Sunday Six-Pack: Packers Survive on Karl Brooks' Blocked Field Goal
If the Green Bay Packers truly own the Chicago Bears, then the rent was due on Sunday afternoon.
The Packers overcame a 19-14 fourth quarter deficit to take a 20-19 lead with just over two minutes to play.
Caleb Williams was able to put the Bears in position to kick a game winning field goal.
Karl Brooks had other ideas, as he blocked Cairo Santos' 46-yard kick as time expired to help the Packers survive.
Jordan Love dives for the goal line
David Banks- USA Today
Game Ball: Karl Brooks
Sometimes it only takes one play.
Losing to Chicago, a team in turmoil that you've won 10 straight against would have been Green Bay's worst loss of the season.
Falling to 6-4 before a three-game stretch that includes San Francisco, Miami, and Detroit would have been a disastrous result.
It looked like a reality when Cairo Santos lined up to kick a 46-yard field goal on the last play of the game.
Brooks had other ideas, saving the Packers from embarrassment, blocking the kick as time expired.
Lame Ball: Quay Walker
Quay Walker has struggled immensely this season.
That trend continued today.
On Chicago’s first touchdown drive in nearly a month, Walker nearly threw Roschon Johnson into the end zone, but he was ruled just short of the goal line.
For good measure, Walker met Johnson in the hole on the next play, but failed to make the tackle short of the goal line, as Johnson powered into the end zone to give the Bears a 10-7 lead at halftime.
Walker would get beaten later in the game by Caleb Williams on a 4th down as well.
Walker looked like he had Williams dead to rights, but stopped in his tracks.
That gave Williams enough time to find Roschon Johnson for a first down.
Walker might be the team’s primary communicator on defense, which keeps him on the field, but his performance certainly warrants closer inspection into his role.
Play of the Game: Karl Brooks Blocked Field Goal
It's rare in an NFL game that there is a play that is do-or-die, but this play certainly was.
If Brooks did not block Santos' field goal as time expired, the Packers would have fallen to 6-4 on the season, with all four losses coming in the NFC.
That's a tough spot to be in with a team that looks unlikely to challenge the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title.
This could be a play you look at later in the year and determine that it helped save the Packers' season.
That's not an exaggeration, even if it sounds like one.
Pivot Point: Jordan Love's Red Zone INT
Yes, the game came down to one play at the end of the game.
Yes, Jordan Love helped engineer a game-winning drive largely on the back of Christian Watson's 60-yard reception.
The reality is, this game could have been over long before Santos' last gasp was blocked.
With the Packers leading 7-3, they were deep in Chicago territory looking to take a commanding lead.
On 3rd-and-11, Jordan Love looked at Tucker Kraft, who could have had an opportunity to make a play to get a first down, if not score a touchdown.
Instead, Love airmailed a pass to Kraft into the waiting arms of Terrell Smith.
Chicago would score the next 10 points from there and looked to gain some confidence after creating a red zone turnover.
Love's interception was his league-leading 11th of the season, and this mistake was a 14-point play, as Chicago scored on the ensuing drive.
Not a Rivalry
The Bears and Packers are always touted as the oldest rivalry in the NFL.
That's not the case any longer.
The Packers have won 11 straight games against their neighbors to the south.
They've won 14 of the last 15 at Soldier Field.
They have not lost at Lambeau Field to the Bears in nearly 10 years.
It's not a rivalry, if the other team does not win.
Chicago has not won, and therefore, until further notice, Ravens and Steelers is the best rivalry in the NFL.
Up Next
The Packers are certainly not going into next week playing their best football. Surviving against Chicago is not going to provide inspiration that the team can beat the perennial thorn in their side.
The San Francisco 49ers invade Lambeau Field next week at 3:25 central time.
The Packers are 7-3, but fighting for their playoff lives. They have not beaten teams in close proximity to them in the playoff race. This is a big game for them.
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