CHICAGO – Packers DL Karl Brooks blocked Bears K Cairo Santos' 46-yard field goal try on the final play of the game to preserve Green Bay's 20-19 victory on Sunday at Soldier Field.
In a back-and-forth game, the Packers took the lead with just over two minutes left on a QB sneak from the 1-yard line by Jordan Love. The scoring drive was set up by a 60-yard catch and run by WR Christian Watson that was upheld after a replay challenge.
The Bears came back the other way, keeping their drive alive despite a third-and-19 situation. QB Caleb Williams completed a 16-yard pass to WR Rome Odunze and then followed up with another throw to Odunze for 21 yards on fourth down. Chicago then moved into field-goal range, ran the clock down to three seconds, and tried for the winning kick.
But Brooks said not today.
The win improved the Packers to 7-3 on the season while the Bears fell to 4-6.
For the Packers, QB Jordan Love was 13-of-17 for 261 yards with one TD and one INT for a 113.0 rating. RB Josh Jacobs had 18 carries for 76 yards and a TD, and Watson had four catches for 150 yards. Jacobs added 58 yards receiving on four grabs, with WR Jayden Reed getting a TD among his two catches for 23 yards.
For the Bears, QB Caleb Williams was 23-of-31 for 231 yards and a 95.0 passer rating. RB D'Andre Swift had 14 carries for 71 yards, with Williams adding 70 rushing yards on nine attempts. Odunze had six catches for 65 yards, and DJ Moore had seven catches for 62 yards.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Packers lead Bears 7-3 after first quarter
Chicago won the opening coin toss and deferred. The Packers quickly mounted an eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive that started with a 10-yard Josh Jacobs run and a 17-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Love to Romeo Doubs near the sideline.
After Jacobs picked up 14 yards on his next two carries, Emanuel Wilson broke a 13-yard gain to the Chicago 15. Love caught the Bears with 12 men on the field and offsides, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed to put the Packers up 7-0 with 11 minutes, 15 seconds left in the first quarter.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-9 and then connected with D.J. Moore for a 16-yard pass to move across midfield.
Second-year defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. stopped Chicago running back D'Andre Swift for a 3-yard loss on second-and-7 from the Green Bay 32. The Bears settled for a 53-yard Cairo Santos to cut the Packers' lead to 7-3 with 7:49 left in the first quarter.
Green Bay picked up the initial first down on its second possession with a 5-yard Jacobs run and an 8-yard pass to Reed off motion but was forced to punt after a 5-yard check down to Jacobs on third-and-10.
Chicago started at its own 5 after a 47-yard Daniel Whelan punt. Williams converted on third-and-2 with a 13-yard pass to Rome Odunze off a crossing pattern. The Bears were called for a pair of illegal shifts but Xavier McKinney was called for a late hit on Williams for the automatic first down.
Bears lead Packers 10-7 at halftime
Brenton Cox Jr. recorded his first NFL sack for a 10-yard loss to halt Chicago's drive. The Bears punted after a 9-yard pass to D.J. Moore on third-and-20.
Green Bay started at its own 25 after a personal foul on Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga on the punt. Love connected with Christian Watson for 17 yards to convert on third-and-11.
Green Bay was facing a fourth-and-3 after Love and Doubs failed to connect on an out but stayed alive after defensive tackle Byron Cowart jumped offsides for the first down.
Love found Jacobs free in the flat for a 23-yard gain to the Chicago 25. Love then checked it down to Chris Brooks, who gained nine yards on second-and-8 to move into the red zone.
Jacobs gained nine yards on first down with a run up the middle to the Bears' 5. The drive didn't produce points, though, as Love was picked off by Terell Smith on third-and-11 following an illegal man downfield and a Reed run for a 5-yard loss.
Chicago started at its own 24, converting its first two first downs with an 11-yard pass to Cole Kmet and a Williams 13-yard scramble on third-and-5 to the Packers' 45. Williams established a new career high for rushing yards with 60 in the first half.
The Bears reached first-and-goal from the Green Bay 5 after a 12-yard pass to Moore. Roschon Johnson punched in the 1-yard touchdown on third-and-1, as Chicago pulled ahead 10-7 at halftime.
Bears lead Packers 19-14 after three quarters
Coming out of halftime, the Packers announced cornerback Jaire Alexander was ruled out with a knee injury.
The Bears started the second half with a 14-yard Swift run and a 25-yard pass to Cole Kemet to the Green Bay 31. The Packers got Chicago into fourth-and-2, but the Bears converted with an underneath pass to Johnson to the Green Bay 15.
The Packers earned another stop, with Williams' third-and-4 flying through the end zone. Santos made a 27-yard field goal to extend Chicago's lead to 13-7 with 10:17 left in the third quarter.
Green Bay's offense responded with a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive that started with a 21-yard pass to Jacobs. Love found an open Christian Watson for 25 yards on first-and-10 from the Chicago 32.
Jacobs then punched in a 7-yard TD run to put Green Bay back in the lead, 14-13, with 6:34 left in the third quarter. It also marked the All-Pro running back's 50th career rushing touchdown.
The Bears' offense answered back. First, Williams converted on fourth-and-1 with a read-option from the Green Bay 43. Swift then broke a 39-yard rushing TD to put Chicago back in the lead, 19-14, with 31 seconds left in the third quarter. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion, but it failed with Williams' incomplete pass.
The third quarter ended with an 8-yard pass from Love to Jacobs.
Karl Brooks' block seals 20-19 Packers win
Jacobs opened the fourth quarter with a 12-yard run to the Packers' 44 off a fake end-around to Reed. Love then rolled out and connected on a 48-yard pass to Watson through double coverage to set up first-and-goal at the Chicago 8.
The Packers again came up short in the red zone after attempting to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Chicago 6. The Bears took over at their own 2 after Love's 4-yard scramble on fourth down.
Chicago moved off its goal line after a 6-yard pass to Kmet and two Johnson carries for four. The Bears converted a third-and-9 from the Chicago 13 with a 17-yard pass to Keenan Allen.
Keisean Nixon stopped Odunze short of the first down, forcing the Bears to punt on fourth-and-8 from their 46 with 4:27 remaining. Green Bay retook possession at its 22 after a 16-yard Reed return.
On second-and-6, Watson laid out for a catch and got back to his feet for a 60-yard reception to the Bears' 14. Love ran for 13 yards to the Chicago 1. Green Bay unsuccessfully challenged, saying Love scored on the play.
On the next one, Love snuck in for a 1-yard TD with help from tight end Tucker Kraft to put the Packers back up 20-19 with 2:59 remaining. Green Bay tried for the two-point conversion, but Jacobs was stopped for no gain.
Defensive tackle T.J. Slaton sacked Williams for a loss of a yard on first down, Slaton's first sack since 2021. On the next play, Rashan Gary overpowered Braxton Jones for a 9-yard sack for a loss of Williams.
The Bears faced third-and-20 at the two-minute warning but converted with a 16-yard pass to Odunze leading to another 21-yard pass to Odunze on fourth-and-3, marking Chicago's third fourth-down conversion of the day.
A 12-yard pass to Allen set up Santos for a game-winning 46-yard field goal but Karl Brooks blocked it as time expired.
