Jordan Love hasn’t played since Week 16 when he went 8-of-13 for only 77 yards in an overtime loss to the Bears. Chicago is seeing a different Jordan Love tonight.
Love is 10-of-16 for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and the Packers dominated the first half.
Green Bay leads Chicago 21-3 at halftime.
The Bears trailed the Packers 16-6 late in the fourth quarter of their meeting three weeks ago and came back to win. It will take a bigger comeback tonight to prevent an early exit from the postseason.
Green Bay scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, going 85, 87 and 32 yards. The short field was created when the Bears went for it on fourth-and-5 from their own 32, and Caleb Williams threw incomplete. Chicago was 1-for-4 on fourth down, with Williams throwing an interception on one of them.
Love has thrown touchdown passes of 7 yards to Christian Watson, 18 yards to Jayden Reed and 1 yard to Romeo Doubs on fourth-and-goal. Doubs has three catches for 44 yards.
Doubs’ touchdown came after Watson fumbled into the end zone while trying to somersault into the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the Chicago 23. Doubs recovered in the end zone, and since a fumble can’t be advanced on fourth down except by the player who fumbled, the Packers got the ball at the 1. It took them four plays to get it into the end zone.
Josh Jacobs has 12 carries for 49 yards.
Packers kicker Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
The Packers outgained the Bears 231 to 122 in the first half.
Williams is 8-of-17 for 78 yards and an interception, with DJ Moore catching five for 39.
Packers offensive lineman Jacob Monk (biceps) is questionable to return, and the Bears ruled out linebacker T.J. Edwards after he was carted off with an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards was injured with 11:09 remaining until halftime. Team medical personnel placed his left leg in a vacuum splint, and he was carted to the X-ray room.
It was a non-contact injury for Edwards as he went down while trying to cut back. His leg gave way on the Soldier Field grass on a Jordan Love incompletion.
D’Marco Jackson checked in for Edwards.
The Bears already were without Noah Sewell and Amen Ogbongbemiga as reserves.
The Bears list Edwards as doubtful to return with an ankle injury.
He played only 10 games in the regular season with hand and hamstring injuries.
The Packers took a 14-3 lead on the drive, with Love hitting Jayden Reed for an 18-yard touchdown. Green Bay went 87 yards on 10 plays on its second possession after going nine plays for 85 yards on its first possession for Christian Watson’s 7-yard touchdown reception.
Love is 7-of-9 for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears went 59 yards in 15 plays on the opening drive, but they could not convert a third-and-5 from the Green Bay 9. They settled for a chip-shot, 27-yard field goal by Cairo Santos for a 3-0 lead on the 16th play.
Chicago used 7:58 off the clock.
The Bears’ 3-0 lead, though, only held up for 4:56. That’s how long it took Green Bay to drive 85 yards for a touchdown in only nine plays on its opening drive.
The Packers lead 7-3 with only 2:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Jordan Love, who has not played since Week 16, was sharp on the opening drive. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 52 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown to Christian Watson. Romeo Doubs had the big catch, with a 33-yarder on a third-and-1 play.
Caleb Williams was 4-of-7 for 35 yards on the Bears’ opening drive.
Four years after being traded to the Colts and three years after retiring as a player, Matt Ryan is back with the Falcons. And he’s in charge of the entire team.
Via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan will be the primary decision-maker in the Falcons’ organization.
Finley’s report focuses on the notion that the Bears won’t get a pair of compensatory third-round picks if assistant G.M. Ian Cunningham, as a minority candidate, is hired to be Atlanta’s next G.M. But there’s a more significant practical consequence as to Ryan’s reported role.
Regarding any executive with another team who remains under contract, that team can block a move to the Atlanta G.M. position, since it’s not really a G.M. position.
If the report is accurate, Ryan’s power over the football operation could become an impediment to the Falcons’ effort to hire a General Manager. And it could nudge the search toward someone who currently isn’t employed by an NFL team.
The Packers will not have right tackle Zach Tom for Saturday night’s playoff game against the Bears.
Tom, who is dealing with back and knee injuries, is inactive. He was questionable to play after limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday and a missed practice on Thursday.
Tom has not played since Week 15 against the Broncos.
Jordan Morgan is expected to start in Tom’s stead, with Darian Kinnard serving as the sixth offensive lineman.
The Packers’ other inactives are wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion), quarterback Desmond Ridder, cornerback Jaylin Simpson, defensive lineman Collin Oliver and wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James. Ridder is the emergency third quarterback.
The other four players the Packers listed as questionable, including backup quarterback Malik Willis, are active.
Jordan Love will play his first game since Week 16.
The Bears’ inactives are quarterback Case Keenum, wide receiver Jahdae Walker, cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (concussion), linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (concussion), linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, offensive guard Luke Newman and defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (concussion).
Bears nickel back Kyler Gordon will play his first game since Nov. 28 against the Eagles, working his way back from a groin injury. He was questionable to play.
