball toward tight end Cole Kmet in the end zone. Williams short-armed it, and Nixon skied for the game-winning interception to send the Packers atop the division. For now. — Schneidman
Inconsistency mars Bears offense
Williams missed his first five passes. He was 4-of-12 passing at halftime — one of those incomplete passes was a nice ball that tight end Colston Loveland should have held on to, but the Bears’ lackluster passing game started Sunday in a funk. It’s the type of deficit most Bears teams can’t dig out of, but the offense deserves credit for tying the score and putting itself in a position to win. Williams went 13-of-19 passing over the next three scoring drives, which included some special throws on the run, but an inconsistent passing game continues to be a team weakness.
And then, on the final play of the game, Williams had Kmet in the end zone, but he was late and underthrew it, leading to an interception and the end of the win streak. In games against teams like the Packers, who can score quickly and with ease, off-target passes become more consequential. The second-half success showed the potential, and the off-script throws are impressive, but the Bears can’t live in that type of offense. There will also be questions about some of the play calling in the first half and why it took a while to commit to the ground game, which had success in the second half. These games are won and lost on the margins, and a 3-point first half proved too much to overcome. — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
Bears’ grit on full display
There should be no more questioning the competitive resolve of the Bears. No more concerns about their ability to adjust within a game. No more fears about their ability to compete with the top-tier teams in the league. Sure, the Bears’ five-game winning streak was snapped Sunday evening at Lambeau Field. And with this 28-21 loss to the rival Packers, they fell from the top spot in the NFC all the way to No. 7. This one hurts, no doubt. And in all three phases, the Bears will face a game review Monday that will sting maybe more than any this season. Particularly with Sunday’s gut-wrenching finish: a Williams interception in the final minute on a pass into the end zone to Kmet that was thrown much too late.
Still, in rallying out of a 14-3 halftime deficit and finding ways to jump-start a sputtering offense in the second half, the Bears proved they are equipped for the stretch run of a pressure-packed regular season. And beyond. — Dan Wiederer, Bears beat writer
