Jordan Love Injured; Bears Stun Packers 24-22

The Green Bay Packers, who had been a perfect 11-0 against the Chicago Bears under coach Matt LaFleur, lost on Cairo Santos’ 51-yard field goal at the buzzer.

Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) returns a punt for a touchdown against Green Bay Packers on Sunday. / William Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Chicago Bears snapped their 11-game losing streak against the Green Bay Packers with a 24-22 victory on Sunday.

The outcome of the game – and the outcome on NFC playoff seeding – is largely irrelevant heading into what’s going to be a wild-card game at the Philadelphia Eagles because quarterback Jordan Love and receiver Christian Watson were injured in the second quarter.

The Packers pulled within 21-19 with 4:28 remaining, and Chicago had a first down at Green Bay’s 43 at the 2-minute warning. However, Carrington Valentine jarred the ball loose from D.J. Moore on a receiver screen, with Javon Bullard recovering at the 43.

A short completion by backup quarterback Malik Willis set up Brandon McManus’ 55-yard field goal with 54 seconds left.

The Bears had a last-gasp drive, thanks in part to Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s timeout before McManus’ field goal.

On third-and-11 from the 49, Caleb Williams connected with D.J. Moore for 18 yards to the 31. Chicago clocked the ball with 2 seconds remaining. Cairo Santos, whose field goal to beat the Packers at Soldier Field was blocked in Week 11, made a 51-yard field goal at the buzzer.

The Packers (11-6) will play at the Eagles next weekend. They are that blocked field goal from going 0-6 in NFC North play.

The Bears (5-12) snapped a 10-game losing streak. They were 0-11 against LaFleur and 0-7 on the road this year.

All of that takes a backseat to this sequence.

In a span of four plays in the second quarter, Watson went down with a noncontact knee injury and Love suffered an injured right elbow.

“We’re playing to win,” LaFleur proclaimed on Wednesday.

Asked to address a devil’s-advocate question about the risk of playing key players with the playoffs on the horizon, LaFleur responded:

“The right answer is, whatever works is, and I think you’ve got to have a philosophy on what works best for you. We were in a similar situation a few years back [in 2021] , where we played the guys a half and lost in the second half, and then we had the bye, and then we lost in the playoffs [to San Francisco].

“So, the right answer is, whatever works is really what I’ll tell you. And I know you’re subject to criticism, and if it goes great, then that was the right way to do it. And if it doesn’t go the way you want it to, then, you know, you learn from every experience.”

It was injury to insult.

Green Bay’s first two possessions ended in punts. On the second, Daniel Whelan punted to the left side. From the perspective of Whelan, the Bears’ Moore was lined up to the right side. Moore acted as if he were going to field the ball, so the punt unit was attracted like moth to flame.

On the other side of the field, Josh Blackwell grabbed the punt and had clear sailing up the sideline for a 94-yard touchdown.

After the Packers pulled within 7-3, Jayden Reed had the ball punched out on an end-around. The Bears recovered and turned that into a touchdown.

Shockingly, the Bears – losers of 10 consecutive games overall and 11 in a row against the Packers – led 14-3.

On the drive in which Love and Watson were injured, Willis helped get the Packers into the end zone. He threw a 20-yard pass to Tucker Kraft, a well-placed deep shot that allowed Kraft to elevate over safety Kevin Byard for the catch.

On the next play, Josh Jacobs rumbled into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. He broke two tackles on the way into the end zone and extending his streak to eight consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, breaking Paul Hornung’s 64-year-old team record.

Green Bay trailed 14-13 at halftime. While Love warmed up before the third quarter, Willis stayed in the game. After Packers safety Xavier McKinney’s eighth interception, Willis was rocked by Byard for a sack/strip.

That 14-13 margin held until 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, when D.J. Moore took a receiver screen 32 yards for a touchdown. Moore gained 35 yards after the catch as he outran Javon Bullard up the right sideline.

With Love and Watson injured, Jacobs getting the second half off and Romeo Doubs out due to illness, Green Bay’s offense was ineffective throughout the second half.

Finally, on third-and-21, the Packers made a play. Willis’ bomb up the right sideline was caught by Malik Heath, who made a sensational leaping catch at the 21. On the next play, Emanuel Wilson bounced a run to the outside and outran everybody to the pylon for a touchdown. The two-point play was incomplete, leaving it 21-19 with 4:28 to go. 

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 4, 2025

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