11. Packers 10, Bears 3 (2010)

Green Bay was fighting for a playoff spot. Heading into the last game, it was simple. If the Packers win, they are in. If they lose, they are out. Green Bay was 9-6 and was fighting for a spot in the playoffs with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chicago, on the other hand, was 11-4 and had already wrapped up the NFC North and a first round bye. However, the Bears were going to go all out in an effort to keep the Packers out of the playoffs. As it turns out, this would be a preview of the NFC Championship game. It would be a close, defensive game, with the Packers coming out on top. The difference would be an Aaron Rodgers 1-yard pass to Donald Lee. Jay Cutler would be intercepted with less than 20 seconds left to punch Green Bay’s ticket to the playoffs. And anything can happen in the playoffs, as the Packers proved.

The Green and Gold had a gut-wrenching Monday Night Football loss week three at Soldier Field. The Packers dominated the game statistically, but had 18 penalties, including a pass interference to set up Chicago’s game-winning field goal. It would be a scoreless first quarter, but the Packers had their chances. On the first two possessions of the game for the Green and Gold, they moved into Chicago territory. On the first drive, they had to punt and on the second one, Donald Driver fumbled inside the Bears 40 and Chicago recovered.

Jay Cutler would heat up in the second quarter. He would lead his team to a field goal to take the 3-0 lead. He would go 5-of-6 on the drive for 65 yards. Three of those completions went to Rashied Davis for 35 yards, while the other two went to Matt Forte. However, after the Bears reached the Packers 4, the Green Bay defense stood tall and held Chicago to a field goal. On 3rd-and-Goal, Erik Walden sacked Cutler to force the field goal. The score would 3-0 at the half.

The Bears were primed to increase the lead early in the third quarter. The first drive would end up in Packers territory, but Cutler’s pass for Davis fell incomplete. But on the following play, Rodgers threw a pick to Charles Tillman and the Chicago defensive back returned it all the way to the Green Bay 15. After a holding on Chicago, the Bears gained one yard on the first two plays to set up a 3rd-and-19. That would set up a momentum-changing play for the Packers. Cutler threw a pass into the end zone for Johnny Knox, but it was intercepted by Charlie Peprah in the end zone for the touchback.

Tramon Williams would set up the Packers with a great punt return into Chicago territory late in the third quarter. Rodgers would connect with Greg Jennings down the right side for 33 yards to the 1. However, it was Chicago’s turn to make a defensive stand. The three plays would lose four yards and Green Bay would have to settle for a tie game.

Walden turned into a force in the game. In addition to the one he had earlier, he had two more on the following Chicago possession. He single-handedly would force the Bears into a 4th-and-25. Then Rodgers and Co. would give the Packers the lead.

Facing a 3rd-and-3, Rodgers threw a 21-yard pass to Driver to move into Bears territory at the 47. That was followed by a Rodgers pass to Jennings down the right sideline for 46 yards down to the 1. That set up the Lee touchdown and Green Bay had its first lead of the game.

Neither team would threaten again until the final drive of the game. The Bears would start on a 15-play drive that started on their own 2. Olsen and Forte had a big part in the drive and Chicago was driving with 20 seconds left to go at the Packers 32. But Cutler gonna Cutler. He threw an interception to Nick Collins to punch the Packers ticket into the playoffs.

Green Bay would make the most of its playoff ticket, as the Packers would win four straight away from Lambeau Field to win the Super Bowl. In that run, the Green and Gold would defeat Chicago again in the NFC Championship game.