GREEN BAY, Wis. (670 The Score) — With the game and first place in the NFC North on the line at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson put the ball in quarterback Caleb Williams’ hands.
Trailing by a touchdown, the Bears faced fourth-and-1 at the rival Packers' 14-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. What followed was the game's defining play and one that could go a long way toward shaping the NFC playoff picture. Williams rolled out to his left, saw running back D’Andre Swift covered just past the first-down marker and then lofted a throw to the back of the end zone. Tight end Cole Kmet was waiting for it, but Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon came flying in for an interception that sealed Green Bay's 28-21 victory.
Had Williams run for the marker or thrown to Kmet earlier, the Bears probably would've had a first down or a touchdown. Instead, they experienced a gut-wrenching moment amid their breakthrough season. Chicago dropped to 9-4, while Green Bay took the NFC North lead at 9-3-1.
For a Bears team that so often has found a way to win, this wasn’t enough.
“We had to try to rally,” Williams said. “And it’s not always going to work in our favor.”
The Bears never led Sunday at Lambeau Field. They tied the game at 21-21 with eight minutes remaining as Williams threw a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Colston Loveland to cap a 17-play, 83-yard scoring drive. But as they always seem to do in this rivalry, the Packers answered back by authoring an eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive on their ensuing possession.
The much-anticipated matchup proved to be the entertaining tilt that everyone hoped it would be. For the upstart Bears, it was an intriguing litmus test against one of the NFL's best teams.
The game showed the Bears that they’re close but not good enough. Inside the visitors' locker room, there certainly weren’t any moral victories to take away.
“It’s frustration, just because we shot ourselves in the foot more than anything,” Williams said. “I think that’s where the frustration comes from.”
Bears head coach Ben Johnson indicated he would've gone for a two-point conversion if the Bears had scored a touchdown on their final drive, but that opportunity never came to fruition.
On the deciding play Sunday, Johnson had the Bears run the same concept they used on a game-sealing touchdown in a win against the Eagles on Nov. 28. On the play, Williams’ primary read is Swift in the flat and Kmet is an option downfield.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur called a timeout as the Bears lined up for the pivotal fourth-and-1 play. His defense seemed to know what was coming by that point. The Bears didn’t change the play call following LaFleur’s timeout, Williams said.
The Packers' coverage suggested they were ready for the Bears' play call, but Johnson was also counting on Williams to execute it better.
“We had a lot of options there,” Johnson said. “Don’t know who’s going to pop necessarily. Between the options we have and Caleb using his legs, hopeful we can find a way to get a yard there.”
When they met with the media postgame, neither Johnson nor Williams had watched the replay of the game-sealing interception. When they do, they'll see there was an opportunity to capitalize on the play.
Of course, the Bears didn’t lose the game because of their final play. The Packers held a 14-3 lead at halftime after outgaining the Bears, 207-71, in the first 30 minutes. Williams and the Bears offense came to life in the second half but only did so after trailing.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw for 234 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. His threw passing scores went for 23 yards, 45 yards and 41 yards as the Bears’ defense couldn’t contain the explosive plays.
“We had to dig ourselves out of a hole and we kept on fighting, but ultimately we didn’t finish the way that we should’ve,” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “That’s all we can take from it right now.”
As of Sunday evening, the Bears held No. 7 seed in the NFC in a playoff race with razor-thin margins. Chicago's loss Sunday dropped it from the No. 1 seed in the NFC down to the final wild-card berth.
The Bears and Packers will square off again on Dec. 20, with that one coming at Soldier Field. Before then, the Bears will welcome the Browns (3-10) to Soldier Field next Sunday, while the Packers will take on the Broncos (11-2) in Denver. There's still a long way to go to decide the winner of the NFC North and sort out the playoff seeding.
“Our guys do a good job of taking our lumps from this, we’ll learn from it, we'll make our corrections and we’ll move on,” Johnson said. “We’ll go right back to work. We have a process that we believe in. The work we put in throughout the week is so important to giving us a chance on game day. They know that, they believe that and that’s really what we’ll do when we come back in.
“We’ll be a playoff team once we earn enough wins to become a playoff team. So, right now, we’re a nine-win team. I don’t think nine wins is going to get you in this year. We got to do what we can to get enough wins to find a way to get into the tournament.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.