Week 14 vs Chicago

Week 14 held a long-awaited matchup with the Chicago Bears. The Bears were sitting atop the NFC, with a 9-3 record and first place in the North. The Packers were a half-step behind them at 8-3-1, looking to overtake the Bears for first place in the North. The 211th meeting of these two storied franchises carried significant playoff implications, something that hadn’t been the case in years. It has been years since this much has been on the line for both teams, only fueling their intense rivalry. It was extra personal for Matt LaFleur. After Ben Johnson took over as head coach for Chicago, he stated he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Packers got the ball and had a solid drive going before Jordan Love made a risky pass over the middle on third-and-long that was picked off. It was Love’s 4th interception of the year, and frankly, a very poor decision that he has been making less and less. After a few back-and-forth three drives, the Packers finally took a crack at the endzone, a 23-yard floater to Christian Watson, which resulted in a touchdown. The Bears answered with a good drive of their own, surviving a 4th down and getting a field goal on the board before going into halftime. Unfortunately, they left the Packers too much time, as Green Bay punched another touchdown in before half, with a 45-yard strike to Bo Melton. 

Down 3-14 and starting the 2nd half on defense, the Bears knew they’d have to get a stop to prevent this game from slipping away, and that's precisely what the Bears defense does. They get a quick three-and-out and put together a gutsy drive to answer. Caleb Williams had an unforgettable sack escape and throw on the run right over the shoulder of Cole Kmet. Williams followed this up with a pass that went right through the hands of Nixon. After a successful two-point attempt, the score was now 11-14. 

The Packers answered right back with a quick pass to Christian Watson on a simple slant route, which he took to the house with elite speed. The Bears got another field goal, bringing the score to 14-21. The Bears' defense stood firm, getting the ball back to their offense, which would drive the length of the field and score on a touchdown pass to Loveland. The Packers' defense was finally looking tired, as they could do little to stop the Bears on this drive. With the game now tied, the Packers knew they needed to help their defense and put some points on the board again. Josh Jacobs put this drive on his back, gaining 20 yards on a 3rd and one where five Bears defenders nearly tackled him before the first down marker. He followed this up with a touchdown, moving the Packers' lead back up to 7. The Bears had one final drive to answer; Caleb Williams had already led several comeback drives this season alone. He threw some impressive passes to get the Bears in the red zone, but on a 4th and one play, Ben Johnson called a pass to the end zone, which Williams slightly underthrew and got intercepted as a result. 

The Packers walked away victorious, 28-21, in a great game that showcased both teams are legit contenders. This was an excellent win for the Packers, the offense and defense helped each other out, scoring and getting stops when needed. Green Bay now takes first in the North and 2nd in the NFC behind the Rams. Unfortunately for the Bears, they fall from the #1 seed to the 7th seed, but have the Browns next week to bounce back. Green Bay gets the 11-2 Denver Broncos, which will be an excellent time for Green Bay to prove itself and keep fighting for the first-round bye in the playoffs. In just two weeks, these teams will play again, this time in Chicago and on Sunday Night Football. The Bears will be determined not to get swept and to keep fighting for playoff positioning, so I am looking forward to this matchup once again.