A nail-biting loss to Green Bay ignites a late-season shuffle, pushing Chicago from first place and setting the stage for crucial upcoming matchups.
The build up to the game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers finally ended on Sunday.
The NFC North division race was tight at the top before kickoff, with the Bears leading at 9-3, followed by the Packers at 8-3-1.
Caleb Williams and the offense got off to a slow start, as the quarterback didn't have any completions on his first drive of the game.
The Packers put together a solid drive on their first offensive possession. Green Bay had a 13-play drive that was eventually stopped by an interception thrown to C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
It was Gardner-Johnson's first interception of his stint with the Bears. He had 23 total tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble heading into the game.
After both offenses stalled, the score was tied at 0-0 at the end of the first quarter. Green Bay found the end zone in the second quarter, as Jordan Love threaded a 23-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson to give the Packers a 7-0 lead.
The focus for the Bears' offense was on running the football, as Williams went 4-for-11 for 11 passing yards in the first half. Chicago got on the board thanks to a field goal from Cairo Santos that capped off a 14-play drive just before halftime to make it 7-3.
The Bears left a little too much time on the clock for the Packers' offense after the field goal. With 1:14 left in the half, Love threw another touchdown pass to Bo Melton to give Green Bay a 14-3 lead at halftime.
Chicago needed a significant response in the second half, and that's just what it got on its opening drive of the second half. The Bears' defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense went to work.
Williams drove the offense down the field in 10 plays before finding Olamide Zaccheaus for a touchdown, who made an incredible catch in the end zone. The Bears opted to go for two, as Kyle Monangai was pushed into the end zone to make it 14-11.
The Packers answered quickly, with another touchdown to Watson. This time, he was matched up with Gardner-Johnson and took advantage for a 41-yard score.
Chicago had another promising drive but was forced to settle for a field goal. Santos delivered, as it was a one-score game at 21-14.
Down 21-14, Chicago's hopes of keeping the top spot in the division came down to the fourth quarter. The Bears had a long, 17-play drive that ended with a play-action pass to Colston Loveland to even things at 21.
The Packers answered once again, this time with a Josh Jacobs touchdown run. Chicago got in position to tie the game down 28-21, but Williams threw an interception to Keisean Nixon.
That was all she wrote. Chicago is now second in the NFC North and in the playoff picture. With the Los Angeles Rams beating the Arizona Cardinals 45-17, they are now the No. 1 seed in the conference again.
Chicago returns home in Week 15 after the brutal loss, facing the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 14.
Kickoff is at noon CT on Fox.