The Chicago Bears have learned the hard way and know what happens when they slump and need another comeback in the fourth quarter.
The Green Bay Packers defeated their NFC North rivals 28-21 at Lambeau Field on Sunday to take first place in the division.
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Caleb Williams and the Bears offense managed just 32 yards passing and three scores in the first half. They started to find a rhythm in the second half, but the gap was too big to overcome.
The Bears tied the game at 21 with eight minutes left, but the Packers responded with a touchdown on their next possession with 3:32 left. Chicago’s offense had one last chance to drive to the Green Bay 14, but Williams’ fourth-and-1 pass with 27 seconds left was intercepted in the end zone.
The Bears (9-4) will have plenty of opportunities to learn from this loss, but they’ll have to react quickly, especially since the Packers (9-3-1) are scheduled to visit Soldier Field in two weeks for a rematch that could decide the NFC North title.
Here are five Bears players whose stocks rose and fell in Week 14.
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The Bears’ rookie running back was supposed to play in the black-and-blue division.
Monangay’s physical style was a perfect example of his 3-yard run in the second quarter when he made contact with Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who lost a piece of his helmet in the impact.
The Bears ended the game with a field goal to cut the Packers’ lead to 7-3.
Late in the third quarter, head coach Ben Johnson elected to try a two-point conversion after the Bears’ first drive of the second half resulted in a touchdown pass from Williams to Olamide Zakous. Johnson charged at Monange, but he was initially stopped near the goal line. However, he kept his legs moving, and Bears offensive linemen Drew Dahlman and Joe Thuney helped the rookie get into the end zone for the conversion.
Monangay gained 57 yards on 14 carries, and backfield teammate D’Andre Swift added 63 yards on another 13 attempts.
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The Bears’ first-round pick continues to rise.
This time, Loveland caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 21.
With Roman Odunze out due to injury, the Bears will need a collective effort to replace their star receiver. Loveland also did his part, catching four passes on five targets for 29 yards and a touchdown.
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound tight end had 10-yard catches on third-and-5 to keep the Bears’ offense alive on a third-quarter touchdown drive. Zack then scored five goals.
Loveland now has four touchdowns on the season, second on the team behind Odunze (Odunze has six).
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Kyler Gordon suffered a groin injury during pregame warmups and was ruled out. Normally, losing a starting five cornerback so close to kickoff would be detrimental to a defense, but the Bears have a quality backup in Gardner Johnson.
The seven-year NFL veteran intercepted a pass from Jordan Love on the Packers’ first possession to set up the game’s first score. Prior to this, Love had only thrown three picks all season.
Since then, Gardner-Johnson’s performance has declined. He quickly threw the ball to Christian Watson in the third quarter, and Love quickly passed the ball from his hands to the receiver, who outran the Bears defender for a 41-yard score.
Gardner-Johnson did have a team-high 10 tackles, but missed a tackle on Packers running back Josh Jacobs in the fourth quarter and allowed an 18-yard pass to Jayden Reed to break up.
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Jackson had a tough game from a pass blocking standpoint.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Bears’ veteran back gave up two quarterback pressures and finished with a 49.3 pass-blocking grade, the worst on the team in the game. Chicago’s offense couldn’t establish any passing rhythm, especially in the first half, and Jackson was less than consistent against Green Bay.
Jackson also didn’t have his best game as a runner, with a 57.0 grade in that category according to PFF. It was Jackson’s third-lowest grade of the season, after scoring 71.4 and 73.3 in the first two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Jackson has the ability to play better, and he’ll have to prove it next Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and in Week 16 against the Packers at Soldier Field.
The Bears’ top cornerback has been improving since returning from a groin injury last week. He was still doing load management against the Packers, but he gave up some plays when he saw reps.
On Green Bay’s first possession, Watson beat Johnson on a 6-yard slant route, but Love ended up intercepting the play. However, with 38 seconds left before halftime, Love threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Beau Melton to give the Packers a 14-3 lead.
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The Bears started with two high safeties: Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker. However, Baird moved up and cleared an area. Fox Sports analyst and seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady provides expert analysis on the game.
“The Bears’ defense, in zone coverage, looks like it’s two deep,” Brady said, “but when Byrd goes down, Jaylen Johnson needs to take his spot in the back half. When he makes an impact on Jaden Reed, Melton is right behind him.”
Johnson totaled 35 defensive snaps and had two catches on two targets for 25 yards, according to PFF.
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