Blast from Past: Bears Beat Packers Thursday on NBC Sports
NBC Sports Network is giving Bears fans a real treat of sorts Thursday night at 8:30 with the replay of the biggest victory in the John Fox era.
Yes, there was one.
They are replaying the Thanksgiving night 17-13 Bears victory in Lambeau Field over the Packers, the game set aside to honor Brett Favre with his installment in their ring of honor.
The telecast is right after a rebroadcast of the Packers-Vikings game in 2010 when Favre played in Lambeau Field for the Vikings against Green Bay.
My most vivid memory of that game was how the late Bart Starr crashed the party and kind of stole the halftime show from Favre, and then was nearly knocked over by a wind gust.
The weather was awful with rain and wind, and it almost seemed appropriate for the Packers to lose that night because it was Favre himself who 11 years earlier ruined the night at Soldier Field set aside to honor Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers with the retirement of their jereseys in a driving rain and ice storm.
The loss for the Packers was the fourth in five games after they had started 6-0, and they later went on to a 10-6 mark, a wild card berth and lost in the divisional playoffs in Arizona to the Cardinals 26-20.
The Bears had pulled themselves up off the canvas after a 2-5 start to win three out of four with this victory and at 5-6 still stood an outside chance of getting to the playoffs. Then they went home and started a three-game losing streak with a game in which they let Blaine Gabbert run 44 yards straight down the field for a touchdown to force overtime.
This win over the Packers features a big night from Alshon Jeffery, with seven catches for 90 yards.
Marquess Wilson makes an appearance with four catches on Jay Cutler throws for 44 yards
What the Bears did best in this game didn't involve Cutler's passing or Jeffery's receiving, but instead the play if Vic Fangio's defense.
Cornerback Tracy Porter picked off Aaron Rodgers, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston made sacks and Pernell McPhee had a strong night with six tackles.
And this might have been the peak of Shea McClellin's career as a Bear with 10 tackles and a hit on Rodgers. The Bears held Rodgers to 22 of 43 for 202 yards and a touchdown.
The Bears finished 6-10, then stunk for the next two years until Fox's firing.
At least it's Bears football, sort of.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
