It was not easy, and it certainly was far from pretty, but the 2023-24 version of the Green Bay Packers overcame all odds to make the NFL playoffs. In Jordan Love’s first season leading the Pack, he once again stepped up when the lights were the brightest to lead his team to a win.

Sunday’s win now marks 10 consecutive victories over the hapless Chicago Bears, who have to look back to 2018 for their last victory in this ‘rivalry.’ While a 17-9 score certainly doesn’t look like a barn burner in any way, it is safe to say the Packers showed some promise while lacking effort in other areas.

Offense

While a fourth-quarter fumble will cloud a bit of his performance, Love was lights out again for the offense. 316 passing yards, two touchdowns (both to Dontayvion Wicks), and only one sack produced a 128.6 QB rating for the Green Bay signal caller, as he picked apart the Chicago defense all night while not feeling much pressure.

Having lost Romeo Doubs early with a chest injury, the all-rookie receiver core for the Packers stepped up in a big way. With Wicks (6/61/2) and Jayden Reed (4/112) leading the way, Bo Melton and Malik Heath stepped up and filled in the gaps.

Aaron Jones earned all of the work at running back for Green Bay, as AJ Dillon was out with a stinger. It was a vintage Jones performance, putting up 141 on 27 touches (22 carries), helping balance out the offensive attack for the Packers.

Defense

Outside of an opening-drive field goal plus two field goals after, the Chicago offense was mostly held in check by the Green Bay defense. While it may be tough to admit, Joe Barry drew up a solid game plan, keeping Justin Fields (five sacks) and DJ Moore (4/64) in check all game.

The running game didn’t amount to much for the Bears, as they only averaged three yards per carry across 25 carries. The front seven for Green Bay did a solid job of keeping things in front of them and not allowing many big plays.

With the return of Jaire Alexander, the Green Bay secondary was close to full health, as the combination of Alexander and Carrington Valentine only allowed 11 completions and 148 scoreless passing yards from Fields. While they failed to create any turnovers, the secondary only allowed two receptions of 20-plus yards while forcing the Bears to a dreadful 4-12 on third and fourth down conversions.

All in all, it was a solid performance by both sides of the ball, and while it came down to the final drive before the game was in hand, Green Bay certainly did enough in the end. A trip to Dallas is next up for the Packers, as they will be a part of Wild Card weekend – a statement many didn’t think was possible back in August.

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Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23

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