The 209th all-time meeting between the bitter NFC North rivals did not disappoint on Sunday.
Although the Chicago Bears appeared to be in position to snap their 10-game losing streak to the Green Bay Packers, the Packers blocked a 46-yard field goal attempt from Cairo Santos at the end of regulation to secure their 11th consecutive win over their rivals.
PACKERS BLOCK THE FIELD GOAL FOR THE WIN.#GBvsCHI pic.twitter.com/gq8zbz965C
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
Despite losing their fourth game in a row after a 4-2 start, the Bears scored their first touchdown after going 25 straight drives without finding the end zone, courtesy of Roschon Johnson's one-yard rush before halftime.
THE BEARS FIND THE END ZONE.
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
: #GBvsCHI on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/KujNSDfIF3
The Bears scored a second touchdown in the third quarter on D'Andre Swift's 39-yard run. Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 23 of his 31 pass attempts for 231 yards and rushed for a career-high 70 yards.
Sunday was a much-needed improvement for the top overall draft pick after three consecutive games that saw his completion percentage fall below 60 percent. Williams also failed to produce 200 passing yards in two of those three games and was sacked 18 times during the stretch. While he has failed to throw a TD pass since Oct. 13, Williams looked more comfortable operating the offense.
Coming off their bye week, Sunday was a struggle at times for the Packers. Despite the inconsistency, quarterback Jordan Love was 13-of-17 for 261 yards with one TD and one interception.
Running back Josh Jacobs was efficient with 18 carries for 76 yards and a TD, as well as four receptions for 58 yards. Jacobs' rush TD was his 50th career touchdown on the ground.
Josh Jacobs’ 50th career rushing touchdown!#GBvsCHI pic.twitter.com/vxsYWWwI6r
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 17, 2024
Something to keep an eye on for Green Bay is the health of cornerback Jaire Alexander. Alexander, who has been dealing with a knee issue, did not play in the second half of Sunday's game.
While the Packers escaped with the win, their schedule only gets more difficult down the stretch. The Packers host the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 24 and still have division road games against the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings remaining. Considering Sunday was their first division win, those two road games have extra importance later in the season.
After showing some improvements with their new offensive coordinator, the Bears will look to build off Sunday as they stay home to host the Vikings in another division showdown.
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