GREEN BAY, Wis. — For one glorious quarter Sunday night at Lambeau Field, the Chicago Bears traded big plays with the Green Bay Packers.
Two offensive touchdowns of more than 45 yards and the longest punt return touchdown in franchise history made the Bears look every bit as exciting as the NFC North leaders in the second quarter.
Then, coming out of halftime, a turnover happened. And Aaron Rodgers happened. And, eventually, a sixth straight loss to the Packers happened.
By the end of the Packers’ 45-30 victory, the Bears had been put back in their place as the floundering 4-9 team that they are. The Packers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Bears, their only loss in that stretch coming in 2018.
Punt returner/wide receiver Jakeem Grant, who joined the Bears in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in October, played a major role in the Bears taking a 27-21 lead into halftime. He scored on a 46-yard catch-and-run on the Bears’ third drive and later in the second quarter scored on a 97-yard punt return.
Wide receiver Damiere Byrd added a 54-yard touchdown on a short pass from rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who returned from a two-game absence from cracked ribs. And outside linebacker Robert Quinn had two sacks of Rodgers to lead the defense.
Those plays helped the Bears outduel — for one half — Rodgers and the Packers, who got their own boost from Rasul Douglas’ 55-yard pick-six against Fields.
The Bears couldn’t keep the momentum going after halftime.
Rodgers led an easy nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to give the Packers the lead to open the third quarter. On the Bears’ next drive, Packers linebacker Preston Smith ran around rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins to get a strip-sack of Fields.
Outside linebacker Rashan Gary recovered, and the Packers scored on the next play on Rodgers’ 23-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Aaron Jones.
The half slowly got worse, including a Bears penalty on a punt that Packers returner Amari Rodgers muffed. Bears running back Damien Williams recovered it, but Kindle Vildor was called for running out of bounds on his own on the play. And the Bears punted again.
Rodgers improved to 23-5 all-time in the rivalry. He completed 29 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers.
Fields and the Bears offense didn’t get in a groove again. Fields was 18 of 33 for 224 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and the fumble. He also ran for 74 yards on nine carries.
His second interception came after Khalil Herbert recovered Cairo Santos’ onside kick with 1 minute, 21 seconds to play. On fourth-and-13 on the desperate last-minute drive, Chandon Sullivan intercepted a pass meant for Darnell Mooney.
Jenkins, a 2021 second-round pick, was playing because left tackle Jason Peters suffered a right ankle injury in the first quarter. Jenkins was called for two false starts and two holding penalties, one of which was declined because it was on the strip-sack.
The Bears also lost inside linebacker Roquan Smith to a hamstring injury in the second half. Cornerback Xavier Crawford (concussion), safety DeAndre Houston-Carson (arm) and defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga (shoulder) also left with injuries.
