What Was the Score of Green Bay Packers: The Wild Card Heartbreak Explained

What Was the Score of Green Bay Packers: The Wild Card Heartbreak Explained

Honestly, if you turned off the TV at halftime during the NFC Wild Card game on January 10, 2026, nobody would blame you. It looked like a total blowout. But if you’re asking what was the score of green bay packers in their final outing of the season, the answer is a stinging 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears.

It wasn't just a loss. It was a collapse.

The Packers walked into Soldier Field and absolutely dismantled the Bears for two quarters. They headed into the locker room with a massive 21-3 lead. Jordan Love looked like a surgeon, Romeo Doubs was catching everything, and the defense had Caleb Williams seeing ghosts. Then, the fourth quarter happened. Chicago exploded for 25 points in the final frame, capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Williams to DJ Moore with less than two minutes left.

Breaking Down the 31-27 Final Score

When fans search for what was the score of green bay packers, they usually want the "how" along with the "what." This game was a tale of two halves that felt like two different seasons.

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The first half was pure Green Bay dominance. Christian Watson caught a 7-yard TD in the first. Jayden Reed followed up with an 18-yard score in the second. When Romeo Doubs caught a 1-yard pass to make it 21-3, it felt like the Packers were already booking flights for the Divisional Round.

But things started to unravel in the third quarter. The offense went stagnant. The run game, led by Josh Jacobs, found zero room to breathe. Meanwhile, Chicago’s defense woke up and started forcing 3-and-outs. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the momentum hadn't just shifted; it had completely jumped sidelines.

Key Scoring Plays at Soldier Field

  • Q1: Christian Watson 7-yard TD pass from Jordan Love (7-3 GB)
  • Q2: Jayden Reed 18-yard TD pass (14-3 GB)
  • Q2: Romeo Doubs 1-yard TD pass (21-3 GB)
  • Q4: D'Andre Swift 5-yard TD run (21-16 GB)
  • Q4: Matthew Golden 23-yard TD pass—Missed PAT (27-16 GB)
  • Q4: DJ Moore 25-yard TD pass from Caleb Williams (31-27 CHI)

Why the Scoreboard Didn't Tell the Whole Story

You’ve gotta look at the special teams and the missed opportunities to really get why the score ended up the way it did. Brandon McManus, who had been solid for most of the year, had a nightmare evening. He missed an extra point after Matthew Golden's touchdown and later missed a crucial 44-yard field goal that would have put the Packers up by six late in the game.

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Those four points—the missed PAT and the missed FG—are exactly the difference between a 31-31 tie and the 31-27 loss we saw.

Then there’s the Micah Parsons factor. The Packers made a blockbuster trade for Parsons in August 2025, sending a haul to Dallas. He was supposed to be the missing piece. Unfortunately, a torn ACL in Week 15 against Denver meant he was watching from the sidelines. Without that elite edge pressure, Caleb Williams was able to sit in the pocket during the fourth quarter and pick the secondary apart.

Historical Context of the 2025-2026 Season

The Packers finished the regular season with a weird 9-7-1 record. That tie came early in the year against Dallas, a 40-40 shootout that foreshadowed some of the defensive struggles they'd face later.

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Ending the season with five straight losses—including the playoff exit—is going to make for a very long offseason in Green Bay. They started the year 5-1-1 and looked like Super Bowl contenders. By January, they looked tired. Jordan Love finished the playoff game with 323 yards and four touchdowns, which usually wins you a game, but three interceptions throughout the season's final stretch proved costly.

What Happens Next for Green Bay?

The dust hasn't even settled at Lambeau, but the questions are already piling up. Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have some massive decisions to make regarding the roster depth. The "young" receiving corps isn't so young anymore, and the defense clearly needs to find a way to finish games when the pressure is highest.

If you're tracking the team's trajectory, keep an eye on the 2026 NFL Draft. Since they traded away their 2026 first-round pick in the Parsons deal, they'll have to be surgical in the later rounds or aggressive in free agency to fix the secondary.

The immediate next step for the front office is the "exit interview" phase. They need to figure out why the conditioning or the mental toughness failed in the second half of the season. For fans, the focus shifts to the scouting combine in February to see how they can bolster the offensive line, which struggled to protect Love during that disastrous third quarter in Chicago.