Bears Matchup Flashback: Lousy Loss at Lambeau on Sunday Night Football

This Sunday will feature the last Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers matchup of the 2022 season. These heated rivals will square off at Soldier Field for a Week 13 matinee showdown.

The Bears enter the game looking for their first win against an NFC North rival this season. They're currently 0-3 against the division, though the Packers aren't much better at 1-2.

Bears vs. Packers: Head-to-Head History

The Bears and Packers have squared off a grand total of 205 times. As of now, Green Bay holds a 104-95-6 advantage and has outscored Chicago 3,637 to 3,519 in those contests.

Not much has gone the Bears' way in this battle since 1992. Packers' quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have fiercely turned the tide in Green Bay's favor during that span.

The last 30 years against the Packers have been downright miserable for the Bears and their fans. Once upon a time, Chicago had an 80-57-6 lead head-to-head over Green Bay. Since that time, they've gone 15-47-0.

The Packers have made up a 23-game deficit and are now up nine on the Bears. That's a 32-game surplus in favor of Green Bay.

Here's how the scoring breaks down all-time.

• Bears: 17.17 PPG
• Packers: 17.74 PPG

Overall, the differential is negligible at a difference of 0.57 points per game. But it adds up over the course of 205 matchups.

Previous Matchup

These two teams last faced off 11 weeks ago. The Sept. 18, 2022 contest was a Week 2 primetime battle on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field.

The Bears (1-0) were coming off a miraculous 19-10 win in the Soldier Field monsoon against the San Francisco 49ers. Justin Fields led the way and helped Matt Eberflus pick up a win in his first game as Bears' head coach.

Meanwhile, the Packers (0-1), led by HC Matt LaFleur and QB Aaron Rodgers, were drubbed 23-7 by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. This provided a little extra juice for them.

First Quarter

The game started off hot! The Packers got the ball first and imposed their will against the Bears' defense. They went 57 yards on 13 plays and took nearly six and a half minutes off the clock. However, Rodgers and co. couldn't find the end zone and settled for a Mason Crosby 40-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

But the Bears answered right back. The offense methodically marched 71 yards on seven plays in just under four minutes. But unlike the Packers' first trip, the Bears' drive resulted in a touchdown. Justin Fields capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.

The scoring didn't stop there. Rodgers and the Packers had an answer of their own. They went 75 yards on nine plays with ease. Aaron Jones rushed it in from 15 yards out capping off the 4:43 drive. Green Bay recaptured the lead, 10-7.

Second Quarter

The second quarter didn't live up to the hype of the first quarter. It started off as a snooze fest.

• Bears: 3 plays, -2 yards, 2:05 (Punt)
• Packers: 3 plays, -11 yards, 0:59 (Punt)
• Bears: 3 plays, -2 yards, 1:39 (Punt)

After that lull, the Packers started to pull away a bit. They followed the Bears' punt with another long touchdown drive. It spanned nine plays and traveled 54 yards in 5:35, culminating with Aaron Jones hauling in an eight-yard pass from Rodgers. As a result, Green Bay's grew to 17-7.

Once again, the Bears did nothing with an opportunity to get back into the game. They went three-and-out after collecting four yards in 1:26 and punted the ball back to the Packers.

Like clockwork, the Packers made the Bears regret it. They stormed 67 yards on seven plays in 2:38. Their drive was capped off by Allen Lazard snagging a five-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to make it a 24-7 game.

The Bears ran one play – a short pass to Khalil Herbert – before the first-half clock hit zero. The Packers held a 24-7 lead at the break.

Third Quarter

Coming out of halftime, the Bears tried to make things interesting but could not, at least right away. They went three-and-out after picking up seven yards in two minutes.

After the Bears' punt, the Packers had a chance to put the game away. But on the sixth play of the drive, Aaron Jones fumbled the ball in Bears' territory. Defensive lineman Mike Pennel came away with the recovery to keep Chicago hanging around.

The turnover gave the Bears some life. They marched 47 yards down the field on seven plays to set up a Cairo Santos 44-yard field goal. At this point, the Packers' lead was down to 24-10.

Following the Bears' score, Green Bay's offense was back on the field. Although they didn't score, they did manage to drain the clock. Their seven-play, 16-yard drive resulted in a punt, but not before consuming 5:18 of game time.

Fourth Quarter

The Bears had a golden opportunity to open the final frame. With a chance to make it a one-score game again, they nearly did so. Justin Fields and co. stormed 89 yards on 13 plays in nearly seven minutes. However, on fourth-and-goal from the Packers' one-yard line, they couldn't punch it in. Fields took it himself on a QB keeper and came up just short. Initially, the camera showed that the ball may have broken the plane. However, even after review, the officials ruled him short of the goal line in an unfortunate break for Chicago.

Subsequently, the Packers went on their own 89-yard drive. The 10-play push took consumed just over five and half minutes of game time. As a result, they got the score they need to seal the game. Mason Crosby connected on a 28-yard field goal to put Green Bay up 27-10.

Then, it was desperation time for the Bears. On the ensuing drive, Fields tried to make magic happen but instead threw an awful interception intended for former Packers' wideout Equanimeous St. Brown.

As a result, Green Bay took over and ran four plays for 10 yards and took the remaining 2:09 left off the clock. That was all she wrote.

The Bears suffered another loss at the hands of the Packers, this time by the score of 27-10.

Overall

It was another ugly performance by the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers. The Monsters of the Midway just haven't been able to put it all together this season. Of course, the game seemed closer than the score would indicate.

Regardless, Matt Eberflus got his first taste of the Chicago-Green Bay rivalry.

The Bears' offense racked up just 228 yards. Justin Fields only attempted 11 passes and completed seven of them for 70 yards. He had zero touchdowns and one interception. The second-year QB didn't accomplish much on the ground, only rushing eight times for 20 yards. Overall, he logged a QB Rating of 43.8.

In the running game, it was the David Montgomery show. He carried the ball 15 times for 122 yards, good for an average of 8.1 yards per carry. 

The leading receiver for Chicago was Equanimeous St. Brown, who hauled in two catches for 39 yards. It was a pathetic showing overall for the Bears' passing game.

Defensively, Chicago could not contain Aaron Rodgers or the Packers' running game. Rodgers went 19/25 for 234 yards (9.4 Yds/Att), two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a QB Rating of 131.1. Although, the Bears did sack him three times for a loss of 23 yards.

Green Bay's running backs had a field day.

• Aaron Jones: 15 rushes, 132 yards (8.8 avg), 1 TD
• AJ Dillon: 18 rushes, 60 yards (3.4 avg)

Additionally, the Packers' leading wide receiver was Sammy Watkins of all people. He caught three of four targets for 93 yards (31.0 avg). However, it was Aaron Jones and Allen Lazard doing the damage as they each had a touchdown reception. 

Aftermath

The loss dropped the Bears to .500 at 1-1. Since that point, they've collected two wins and eight losses since. They currently sit at 3-9.

However, despite the losses, the development of Justin Fields has been a pleasant surprise. The Bears might finally have a star franchise QB.

Meanwhile, the Packers' Week 2 win got them back to .500 at 1-1. They went on to win two more in a row and were sitting at 3-1. However, things went haywire and they lost five in a row and dropped to 3-6. After collecting a win over the Dallas Cowboys, they followed it up with losses to the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. They now sit at 4-8 and are fighting to remain in the playoff picture.

The Packers' offense has not performed up to the standard of seasons past. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay?