The coaches and quarterbacks change, and the route even varies sometimes, but the Bears just keep losing to the Packers. This time it was a 20-19 defeat Sunday in which Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal to win it was blocked by Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks.
Here’s a look at the key points of the loss, which was the Bears’ 11th in a row to their archrival:
Disastrous final sequence
With a 19-14 lead and first down at their own 44-yard line with six minutes left, the Bears had an 82.2% chance to win according to ESPN Analytics. Then the offense dried up. Then Jaylon Johnson tripped and gave up a 60-yard pass from Jordan Love to Christian Watson. Then Brooks deflected Santos’ kick. “It’s almost comical,” Johnson said.
Williams vs. Love
Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams played well in his first Packers game: 23-of-31 passing, 231 yards, 95.0 passer rating, nine rushes for 70 yards. But Jordan Love played better and made big plays in big moments while completing 13 of 17 passes for 261 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 113.0 rating.
New-look offense
Thomas Brown was an instant upgrade over Shane Waldron in his first game as Bears offensive coordinator. Everything ran more smoothly, players seemed energized and, most importantly, Williams looked sharper. The Bears are banking on Brown maintaining that progress even with an extremely tough schedule remaining.