Honestly, if you turned off the TV at halftime, nobody would have blamed you. The Green Bay Packers looked like they were essentially jogging to a blowout win at Soldier Field. It was 21-3. Jordan Love was slicing through the secondary like it was a warm-up drill, throwing three touchdowns on the first three drives. It felt over. But if the 2025-26 NFL season taught us anything, it’s that the "Cardiac Bears" don't actually care about your win probability charts.
Watching the Green Bay Packers vs Bears live during that Wild Card weekend was like watching two different movies spliced together. The first half was a Green Bay masterclass; the second was a psychological horror film for anyone wearing cheese on their head. Chicago pulled off a 31-27 comeback that didn't just break Green Bay hearts—it rewrote the record books for the oldest rivalry in football.
The Meltdown No One Saw Coming
You’ve got to look at the sheer math of the collapse to believe it. Green Bay didn't just lose; they evaporated. After the break, the Packers' offense went on a run of four possessions where they managed exactly one first down. One.
Matt LaFleur mentioned after the game that the Bears started bringing heat off the edges that the Packers simply weren't picking up. It wasn't just a schematic tweak; it was a vibe shift. Caleb Williams, who looked completely lost for three quarters, suddenly decided he was the best player on the planet.
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The final frame was where the wheels totally came off. Chicago hung 25 points on the Packers in the fourth quarter alone. That’s the second-most in a final period in Bears history. Think about that. In over 100 years of football, they picked the biggest game against their biggest rival to have their best quarter.
Key Moments That Flipped the Script
- The Matthew Golden Screen: For a second, it looked like the rookie might save the day. Golden took a screen 23 yards for a score to put Green Bay up 27-16 with about six minutes left. But Brandon McManus missed the extra point. That single point ended up haunting the Packers because it kept the lead at 11 instead of a much more comfortable 12.
- Caleb to Odunze on 4th-and-8: This was the play. If the Packers get a stop here at the Chicago 43, the game is basically done. Instead, Williams scrambled left, squared his shoulders—which is incredibly hard to do while running full tilt—and threaded a needle to Rome Odunze for 27 yards.
- The McManus Miss: With 2:51 left, the Packers had a chance to go up by six. McManus, who had already struggled throughout the night, pushed a 44-yarder wide. You could feel the air leave the Green Bay sideline.
Why the Bears Are Different This Year
The 2025 Chicago Bears aren't your grandfather’s "three yards and a cloud of dust" team. They are built on high-variance, explosive plays and a terrifying level of confidence in late-game situations. This was their seventh win of the season in a game where they trailed in the final two minutes.
It’s almost like they play better when they're desperate. Caleb Williams finished with 361 yards, a Bears playoff record. But the real story was the defense. They forced three three-and-outs in a row to start the second half. That gave the offense the "live" energy they needed to keep chipping away at the 18-point deficit.
For Green Bay, this loss is going to sting all through the spring. Jordan Love finished with a 103.8 passer rating, which is normally enough to win any road playoff game. But the lack of a run game in the second half—Josh Jacobs had only six yards after halftime—meant the Packers couldn't milk the clock. They left too much time, and in 2026, you cannot give Caleb Williams two minutes and a dream.
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How to Handle This Rivalry Moving Forward
If you're looking for actionable takeaways from this Green Bay Packers vs Bears live saga, focus on the personnel shifts. The Bears are heading into the Divisional Round with some serious momentum, but they're beat up.
- Watch the O-Line: Chicago lost starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo to a patellar tendon injury during the comeback. If they want to survive against the Rams or Eagles, they have to protect Caleb's blind side better than they did in the first half against Rashan Gary.
- The Kicking Situation: If you're a Packers fan or a bettor, the kicking game is officially a "red alert" issue. Brandon McManus leaving seven points on the board in a four-point loss is the kind of stat that leads to roster changes in the offseason.
- The "Live" Factor: The next time these two meet, ignore the halftime score. The 18-point comeback proved that the talent gap has closed. The Bears no longer fear the Packers, and that changes the entire gambling and viewing landscape for this rivalry.
The rivalry is now tied 1-1 in the postseason, and with both Caleb Williams and Jordan Love locked into long-term roles, we are likely entering the most competitive era of this matchup since the early 90s. The Bears have officially arrived, and they did it by walking right over the Packers' playoff hopes.
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Keep an eye on the injury reports for the Divisional Round. Specifically, check the status of Rome Odunze's foot. He was a full participant in practice recently, but after that heavy workload against Green Bay, his explosiveness will be the key to whether Chicago can keep this "cardiac" run going.