Packers beat Bears, clinch playoff berth

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WSAW) - The Green Bay Packers are postseason-bound. With a 17-9 win over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field, the Packers are back in the playoffs, doing so with the youngest roster in the NFL.

Chicago received the opening kick and started their day productively. The Bears drove the ball into Packers’ territory with QB Justin Fields leading the way with his arm. Once inside the Packers’ 30, Chicago’s drive stalled. Lukas Van Ness picked up a sack and Karl Brooks had a tackle for loss on a screen attempt. The Bears would settle for a 50-yard field goal that would hit the goal post by ricocheting in to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.

Green Bay had a similar script to their first drive. Aaron Jones had 34 total yards on the drive down the field. However, on third and five at the Chicago 15 Jordan Love would be sacked by DeMarcus Walker. Anders Carlson would attempt a 41-yard field goal that missed left, ending Green Bay’s first drive fruitless and leaving the game at 3-0.

The next drive would bleed into the second quarter as Chicago’s drive would also bleed into Packers’ territory. After a first down to cross the 50, Green Bay’s defense would tighten up. Devonte Wyatt would wrangle down Fields for a sack to force a punt, giving Green Bay the ball back with just over 14 minutes to go in the half.

Pinned deep in their own territory, Green Bay used a big play to get their next drive rolling. Love delivered a strike to Jayden Reed for 32 yards to get them into better field position. Once again, they’d drive across midfield. On third and five Love found Bo Melton for a leaping grab before an Aaron Jones scamper brought them into the red zone. On third and one, Love made a throw off one foot to Dontayvion Wicks from ten yards out to get the Packers on the board. After a good extra point, the score read 7-3.

Trailing for the first time in the game, Chicago set up shop with just over seven minutes to go in the half. The Bears managed to convert a short fourth down on a Justin Fields sneak before hitting D.J. Moore on a crosser that would go 33 yards into the red zone where the two-minute warning would hit. On third and six, the Packers’ pass rush would strike again, taking down Fields on a sack, courtesy of Kenny Clark. Green Bay would force a second field goal by Santos, making it 7-6 Green Bay.

Knowing they’d receive the second-half kick, Green Bay hurried for a two-for-one opportunity. They quickly made it into field goal range after catches by Melton and Jones. However, costly errors with the clock would come back to bite the Packers. Tucker Kraft failed to get out of bounds after a catch, forcing the Packers to burn a timeout. Then, with just 11 seconds to go in the half, Dontayvion Wicks caught a pass that would keep the clock running, ending the half with Green Bay unable to attempt a field goal. Heading into the break, Green Bay led 7-6.

Starting the second half, Green Bay quickly looked to make up for the gaffe at the end of the half. With a heavy dose of Aaron Jones, the Packers marched down the field. On the ninth play of the drive, Love connected with Wicks again for the pair’s second touchdown hook-up of the game from 12 yards. Carlson knocked through an extra point to give the Packers a 14-6 lead.

The Bears would punt on their next drive, giving Green Bay a chance to really seize control of the game. The Packers had a nice drive started, but on a run, Love fumbled to football, giving the ball back to Chicago for the game’s first turnover. The Bears would take the ball and the nice field position and push it further. The Bears would get to the Green Bay 17, but a Carrington Valentine deflection kept Chicago out of the end zone. Santos would bang through his third field goal, cutting the game to 14-9.

With the pressure on and the game in the fourth quarter, Green Bay came back out on offense and took a shot. Love aired out a deep pass to Jayden Reed who took it deep into the Bears’ territory after a 59-yard gain. The Packers would have chances to get into the end zone, including a pass to Melton that was initially ruled a touchdown, but later overturned. Instead, they’d have to kick a field goal, getting the lead back to eight at 17-9.

The Bears needed an answer, getting a solid kick return to give them good field position. However, a costly holding flag and a Karl Brooks sack would push the Bears back outside the Packers’ 50, forcing them to punt with 6:08 to go.

Leading by eight, the Packers had a chance to put the game on ice. On a third down, pinned deep in their own territory, Love hit Reed for a first down gainer. On the next series, Aaron Jones would move the sticks, forcing Chicago to start burning their timeouts. Faced with another third down, Jordan Love found Tucker Kraft on the move to get the first down, helping Green Bay wind the clock down to the two-minute warning. A final long rush by Aaron Jones sealed the game for good, giving Green Bay the 17-9 win and a trip to the playoffs.

Jordan Love finished the game 27/32 for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Jones rushed for his third straight 100-yard game, going for 111 yards on the ground. He also had 30 yards receiving. Jayden Reed led the receivers, hauling in 112 yards on four catches. Dontayvion Wicks had 61 yards to go with his two touchdowns.

The Packers make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-2022 season, doing so not just as the youngest team in the NFL this season, but the youngest team ever to make the playoffs. With the Rams beating the 49ers, Green Bay becomes the seven-seed. They will face the two-seed Cowboys in the Wild Card next week. The time of that game is still to be determined.