The air in Chicago was frigid, but the tension at Soldier Field on Saturday night was hot enough to melt the lakefront ice. If you are looking for what's the score for Green Bay Packers, the final number is one that will haunt Wisconsin for the entire 2026 offseason: Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27.
It wasn't just a loss. It was a collapse.
Honestly, it’s the kind of game that makes you wonder how a team can look like Super Bowl contenders for thirty minutes and then completely forget how to play football for the next thirty. At halftime, the Packers were cruising with a 21-3 lead. Jordan Love was dissecting the Bears' secondary like a surgeon, and the defense had stuffed Chicago on three separate fourth-down attempts. Fans were already checking flights for the Divisional Round.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
The Meltdown at Soldier Field
Green Bay conceded 25 points in the final frame alone. Think about that for a second. You don't see that in the NFL, especially not in a Wild Card game against your oldest rival. Caleb Williams, the Bears' young star, basically took over the game, finishing with 361 yards.
The turning point was a mixture of bad luck and worse execution. Brandon McManus, the veteran kicker brought in to stabilize the special teams, missed a 44-yard field goal that would have stemmed the tide. Instead, the miss gave Chicago life. Shortly after, Caleb Williams found DJ Moore for a 25-yard touchdown with just 1:43 left on the clock.
Green Bay had one last chance. Love moved the ball down to the Chicago 25-yard line. He even converted a gutsy fourth down to rookie Matthew Golden. But with the clock bleeding out and no timeouts, Love was forced to fire into the end zone. The ball hit the turf, the whistle blew, and the Packers' season ended on a five-game losing streak.
Why the 31-27 Score Matters for the Future
This result leaves the Packers in a weird spot. They finished the regular season 9-7-1, scraping into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. While making the postseason is always the goal, the way they exited has many calling for a total overhaul.
- Matt LaFleur’s Job Security: For the third straight year, Green Bay exited early. When asked about his future after the game, LaFleur simply said, "Now is not the time." That’s not exactly a vote of confidence.
- The Defense: They played lights out for two quarters and then vanished. Allowing 25 points in one quarter is a statistical anomaly that points to a systemic failure in coaching adjustments.
- The Offense: Jordan Love finished with 323 yards and four touchdowns, which looks great on paper. But he also had two intentional grounding penalties in the second half under heavy pressure from Montez Sweat.
Final Results from the 2025-2026 Season
If you missed the stretch leading up to this, the Packers' late-season slide was pretty ugly. They lost to the Vikings 16-3 in Week 18, which forced them into this difficult road matchup in Chicago. Earlier in December, they also dropped games to the Ravens and Broncos.
Basically, the "Green Bay Packers score" hasn't been in the win column since they beat the Lions on Thanksgiving. That feels like a lifetime ago for a fanbase used to late-season surges.
What Happens Now?
The Packers are officially eliminated from the 2026 NFL Playoffs. While the Bears move on to host the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams, the Packers are heading back to Lambeau to clean out their lockers.
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Next steps for the team involve a massive evaluation of the coaching staff and the kicking situation. With the 2026 opponents already set—including matchups against the NFC South and AFC East—the front office has to decide if this roster is actually one piece away or if the 31-27 collapse was a sign that the current window has slammed shut.
Keep an eye on the injury reports for Josh Jacobs and the secondary during the exit interviews, as several players were visibly limping during that final drive in Chicago. The road back to the postseason starts with fixing a defense that can't hold an 18-point lead.