CHICAGO >> Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers made just enough plays to squeeze out yet another win over the Chicago Bears.
This time, it took a late touchdown and a blocked field goal.
Love ran for a go-ahead score in the closing minutes, and Green Bay hung on to beat Chicago 20-19 on Sunday when Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos’ kick from 46 yards as time expired.
Christian Watson set a career high with 150 yards on just four catches, including a 60-yarder that set up Love’s touchdown run, and the Packers (7-3) avoided falling further behind Detroit and Minnesota in the NFC North. They also beat the last-place Bears (4-6) for the 11th straight time, the longest streak by either team in the storied rivalry.
“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter game, four-quarter battle,” Love said. “And I’m proud of the guys. Nobody batted an eye, nobody flinched. It wasn’t by any means our perfect game or our best game.”
Love put Green Bay on top 20-19 when he scored from the 1 with 2:59 left. That touchdown was set up by the long completion to Watson, who got up after making a lunging catch and ran all the way to the 14. Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson tripped when he got his feet tangled up with Watson trying to defend the pass.
Love got stopped just short of the end zone on a 13-yard run before scoring on the next play. The 2-point conversion failed.
“Phenomenal play, phenomenal catch by Christian, and then just obviously the awareness to get up not being touched and to go put together a huge run. I think Christian made some big-time plays in the game, had a couple big-time catches and I’m proud of the way he balled out,” Love said.
Green Bay sacked Caleb Williams on the first two plays of the next possession. But facing third-and-19, Williams regrouped. The No. 1 draft pick hit fellow rookie Rome Odunze with passes on back-to-back plays to put the ball in Packers territory.
The Bears drove all the way to the 28, only to end a chaotic week with their fourth straight loss when Brooks got through the center of the line and reached up with his left hand to block Santos’ kick.
“I kinda knew, like, I’m gonna block this,” Brooks said. “I said that to myself. I heard the call. I saw Lukas (Van Ness) was next to me and I told him, ‘Hey, just do this, this for me.’ He did it and I got a hand on it.”
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday and replaced him with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, hoping to spark a unit that ranks among the worst in the NFL.
Williams threw for 231 yards and ran for 70 after regressing in the previous three games, but Chicago lost to the Packers for the 26th time in 29 games.
Chicago’s D’Andre Swift had 14 carries for 71 yards. His 39-yard score near the end of the third quarter gave the Bears a 19-14 lead.