Bear Digest

Bears and Packers In-Game Blog: Packers 20, Bears 19 FINAL

Live analysis and reporting from Soldier Field as the Bears try to break a three-game losing streak and also end a 10-game losing streak against the Packers.

Gene Chamberlain

Terell Smith celebrates with Bears teammates after his interception at the goal line stopped a Packers drive.
Terell Smith celebrates with Bears teammates after his interception at the goal line stopped a Packers drive. / David Banks-Imagn Images
In this story:

Fourth Quarter

  • Blocked. Karl Brooks blocked it and the Bears lose 20-19.
  • A quick catch on the out to Allen diving at the Packers 30. And the Packers use a timeout with 35 seconds left. They review Allen's catch but there's no question he made it. Bears run for 2 yards and let the clock run to 3 seconds left before calling timeout. It's a 46-yard field goal try.
  • A near sack but he hits Odunze on the run for 16 and then finds Odunze along the sidelines with the clock running at the Packers 42. A 21-yard gain.
  • Bears from the 30 and T.J. Slayton sacks Williams on first down, then he doesn't have a chance to set up as Rashan Gary sacks him. Bears face third-and-19. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!!
  • Love sneaks it in with 2:59 left. That missed two-point try by the Bears is looming large now. Packers will go for two to try for a three-point lead. DeMarcus Walker wraps up Jacobs for no gain on the two-point try. Packers 20, Bears 19.
  • On review the play stood. Just like the catch, it wasn't conclusive. He could have been in but there was no real good angle.
  • Packers at the Bears 14. The ball did appear on one angle as if the ground was used but it wasn't a clear enough angle. Then Love scrambles 13 yards to the 1 with 3:02 remaining.
  • Jaylon Johnson falls as Christian Watson catches a pass and goes 60 yards but the Bears are challenging if he caught it. Replays don't appear conclusive.
  • Both teams have two timeouts left. Terell Smith in for Tyrique Stevenson to start this drive.
  • Reed on a punt return from the 6 to the 22, bails the Packers out of a hole. Hicks is back in on defense after leaving on the last Packers drive.
  • Williams threw a little high of Allen against the blitz, then hit Odunze for a 5-yard gain. It's fourth-and-3 at the Packers 49. The Bears try to draw them off unsuccessfully. They don''t do the dumb thing Cowart did earlier. So the Bears punt with 4:27 remaining.
  • No call by officials and it looked like a false start or offsides on a 2-yard toss to Swift. Again Williams with a rocket pass on third down, this to DJ Moore for the first down. Now Odunze returns. He catches a short 2-yarder inside at the Bears 47. Second-and-8.
  • Odunze was shaken up diving for a deep ball along the sideline earlier in the series and came out. The Bears could really use him out there.
  • Bears forced to use a timeout as Williams doesn't realize the clock is about to run out. He had them at the line with plenty of time to snap it but they were taking a long time with the cadence. The ball is at the 36 after a 6-yard Johnson run off right guard.
  • Bears face third-and-9 at their 14. Pin-point accuracy to Allen for the first down at the 30. Clock at 8:10
  • A 3-yard run by Johnson and 6-yard pass to Kmet set up third-and-1. And Johnson bulls for 2 yards and the first down.
  • A crowd of 59,495 here today. Didn't get to 60,000.
  • Fourth-and-goal from the 6 after a DeMarcus Walker sack and Packers go for it. Love scrambles but can't get past the 1. Bears ball at their 2. Twice the NFL's best red zone defense has stopped Green Bay without points in the red zone.
  • Packers facing third-and-goal after two runs get it to the 5. On first down Owens and Tyrique Stevenson got Jacobs behind the line for a 1-yard loss.
  • Deep ball by Love on the run and Elijah Hicks falls down after getting lost when he had good coverage on the play. Watson catches it at the 8 and Hicks is injured and limps off field. Terrible decision by Love but he got lucky and Hicks fouled up the coverage with the ball in the air. Former Packer Jonathan Owens now in for Hicks.
  • Jacobs with another first down, this one rushing on a 12-yard run and he didn't get touched until he was 7 yards downfield.

Third Quarter

  • More passes to Jacobs, an 8-yarder that caught the Bears blitzing and could have gone for a TD if they hadn't reacted quickly. Quarter ends.
  • Have to give the makeshift Bears offensive line using tackle Jake Curhan credit. They took it around the left side and he's blocking on the left side. Braxton Jones with a big block too.
  • Swift on a perfectly executed sweep left all the way for 39 yards and a Bears TD. Had blocking and he turned on the jets. Bears going for 2. Not sure if they caught the Packers napping by doing that but the Packers had to burn a timeout on defense on a PAT. Then they try to lob one to Kmet but it didn't have a chance because it was too far into the end zone. An 11-play, 78-yard drive in 6:03. Now 31 seconds left in quarter. Bears 19, Packers 14
  • A 10-yard offensive pass interference against Odunze sets the Bears back to the Packers 49, jeopardizes the drive. Then on second-and-15, another penalty but this is on the Packers. Lukas Van Ness offsides.
  • 4-yard option run by Williams. Looked like the old style option play and not the modern RPO. Now at the Packers 39.
  • Swift comes up a half yard short on a third-down run and the Bears are fourth-and-1 at the Packers 43.
  • Perfect pass in tight coverage to Allen but he can't hang on and the Bears get behind the sticks.
  • Williams lets someone else carry it and Roschon Johnson gets a first down on two runs to the Bears 48.
  • Kingsley Enagbare gets faked out by Williams in the open field for a 4-yard gain, and then Williams runs an option for 3 but it's third-and-3. A bullet throw to Odunze accounts for a first down and 8 yards. Bears are up to the line quick.
  • Carter tries to take it back from the end zone and is flattened at the Bears 22.
  • Packers CB Jaire Alexander, who was nursing an injury, is out for the game with a knee injury.
  • Just like that the Packers lead as Jacobs runs 7 yards straight up the middle with no one touching him. A six-play, 70-yard drive in 3:43. Packers 14, Bears 13
  • Christian for 25 yards to the 7 in a hole in the Bears' zone behind Jack Sanborn. Bears were in their base defense.
  • Packers at the Bears 37 after a second-down run of 4 and Jacobs powers ahead for 5 yards and the first down. Green Bay trying to get back in control of the line after they had it early.
  • Packers start at their 30. A 21-yard pass to Jacobs gets them into Bears territory and then Montez Sweat is called for offsides. The pass to Jacobs was well blocked on the perimeter. The Bears have been lacking that this year in their offense.
  • A 10-play drive. Bears have owned the ball for quite a while after the interception. There's 10:17 left in the third quarter.
  • Williams avoids the sack and hits Roschon Johnson for 8 to the 15, then Johnson pounds ahead for 6 to the 9. After no gain on a run by Johnson, it's third-and-4 at the 9 and Williams threw incomplete deep in the end zone to Odunze. Santos kicks a 27-yard field goal. Bears 13, Packers 7
  • Allen catches it short of the sticks and Bears are going for it on fourth-and-2.
  • Williams has Oduzne wide open in the zone and overthrew him so it's third-and-9. Can't take a sack here.
  • Bears come out on fire, a 14-yard Swift run and 25-yard pass downfield at the sideline to Kmet. At the Packers 31.

Second Quarter

Williams 9-of -12 for 85 yards. Love 8 of 12 for 99 yards and an interception.

  • The Bears are getting their rushing yards but through unconventional means. Williams has 60 yards rushing. Swift has only 13 and Roschon Johnson 3. DJ Moore had 5.
  • Bears TD ended streak of 26 straight possessions without one.
  • Risky kick to Nixon and Ogbongbemiga makes up for his penalty earlier by flattening the Packers' dangerous return man. Half ends.
  • Roschon Johnson drives forward and just gets it to the goal line for the TD, leaving the Packers with seven seconds left. PAT good. A 13-play, 76-yard drive in 5:42. Bears 10, Packers 7
  • They decide he's short by inches or that that replay isn't conclusive enough. With 29 seconds left, Doug Kramer is in the backfield. Third down and half a yard.
  • Roschon Johnson's second-down spinning run from the 3 comes up short but on review it appears he might have scored. Good place for a tush push if he isn't in. Bears can't do that play for some reason.
  • DJ Moore weaves his way 12 yards on WR screen on first down to the 5 with a minute to go. First and goal.
  • Williams alertly sees Packers blitzing and the hole opened wide for him so he took it for a first down scramble to the 17.
  • Bears at the Packers 40, second-and-5. A 4-yard Swift run and Williams' RPO run gives them a first down at the Packers 29. Clock working well for Bears and they get it to start third quarter too.
  • Officials botch the TWO-MINUTE WARNING !!! They let the play get going and then interrupt it to stop it for the timeout.
  • A sweet quick pass out to Cole Kmet nets a first down but then the Bears wind up facing third-and-5 at their 42. Williams has a choice of scrambling or flipping it to Swift on a short pass and he wisely keeps it for the first down. Swift didn't have enough clearance from coverage.
  • That was the 11th interception of Love this year, six more than Williams has. 5:49 remaining in half.
  • Kyler Gordon TFL on Reed's end around and Packers have third-and-11 and Terell Smith picks off Love at the goal line after pressure forced him to get rid of it. Had tried to throw it to Christian Watson. Then Smith had presence of mind to get up and return it to the 24.
  • Finally a pass rush, Montez Sweat heat pressures Love into an incompletion and the Packers also had an ineligible man downfield so the Bears will take the penalty because it pushes the ball back to the 10.
  • Throw to Brooks leaking out of the backfield gives them a 9-yard gain for a first down at the Bears 14. Rush didn't get there again and allowed the back to leave the backfield.
  • Usually when Brisker has been out they have Byard playing the deep spot but they are keeping Elijah Hicks back deep. Byard with another big hit in run defense. Then an incompletion and Packers face fourth-and-3, but manage to coax Byron Cowart into jumping offsides. First down. Dumb Bears play. They then took Cowart out of the game.
  • Love hits Christian Watson after he has about 10 seconds to throw. A 17-yard gain. Looked like the pass rush they had last year in both of the Packer games.
  • Byard came down into the gap in run defense and stops Jacobs for no gain before he can get going, then T.J. Edwards' TFL and Packers are in another third-and-11.
  • Bootleg pass nearly gets Williams killed. No one blocked Cox coming off the end and he flattened Williams back at the Bears 45. Even though they don't get the first down, the third-down play makes up 11 yards and was a crossing route to DJ Moore. They never run crossing routes. Punt is down a thte 9 but there was a flag on Amen Ogbongbemiga to let the Packers out of the hole. So they're at the 24.
  • They are getting carried away with the wide receiver screens and the Packers have the first one of the quarter to Keenan Allen well covered. It hits the ground anyway.

First Quarter

  • Yet another illegal motion, a picky one on DJ Moore but the Packers bail out the Bears when Xavier McKinney is flagged for hitting Caleb Williams out of bounds on a scramble. Should have been the second late hit out of bounds on the Packers but they got away with the first one on DJ Moore. The quarter ends. Ball is at the Packers 45.
  • The injury to Bates is a possible concussion.
  • A 3-yard Swift run and 5-yard pass to Swift sets up third-and-2. A change this week with Roschon Johnson in early on third down and Williams hits Rome Odunze for the first down. Well-orchestrated third-down play.
  • Bears offensive line has another change as Jake Curhan is in at left guard after an injury to Ryan Bates. That's probably better than Doug Kramer doing it.
  • Bears finally get Love in a tough down-and-distance at third-and-11 after an incompletion and a tackle for loss and the throw short of the sticks to Jacobs can't get it done when the whole secondary rallies to the ball. Bears have it back but at their own 5 after a shanked punt hits and bounces like it hit cement.
  • Reed with a screen out of motion on second down for a first down on an 8-yard gain. The Packers keep attacking. The use of motion with blocking from Packers receivers made the play.
  • The Bears are now seven points short of their total first-quarter scoring output under Shane Waldron and it's only been one drive with Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator.
  • Brenton Cox Jr. stuffs the run on second down and then an incompletion on third down in which Williams had to get rid of it too soon. It left Cairo Santos with a 53-yard field goal try and it just gets through to tie his record for 50-plus field goals at seven this year. An eight-play drive and the Bears have rare first-quarter scoring. Packers 7, Bears 3
  • Another first down on the best set-up wide receiver screen they've had in several games. Moore for 16. They started out running that play well this year, then couldn't gain a yard on it.
  • Bears facing third-and-8 after a bootleg pass is thrown a bit late and incomplete. But Williams rescues them with his legs with a scramble of 16 yards to the 49.
  • Maybe Matt Eberflus needs to attend another basketball game with Matt LaFleur to learn more about the Packers coach because he didn't have that first drive figured out at all.
  • No huddle and Love hits Jayden Reed for a touchdown pass from the 15 and the Bears committed two penalties on the play that were obviously declined. Didn't take long. Just 3:45 and it's 7-0. And that was the good part of this Bears team. Packers 7, Bears 0
  • Jacobs pounds the Bears for a first down on a 6-yard run on second down to the Bears 28, then he broke it inside to the 15. Run defense started well but fell apart.
  • On second down after an incompletion Love hit Doubs rolling out to the Bears 42. Nice pass on the run but Doubs had no one on him. The pass rush gave Love trouble at first but he sidestepped it.
  • The Bears did a nice job stopping up the run by Josh Jacobs on first down, holding him to a yard thanks to DeMarcus Walker but on second down they let him break one for 10 yards off right tackle.
  • Packers start at the 30 after touchback

Pregame

  • Bears win the toss and will defer.
  • Legendary Wayne Messmer doing the anthem today.
  • Forecast for extreme wind hasn't really panned out. It's a southwest 9 mph wind.
  • Devin Hester on hand to be honored for his Hall of Fame induction and was on the sidelines posing for photos. His first TD return came against the Packers in 2006.
  • The last time the Bears went more than two game in succession without a touchdown was 1974 with Abe Gibron as coach. They did it four straight games then.
  • The national types aren't exactly enthusiastic about the chances the Bears can turn things around. All it takes is a look at their schedule.

Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. proves he probably needs to stick to the upcoming draft because his take on the first player to be taken in a redraft is completely foolish. He says it's Jayden Daniels. He's wrong because there's no such thing as a redraft except in your mind and imagination. They haven't had one yet that I know of, so play-time, pretend time is all he's dealing with here. Kiper needs to tell us about the 2025 draft.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.