Caleb Williams was sacked on the first two plays of the Bears’ subsequent possession. But Williams followed by completing passes of 16 yards to Rome Odunze on third-and-19 and 21 yards to Odunze on fourth-and-3. Williams then connected with Keenan Allen for 12 yards to the Packers’ 30.
“I thought Caleb played really well,” said coach Matt Eberflus. “He played winning football. The drive that he had there and the completions he made to put us in field-goal range I thought were outstanding, the two plays to Rome and then also the play to Keenan. That’s real football there against a division rival and he did a really nice job putting us in position there.”
After Roschon Johnson’s 2-yard run, the Bears sent Santos onto the field to attempt the potential game-winning field goal with :03 on the clock. The kick was blocked by defensive lineman Karl Brooks up the middle.
“We felt good in terms of where the kick line was,” Eberflus said. “The wind was not a factor today. And Cairo’s made a bunch of those kicks inside of that range. We feel confident in Cairo and confident in our operation there.”
In Thomas Brown’s first game as coordinator, a revitalized offense scored on four of its first five possessions. The unit compiled 391 total yards and 23 first downs and converted a season-high 56.2% of their third-down plays (9 of 16).
Williams completed 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards and a 95.0 passer rating and rushed for 70 yards on nine carries. D’Andre Swift ran for 71 yards on 14 attempts. Odunze caught six passes for 65 yards and DJ Moore had seven receptions for 62 yards.
“Was really pleased how the operation of that week went in terms of the collaboration with the offensive staff and the players, and I think that showed today,” Eberflus said. “Communication during the game was great. Guys were finding answers to move the ball and they did a nice job of that. I thought Thomas Brown did a wonderful job of bringing that collaboration together.”
For the Packers, Love connected on 13 of 17 passes for 261 yards with one TD, one interception and a 113.0 passer rating. Watson caught four passes for 150 yards.
The Bears rallied from deficits of 7-0 and 14-13, taking leads of 10-7 on Johnson’s 1-yard TD run with :07 left in the first half and 19-14 on Swift’s 39-yard TD scamper with :31 remaining in the third quarter.
The Packers took a 7-0 lead on Love’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed, capping an 8-play, 70-yard drive on the game’s opening possession.
The Bears responded by cutting the deficit to 7-3 on Santos’ 53-yard field goal. The kick was set up by Williams’ 16-yard scramble on third-and-8 and Moore’s 16-yard gain on a screen pass.
The Packers were in position to extend their lead midway through the second quarter. But on third-and-11 from the Bears’ 15, Terell Smith intercepted Love’s overthrown pass intended for tight end Tucker Kraft at the 1, returning it 23 yards. It was the only turnover of the game.
The Bears followed by taking a 10-7 lead on Johnson’s 1-yard TD plunge. Williams completed 3 of 3 passes for 28 yards and rushed for 32 yards on three carries on the impressive 13-play, 76-yard drive.
The Bears opened the second half by marching to the Green Bay 9 before settling for Santos’ 27-yard field goal, widening the margin to 13-7.
But the Packers answered with a 6-play, 70-yard drive capped by Josh Jacobs’ 7-yard TD run up that middle that gave Green Bay a 14-13 lead. The TD came one play after Love’s 25-yard pass to Watson.
Swift followed with a 39-yard TD scamper to put the Bears back on top. Left tackle Braxton Jones delivered an excellent block on the play.
The Bears fell to 4-6 on the season after they were unable to complete the comeback. They’ll host the Vikings next Sunday at Soldier Field.
“We should have had a walk-off field goal win there and that didn’t happen,” Eberflus said. “We’ve just got to look at the operation there at the very end. But I was proud of the guys the way they battled. I thought they played good complementary football today.
“The guys looked at each other in the eye in the locker room when we broke it down. We’re going to keep battling, keep fighting, and we’ve got a division opponent coming here next week. It takes true strength and true courage, I told them. Tough times don’t last but tough people do, and that’s where it’s at right now.”
