Silence is a rare thing at Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers, but there was no sound to be heard when star Quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down in the first half with an apparent leg injury against the rival Chicago Bears.
The oldest rivalry in the NFL started with Chicago taking an early 7-0 lead. The Packers’ offense was dominated by Khalil Mack, the Linebacker that Chicago acquired in a recent trade. Then things got bleak for Green Bay when Rodgers injured his leg on a sack. Rodgers was carted to the locker room, and the Bears continued to dominate.
Mack racked up several tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pick-six all in the first half. At halftime, the score was 17-0. The Packers looked hopeless.
When the second half started, Rodgers came back out of the locker room. The Bears drove down the field and scored a field goal to make the score 20-0. Rodgers and the Packers did the same to finally put point points on the board and make the score 20-3. This little spark of momentum led to an explosion of offense as the Packers scored two more times to make the score 20-17. One touchdown came on a 39 yard pass from Rodgers to WR Geronimo Allison. The other came from a 12 yard pass to Davante Adams.
The Packers defense bent a little when Chicago went back on the field and gave up another field goal to make the score 23-17 with just 2:40 left on the clock. With no timeouts, Green Bay needed a touchdown on their next drive, or they could kiss a comeback goodbye. Rodgers, barely able to move his left leg, exited the safety of the pocket and threw a short pass to Randall Cobb, who took it to the house for a 75 yard touchdown to tie the game. The extra point gave Green Bay a one point lead.
Chicago’s offense took the field and stalled. Fourth down came, and QB Mitch Trubisky threw an incomplete pass, but a flag changed the joyful buzz in Lambeau to worry and anger. Packers’ LB Clay Matthews hit Trubisky after the throw and was called for roughing the passer. First down, Chicago. The Bears started to drive, but the Packers defense held up and forced another fourth down. LB Nick Perry got to the QB and forced a fumble, which Green Bay recovered.
The Packers just needed to run out the clock to complete the comeback. The clock ran out, and Green Bay won 24-23.
When asked what he was thinking when he came back in the second half, Rodgers responded, “Something special. I told the guys at halftime, if you shut ’em out, we’re gonna win.” They gave up six points, but the Packers’ offense had a spark that couldn’t be contained, and that was enough for Green Bay to have an incredible comeback.