GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love passed for three touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers intercepted Caleb Williams in the end zone in the final minute to preserve a 28-21 victory over the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday to take over the top spot in the NFC North.
Josh Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run to put Green Bay in front 28-21 with 3:32 remaining. Jacobs set up the score when he appeared to be corralled behind the line on third-and-2, but broke through for 21 yards to the Bears’ 7-yard line.
Williams responded with completions of 27 and 24 yards to move the ball to the Packers’ 23. Three running plays netted nine yards. Keisean Nixon then picked off Williams’ fourth-down pass in the end zone with 22 seconds left.
Green Bay (9-3-1) improved to 4-0 in the division. Chicago (9-4) had won five straight and nine of its last 10 to seize the No. 1 spot in the NFC playoff race, but it dropped to No. 7 with the loss. The Bears are 1-3 in the division going into the teams’ rematch on Dec. 20 in Chicago.
Chicago, which trailed 14-3 at the half, pulled even at 21 when Williams hit tight end Colston Loveland with a 1-yard touchdown pass with eight minutes remaining.
Love completed 17 of 25 passes for 234 yards with one interception. Jacobs rushed 86 yards on 20 carries.
Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 186 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns with the one costly interception. Chicago was without leading receiver Rome Odunze (44 catches, 661 yards, six touchdowns), who was out with a foot injury.
The Bears pulled within 14-11 with a 64-yard scoring drive on their first possession of the third quarter. Olamide Zaccheaus made a diving grab on the right side of the end zone on Williams’ 1-yard pass. Kyle Monangai added the two-point conversion run.
Green Bay answered on the ensuing possession when Love hit Christian Watson on a short slant that he turned into a 41-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 21-11.
Cairo Santos brought the Bears within 21-14 with a 41-yard field goal.
Love put the Packers up 14-3 shortly before halftime as he found Bo Melton wide open deep down the middle for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left. It was just the third catch of the season for Melton, whose only other receiving touchdown was in 2023.
Chicago had pulled within 7-3 on the previous series when Santos capped a 59-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal.
Love put the Packers up 7-0 midway through the second quarter, hitting Watson with a 23-yard touchdown pass to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
The Bears, who lead the league in takeaways, intercepted Love on the Packers’ first series to set themselves up at Green Bay’s 36, but they went three-and-out.
–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
