The Green Bay Packers defeated their NFC North rivals 28-21 on Sunday at Lambeau Field to take first place in the division.
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Caleb Williams and the Bears offense finished the first half with just 32 passing yards and three points. They started to find their rhythm in the second half, but it was too big a deficit to overcome.
The Bears tied the score 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 and advanced to the Green Bay 14-yard line, but Williams’ pass on fourth-and-1 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 must respond quickly, especially since the Packers (9-3-1) are scheduled to visit Soldier Field in two weeks for a rematch that could determine the NFC North champion.
Here are the five Bears players who rose and fell in their stock in the Week 14 matchup.
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The Bears rookie running back was destined to play in the Black and Blue Division.
Monangai’s 3-yard run in the second quarter perfectly sums up his physical style, as he made contact with Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who lost a piece of his helmet from the hit.
The Bears ended the series with a field goal that cut the Packers’ lead to 7-3.
Later in the third quarter, after the Bears’ first drive of the second half resulted in a touchdown pass from Williams to Olamide Zaccheaus, head coach Ben Johnson decided to attempt a two-point conversion. Johnson called for a run for Monangai, and was initially stopped short of the goal line. He kept his legs moving, however, and Bears offensive linemen Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney helped push the rookie into the end zone for a conversion.
Monangai finished with 57 yards on 14 carries, and backfield partner D’Andre Swift added 63 yards on another 13 rushing attempts.
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The Bears’ first-round draft pick continues to have great success.
This time, Loveland made a 1-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 21.
With Rome Odunze ruled out with an injury, the Bears needed a collective effort to replace the production of their star receiver. Loveland did his part, with four receptions on five targets for 29 yards and the touchdown.
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound tight end made a 10-yard reception on third-and-5 to keep the Bears’ offense on the field on their third-quarter touchdown drive. Zacceaus scored five plays later.
Loveland now has four touchdown receptions this season, which is second on the team behind Odunze, who has six.
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Kyler Gordon injured his groin during pregame warmups and was ruled out. Normally, losing a starting nickel cornerback so close to the start would be detrimental to a defense, but the Bears have a quality backup in Gardner-Johnson.
The seven-year NFL veteran created the first play of the game when he intercepted a pass from Jordan Love on the Packers’ first possession. Love had thrown just three picks all season before that.
After that, Gardner-Johnson’s play declined. He gave up a third-quarter touchdown to Christian Watson on a quick slant, as Love quickly knocked the ball out of the hands of his receiver, who beat the Bears defender for a 41-yard score.
Gardner-Johnson, who finished with a team-high 10 tackles, missed a fourth-quarter tackle on Packers running back Josh Jacobs and allowed an 18-yard pass to Jayden Reed.
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Jackson had a tough game from a pass blocking perspective.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Bears’ veteran guard gave up two quarterback pressures and finished with a 49.3 pass blocking grade, the worst on the team in this game. Chicago’s offense couldn’t establish any rhythm in the passing game, especially in the first half, and Jackson played a role in that unit not being as consistent against Green Bay.
Jackson also didn’t have his best game as a run blocker, finishing with a grade of 57.0 in that category, according to PFF. That’s Jackson’s third-lowest mark this season, and in the previous two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, he had grades of 71.4 and 73.3, respectively.
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Jackson is capable of playing better and will have to prove it against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday and in the Week 16 rematch against the Packers at Soldier Field.
The Bears’ No. 1 cornerback has been improving since returning from a groin injury last week. He was still handling the load against the Packers, but when he saw reps, he gave up some plays.
Watson beat Johnson on a slant route for 6 yards on Green Bay’s first possession, but Love ended up throwing an interception to end that drive. However, 38 seconds before halftime, Love threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Bo Melton to give the Packers a 14-3 lead.
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The Bears initially had two top safeties in Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker. However, Byard advanced, leaving an area open. Fox Sports analyst and seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady provided his expert analysis on the play.
“Zone coverage by the Bears defense, and it looks like they’re two deep,” Brady said, “but when Byard goes down, Jaylon Johnson needs to take his place in the back half of the field. When he gets in on Jayden Reed, then Melton gets behind him.”
Johnson played 35 total defensive snaps and allowed two receptions on two targets for 25 yards, according to PFF.
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