Not ‘filled with a bunch of joy’ after beating Bears, Packers know there’s work to do
GREEN BAY — Roughly 24 hours after reminding his Green Bay Packers that they will "never, ever apologize for winning" in the aftermath of their less-than-impressive 20-19 victory over the rival Chicago Bears, head coach Matt LaFleur admitted Monday that the team film session was much more about corrections than celebrations.
So while the narrow victory — secured by defensive lineman Karl Brooks blocking just enough of Bears kicker Cairo Santos' potential 46-yard game-winning field goal as time expired — allowed the Packers (7-3) to keep pace in the NFC playoff hunt heading into next Sunday's showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (5-5) at Lambeau Field, no one was looking at the victory as proof of the Packers' Super Bowl LIX bona fides.
"I don't think anybody was just, you know, filled with a bunch of joy," LaFleur said during his usual day-after-the-game Q&A session with reporters at Lambeau Field. "Like, we knew that was going to be a grinder of a game.
"But that is this league. You've just got to find a way to get it done, and for us right now that's been a few games where (that's happened). That's our third game where we've won with no time left on the clock."
Indeed, Brooks' walk-off block — after kicker Brandon McManus made game-winning field goals with 0:00 left on the clock to beat the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars last month — kept the Packers' record against the Bears perfect under LaFleur. Green Bay is now 11-0 against Chicago since the start of the 2019 season.
"The whole thing that was going through my mind was, 'I don't want to be the first one to lose (to the Bears)," said veteran running back Josh Jacobs, who accounted for 134 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown to carry the offense.
"Good teams always find a way to win. We're trying to be a good team. We're trying to take that next step."
Still, the problems were obvious. On defense, the Packers struggled to contain rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who made plays with his arm and legs to awaken an offense that went 25 consecutive possessions without a touchdown before getting into the end zone with 7 seconds left until halftime.
Not only did the Packers allow the Bears to convert 9 of 16 third-down situations — after going 6 for 40 on third down the previous three games — but they also gave up three fourth-down conversions.
The most problematic was at the end of the game when back-to-back sacks by TJ Slaton and Rashan Gary had the Bears facing a third-and-19 at their own 21-yard line.
But Williams avoided what should have been a Kingsley Enabare sack to hit wide receiver Rome Odunze for a 16-yard gain on third down, then hit Odunze for 21 yards on fourth-and-3 to put the Bears in position for Santos' fateful kick.
"It wasn't our best performance," veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark admitted. "We definitely gave up too many explosives to the quarterback. A couple plays we kind of got out of whack."
And on offense, quarterback Jordan Love threw a red-zone interception — giving him 11 for the season and at least one INT in each of the eight games he's played — while the Packers also squandered another red-zone opportunity when LaFleur bypassed a field-goal attempt to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Chicago 6-yard line.
"I think it just comes back to execution," said wide receiver Christian Watson, who caught four passes for 150 yards, including a 60-yard catch-and-run that set up the Packers' go-ahead touchdown — a 1-yard Love quarterback sneak with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the game. "We had the opportunity to do more. We've just got to play a little bit better complementary football."
Which is exactly what they'll need to do against the 49ers, a team that has been up-and-down this season but has ended three of the Packers' previous five seasons under LaFleur with postseason victories at the Packers' expense.
"We've got to play better. We've got to do our job and we've got to rely on the guy next to you to do their job," LaFleur said. "I just thought in every phase really, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, there were opportunities there that we didn't capitalize on."
