From WR to RB, Montgomery comes up big in win over Bears

CHICAGO (AP) For a wide receiver, Ty Montgomery sure looked like a good running back.

Montgomery was just about unstoppable for Green Bay, running for a career-high 162 yards and two touchdowns to help the surging Packers beat the Bears 30-27 in one of the coldest games in Chicago on Sunday.

The former receiver broke tackles and outran defenders. At times, it took three or four Bears to bring him down.

It all added up to quite an afternoon for Montgomery after coach Mike McCarthy announced during the week that his switch to running back is a full-time move.

''Some things worked out today,'' Montgomery said. ''I'm very grateful, but it don't always work out like that. Today I'm glad they did.''

Things worked out in a big way for Montgomery, and they turned out just fine for the Packers (8-6), though they did blow a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Green Bay pulled it out after Chicago's Connor Barth kicked a tying field goal in the in the closing minutes, when Mason Crosby booted a 32-yarder as time expired following a 60-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson.

But for most of a frigid afternoon, with the game temperature at 11 degrees and the wind chill at minus-4, Montgomery was stealing the spotlight and leading the way as the Packers racked up 226 yards on the ground.

''I don't think we expected to run for over 200 yards,'' Rodgers said. ''I think we have confidence in Ty. We want to get him a number of touches. But this was definitely unexpected in the best way possible.''

McCarthy certainly liked what he saw.

''He is 250 pounds and he is a beast,'' McCarthy said. ''Breaks tackles, but has a second gear to get going to get to work on a second level. He is outstanding in the backfield. You always look for bigger backs as it is my preference and you want them to be three-down players.''

Montgomery is checking those boxes and solidifying himself at the position, after a switch made partly out of necessity because of Eddie Lacy's season-ending ankle injury in Week 5.

A second-year pro, his previous career high was 60 yards in a win over the Bears at Lambeau Field on Oct. 20, and with one huge run, he surpassed that Sunday.

He broke off a 61-yard run early in the second quarter, spinning out of a tackle by John Timu and running by Pernell McPhee and Adrian Amos as he burst up the left side.

Montgomery was just getting started.

He also burst through the line for a 36-yard run before being dragged down by three or four defenders, leading to a field goal late in the second quarter.

In the third, Montgomery was at it again.

He came through with a 26-yard run that put the ball on the 2 and ran it in from the 3 for his second touchdown, spinning across the goal line to give Green Bay a 20-10 lead.

''That's just what we are coached to do,'' Montgomery said. ''That's how (I) was raised as a kid. It's just ingrained in me. To be honest, the O-line did a great job, creating seams, the perimeter guys, the wideouts and tight ends did a good job of blocking the secondary to get us big runs.''

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