Trailing the Packers 14-3 at halftime of Sunday’s first-place showdown at Lambeau Field, the Bears valiantly rallied in the second half, scoring on three straight possessions to eventually tie the score 21-21 with 8:00 to play.
And even after Josh Jacobs’ 2-yard touchdown run gave Green Bay a 28-21 lead with 3:32 remaining, the Bears were in position to overcome a deficit in the final 2:00 of regulation for the fifth time in their last seven road games.
But this time they fell just short. On fourth-and-1 from the Packers’ 14, Caleb Williams’ pass intended for Cole Kmet in the end zone was intercepted by cornerback Keisean Nixon with :22 to go, preserving Green Bay’s 28-21 win.
“When it comes down to the wire like that and you’re on the losing side of it, it’s disappointing,” said coach Ben Johnson. “But a lot of credit to our guys in the second half there making it a game, down 14-3 at halftime and yet it coming down to the last 30 seconds … Really close at the end but give a lot of credit to Green Bay. They made a couple more plays than us.”
On the fourth-down snap, Williams rolled to his left. With a defender closing in on him and D’Andre Swift covered in the flat, the second-year quarterback lofted the ball to Kmet in the zone. But Nixon undercut the pass and made a leaping interception.
Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 186 yards with two TDs, one interception and a 76.6 passer rating. He was sacked only one time, once again showing his exceptional escapability from a pass rush that hounded him.
“It’s a really good defense,” Johnson said. “We knew it was going to be a big challenge. You go on silent cadence against a really good pass rush group like that. They get off the ball and they pressure your quarterback. We certainly felt that in the first half and in the second half, too. I thought Caleb was doing everything he could. He put his Superman cape on a few times to not go down, extend the play. He found a couple big scrambles for us over the course of that game.”
The Bears rushed for 90 of their 138 yards in the second half. Swift ran for 63 yards on 13 carries and Kyle Monangai added 57 yards on 14 attempts in the game.
With receiver Rome Odunze inactive due to a foot injury, Luther Burden III made the most of expanded playing time, catching four passes for a team-high 67 yards.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak and dropped the Bears (9-4) into second place in the NFC North, a half game behind the Packers (9-3-1), with four games remaining. The Bears are one game ahead of the Lions (8-5) and will host both Green Bay in two weeks and Detroit in the season finale at Soldier Field.
