In 1921, the rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears started, and fiercely continues to this day. The Packers have a slight edge, with 108 wins, compared to the Bears’ 95. Between these two NFC North teams, the Packers have been a dominant force, securing each victory in the past 10 straight games. 

At the start of the season, hopes were high for Bears fans to break the Packers winning run. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as the Packers made their dominance clear, claiming their 11th win in a row this past Sunday. 

The Bear’s beginning-of-season promise was going uphill until recently, when their momentum started to fade. The firing of Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron the week before the rivalry game left the Bears offense, and Caleb Williams, with some quick adjusting to do. 

Despite the challenging encounters for the underdog Bears, as the game progressed, there was never a moment of surrendering from either team. However, not only did the Packers pull through with a win, they soul-crushed many Bears fans. 

After the Packers regained a 20-19 lead with 2 minutes left on the clock, rookie Williams showed his resilience by scrambling his way out of back-to-back sacks, getting the Bears back in position to win. As Williams escaped the third sack attempt, he was able to complete a pass to Rome Odunze, making a 21-yard reception, which put the team in field goal range. 

Offensively for the Bears, Williams finished the game with an impressive 23-of-31 for 231 yards, supported by Odunze’s 6 catches for 65 yards, DJ Moore’s 7 for 62, and D’Andre Swift’s 14 carries for 71 yards. Defensively speaking, Terrell Smith stood out with an interception, while Kevin Byard III and Tremaine Edmunds combined for 15 tackles. 

This thrilling game came down to the last three seconds, with the Bears going for three. Making a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter, Bears kicker Cairo Santos kept the Bears in the game by giving the team their first points on the board. Alas, Santos’ game-winning 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Packer Karl Brooks. 

Chicago Bears Packers

Chicago Bears HC Matt Eberflus Should Be To Blame

While many tend to jump to conclusions, and blame Santos, this was ultimately a collective error. As an offensive line, the overall goal is to prevent the defense from being able to break through. In this situation, the Bears line allowed a gap that gave Brooks the opportunity to disrupt the play. 

Another fault in question, was Matt Eberflus’ decision to run the clock down, rather than trust his offense and run one more play. Obviously, it’s easier said than done from a bystander’s perspective, although as a coach, trusting your players is a major aspect that needs to be taken into account when it comes to decision-making. With 35 seconds left, and only one timeout left for the Bears, Eberflus could have quickly run two plays, used their last timeout, and then went for the field goal attempt. This could have allowed Santos to have a closer kick with more time. 

With Eberflus’ job up in the air, this last-minute game-breaking choice could possibly be used as a deciding factor. With that being said, both of these issues within the O-line and play calling by Eberflus could have been a result of the last-minute firing of Waldron, leading The Bears to be in an unsure predicament. 

In the end, this nail-baiting game kept fans out of their seats, as the chance for victory was open to either side until the clock ran out. Bears fans are left wondering what could have been, but will keep striving to prevent the Packers from another rivalry win. 

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