The strangest season in the 101-season history of the Bears isn’t over yet.
The Bears qualified for the playoffs Sunday afternoon in an appropriately bizarre way — while they were finishing a 35-16 loss to the rival Packers at Soldier Field, the Rams defeated the Cardinals 18-7. The Bears were guaranteed the No. 7 seed — created this past offseason — in the NFC playoffs with a Cardinals loss, regardless of what they did against their rivals.
The postseason appearance is the second in the three-year working relationship between Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy. The Bears hosted a wild-card playoff game after the 2018 season and lost on Cody Parkey’s double-doink kick.
As the No. 7 seed, the 8-8 Bears will travel to face the No. 2 seed Saints either Saturday or Sunday.
The Packers clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed — and a bye next week — with the win at Soldier Field.
The Bears crumbled late in the fourth quarter against the Packers. Down five with about 11 minutes to play, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-1 for the third time in their drive. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who the Bears kept on a tight leash all game, rolled out and threw incomplete to Allen Robinson.
The Packers bludgeoned the Bears for the next 7:35, traveling 76 yards on 12 plays and scoring on Aaron Jones’ 4-yard run. Trubisky threw an interception two plays later, and the Packers eventually turned that into another touchdown, this time on a six-yard catch from Aaron Rodgers to receiver Davante Adams. The presumptive NFL MVP, Rodgers complete 19 of 24 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns.
He dominated the first half and ran into the locker room ahead 21-10. At that moment, the favorite for the NFL MVP had completed all 10 passes for 155 yards, three passing touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Uncharacteristically, the Bears played some of their best football in the third quarter. They played keep-away from Rodgers, holding the ball for 11:16 out of 15 minutes, scoring six points and out-gaining the Packers, 119 yards to 25. The Bears could have scored more, too, but head coach Matt Nagy decided against going for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2.
The Bears scored the first points of the game — on a two-yard David Montgomery run. The Packers countered with a three-yard pass from Rodgers to tight end Robert Tonyan, a McHenry High School alum.
The Bears led 10-7 after Packers punt-returner Tavon Austin fumbled at the Bears’ 20 and Cairo Santos later kicked a 30-yard field goal. Three plays later, on third-and-4 from their own 28, Rodgers caught the Bears in a slow-developing blitz. Speedster Marquez Valdes-Scantling outran Danny Trevathan down the right seam, caught a pass in stride and scored on a 72-yard touchdown play.
With about four minutes left in the first half, Rodgers found Dominique Dafney for a 13-yard score, taking advantage of Bears tight end Cole Kmet’s fumble at his own 22. Santos kicked a 28-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half.
The Bears’ defense stiffened in the second half. The unit played most of the game without its best player, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who hurt his left elbow on the Packers’ first possession and didn’t return to the field. Rookie receiver Darnell Mooney, one of the Bears’ most dynamic players, hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter and did not return.
