Live Updates: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Follow the action from today’s game between the Green Bay Packers (10-3) and Chicago Bears (7-6), with the latest updates at the bottom, and join the conversation.
PREGAME
INACTIVES
The Packers had only two players listed as questionable for today, cornerback Kevin King and tight end Jimmy Graham, and they’re both active. Who is out? The lone surprise is inside linebacker B.J. Goodson, who has been a staple of Green Bay’s base defensive packages. Presumably, that means more of a role for Oren Burks should the Bears come out running with David Montgomery. The others: receiver Ryan Grant, running back Dexter Williams, cornerbacks Tony Brown and Ka’Dar Hollman, and offensive tackles Jared Veldheer and Yosh Nijman.
For Chicago, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris, who gave the Packers fits in Week 1 and has a sack in two of his past three against Green Bay, is inactive with a foot injury. Receiver Taylor Gabriel (concussion), right tackle Bobby Massie (ankle) and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow) were ruled out on Friday.
EXTRA POINTS
One: Chicago quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is coming off two of his best games of the season, with his six touchdown passes vs. Detroit and Dallas more than he threw in the first half of the season combined. Moreover, Trubisky finally showed his running skills last week against Dallas. After posting 80 rushing yards in the team’s first 12 games, Trubisky ran for 63 yards and a touchdown vs. the Cowboys.
Of note: The Packers have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards to quarterbacks this season with 103.
Two: No edge rusher has faced more double-team blocks than Green Bay’s Za’Darius Smith. “It doesn’t surprise me,” Pettine said. “Just like it doesn’t surprise me; I know Kenny (Clark) gets a lot of attention inside certainly on early downs as well. It doesn’t surprise me just because of how disruptive he is. Where he can get a quarterback off his spot where as Preston is a different type of rusher, more of a, at times beat you with finesse, can set you up and get you on a different side, beat you outside, where Z for the most part he’s throwing fastballs. That can be very disruptive. Those are the types of guys where you feel you want to slow them. You don’t want them to build up their power, build up speed, so they try to mute that at the snap.”
Three: Will it be Aaron Jones? Jamaal Williams? A look at the dynamic one-two punch. For Chicago, its offense has improved with Trubisky and some faces who didn’t get much action in Week 1. And a fresh look at Green Bay’s woeful offense.
Four: The Packers can clinch a playoff berth today with a win and a little help from Dallas.
Five: It's cold. In games with a kickoff temperature of 15 or colder, Green Bay is 3-4, including playoffs, since the start of the 2008 season. The Packers are 2-3 in those games started by Rodgers, though two of those losses came in 2008. Chicago is 2-2 since 2008.
FIRST QUARTER
Green Bay 0, Chicago 0 (11:29 remaining)
On the Packers’ first snap of the game, Marquez Valdes-Scantling let a 70-yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers go right through his hands. The Packers moved the chains, anyway, but a third-and-5 drop by Geronimo Allison led to a punt. The ball was high and the 13-degree temperature probably didn't help.
Green Bay 7, Chicago 0 (4:47 remaining)
The score: On fourth-and-4, coach Matt LaFleur called a timeout but it wasn’t to bring the field-goal unit on the field. Instead, Aaron Rodgers threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams. Adams lined up in the slot against Buster Skrine, caught the ball at the 6 and carried Skrine across the goal line.
Key play: With Tyler Ervin in the locker room with a hand injury following his first punt return, Tramon Williams was back for the second punt. He muffed the kick but Chicago’s DeAndre Houston-Carson was flagged for kick-catch interference, giving the Packers the ball at Chicago’s 35.
Injury update: Williams is questionable with a head injury but Ervin is back on the field.
SECOND QUARTER
Green Bay 7, Chicago 0 (7:30 remaining)
Chicago moved onto Green Bay’s side of the field but the Packers emerged unscathed. On third-and-7 from the 41, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had a potential touchdown to Anthony Miller but he couldn’t make the grab inside the 20 between defensive backs Kevin King and Darnell Savage. On fourth down, Trubisky connected with Miller but sixth defensive back Chandon Sullivan – who was playing for injured Tramon Williams – was able to get Miller out of bounds before Miller got his feet down.
Injury updates: Williams cleared the concussion protocol and inside linebacker Blake Martinez, who exited on the previous series, was back on the field for Chicago's next possession.
Green Bay 7, Chicago 3 (1:45)
The score: Eddy Pineiro booted a 30-yard field goal.
Key plays: First, Chicago stopped the Packers on third and fourth downs from the 36. On third down, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski dropped an interception. On fourth down, Kwiatkoski’s blitz forced an incompletion. On Chicago’s second play from scrimmage, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky booted hard to his left and threw the ball across the field to Anthony Miller for a gain of 33.
HALFTIME: Green Bay 7, Chicago 3
After the Bears’ field goal, Tyler Ervin returned the kickoff 45 yards to the 46. But the Packers did nothing with the superb field position. On third-and-4 from the Bears’ 31, Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd pressured quarterback Aaron Rodgers into a throwaway, but Rodgers’ flip didn’t cross the line of scrimmage and was flagged for intentional grounding. On fourth-and-14 from the 41, Rodgers threw incomplete to Geronimo Allison. Even if it been completed, it would have killed the first-half clock. That gave Chicago a chance for a Hail Mary, which was intercepted by Jaire Alexander. Inexplicably, the Packers lateraled the ball three times and were fortunate to avoid disaster.
The Packers, who will get the ball to start the second half, led 129-115 in yards. Rodgers was 11-of-21 passing for 100 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and an 81.4 rating. Green Bay ran the ball nine times.
THIRD QUARTER
Green Bay 14, Chicago 3 (12:44 remaining)
The score: Aaron Jones got the second half rolling with a 21-yard touchdown. He broke a tackle attempt by cornerback Prince Amukamara at the 15 and kept his feet against safety Eddie Jackson around the 4. Left tackle David Bakhtiari had the key block on linebacker Leonard Floyd.
Key plays: On the second play of the drive, Davante Adams smoked cornerback Kyle Fuller on a post – Fuller was on the ground when Adams caught the ball – for a catch-and-run gain of 34. One play later, Aaron Rodgers scrambled for 17 yards to the 21.
Green Bay 21, Chicago 3 (7:48 remaining)
The score: Aaron Jones scored on a 4-yard run, running through cornerback Kevin Toliver at the 2.
Key play: On third-and-4, Aaron Rodgers found receiver Jake Kumerow in the hole between the cornerback and safety. Kumerow caught the ball at the 43 and broke three tackles en route to a 49-yard gain to the 13. Kumerow might have stepped out of bounds before the pass, which would have made him an ineligible receiver, but the head of a Packers coach blocked the view. Thus, Matt Nagy lost his challenge. Two plays later, Jones was in for his 17th touchdown.
FOURTH QUARTER
Green Bay 21, Chicago 6 (14:56 remaining)
The score: Eddy Pineiro made a 27-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Key plays: Did the Bears finally find something on offense? Mitchell Trubisky found holes in the middle of the defense for completions of 19 yards to Anthony Miller, 22 yards to Allen Robinson and 21 yards to Miller. On third-and-6, Trubisky extended the play and found Cordarrelle Patterson for a first down near the goal line but the slightest bit of Patterson’s left foot was out of bounds.
Through three quarters, Green Bay held a 281-239 advantage in yards.
Green Bay 21, Chicago 13 (8:09 remaining)
The score: On third-and-goal, Mitchell Trubisky hit receiver Anthony Miller for a 2-yard touchdown against safety Adrian Amos. It was Chicago’s first touchdown in 112 minutes against the Packers this season.
Key play: On third-and-15, Trubisky somehow avoided a sack, broke a tackle by cornerback Jaire Alexander and scrambled for 8. Defensive holding on Chandon Sullivan gave the Bears the first down.
Green Bay 21, Chicago 13 (7:10 remaining)
Chicago, which appeared dead about a half-hour ago, almost got the big break it needed. On third-and-20, a scrambling Aaron Rodgers had the ball stripped by safety Deon Bush and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis recovered at the Packers’ 22. However, on review, Rodgers’ elbow was down before the ball came loose. Green Bay punted and the Bears took possession at their 40 with 7:10 to play.
Green Bay 21, Chicago 13 (6:33 remaining)
The catch of the day goes to defensive tackle Dean Lowry, who intercepted Mitchell Trubisky. Under pressure from Za’Darius Smith, Trubisky winged a pass to his right but Lowry made the grab to set up the offense at Chicago’s 33. The Packers couldn’t take advantage, though, as linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski destroyed running back Aaron Jones and sacked Aaron Rodgers on third-and-4.
FINAL: Green Bay 21, Chicago 13
The Packers survived by the skin of their teeth. Chicago had a chance for the potential tying touchdown on a series of laterals but Tramon Williams pounced on a loose ball near the goal line. The play started at Green Bay's 31 with 9 seconds to go on a completion to running back Tarik Cohen. Cohen lateraled to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to lateraled to tight end Jesper Horsted. The Bears had the Packers outflanked but Horsted lateraled too late to receiver Allen Robinson, who probably would have scored.
The Packers with their third consecutive victory have improved to 11-3. If Dallas beats the Rams on Sunday afternoon, Green Bay will have clinched a wild-card spot. Up next: a trip to Minnesota on Monday night.
It’s not as if the Packers are surging into the playoffs, though. They played just well enough in the second half to beat the Giants, the first half to beat the Redskins and the second half to beat the Bears.
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t very good (16-of-33 passing for 203 yards) but Davante Adams had 103 yards and one touchdown and Aaron Jones had 51 yards and two touchdowns to carry the offense. Kenny Clark had two sacks and two big pressures after Chicago had reached Green Bay’s 49 at the two-minute warning. The last of those came on fourth-and-10, with Trubisky escaping to his right and throwing too high to Allen Robinson against tight coverage by Jaire Alexander.
