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.
NINE has gotten fined.
The last game of Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s first season included a first-quarter run that ended with a taunting foul.
On Saturday, the NFL announced that McCarthy will pay $11,593 for jawing at Packers defenders after a run during which he threw a stiff arm and then a shoulder.
It’s part of McCarthy’s feisty persona, one that has drawn scrutiny from coach Kevin O’Connell for celebrating during a naked bootleg touchdown run against the Cowboys last month.
One on hand, he’s young. On the other hand, he needs to control his emotions a little better — at least until he stays healthy and performs at a high level on a consistent basis.
Christian Watson had a so-so year, due largely to the fact that he appeared in only 10 regular-season games.
It was still enough to get one of the 50 Associated Press voters to make him a second-team All-Pro.
Watson caught only 35 passes for 611 yards in 2025. He finished tied for 116th in catches, and 58th in receiving yardage.
The AP ballot calls for three receivers on the first-place team and three on the second-place team. That’s six receivers. (Math.) Because Watson finished with one point in the voting, and because a second-place vote is worth one point, one of the 50 voters included Watson among the six best receivers in the NFL for the 2025 season.
That’s nearly impossible to justify. But it would still be interesting to hear the person who made Watson one of the six best receivers for the entire 2025 season try to do it.
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.
The Bears have cornerback Kyler Gordon back on the roster for Saturday night’s playoff game against the Packers.
Gordon was activated from injured reserve on Saturday afternoon. Gordon has been out with a groin injury since late November and only appeared in three games during the regular season because of injury issues. He had seven tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in those games.
The Bears did not activate tackle Braxton Jones, so he will remain on injured reserve through the weekend.
Tight end Nikola Kalinic and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin have been elevated from the practice squad for Saturday’s games.
