Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers: Live updates from Lambeau Field in Week 18

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Chicago Bears close out the season Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Quarterback Caleb Williams will make his 17th start of the season, while this will be game No. 5 under interim head coach Thomas Brown. The Packers have won 11 consecutive games against the Bears, including a dramatic finish earlier this season. The Bears haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 2015.

Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond will be reporting live from Lambeau Field. Follow Hammond on X at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local enterprise reporter Michal Dwojak also will be reporting from Chicago. Follow Dwojak @mdwojak94 on X and at the same handle on Threads. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Below is everything Bears fans need to know ahead of the game. Stay here all game long for live updates.

Santos wins it for the Bears

Cairo Santos made a 51-yard field goal to win the game, 24-22, as time expired. The Bears snapped a 10-game losing streak and an 11-game losing streak against the Packers. It came on Virginia McCaskey’s 102nd birthday.

Caleb Williams led the Bears down field in the final minute to give them a win on the last game of the season.

Packers take the lead with a field goal

DJ Moore fumbled the football and gave Green Bay a shot in Bears territory. Packers kicker Brandon McManus made a 55-yard field goal try in the cold weather to put his team ahead, 22-21, with less than a minute to go.

Packers draw closer

Packers running back Emanuel Wilson ran in a 21-yard touchdown moments after quarterback Malik Wilson completed a wild deep ball to receiver Malik Heath. The completion to Heath went for 41 yards.

The Packers tried to tie the game with a two-point conversion, but failed to do so. The Bears still hold a slim lead, 21-19, with just over four minutes remaining in the game.

DJ Moore scores touchdown

Caleb Williams flipped a short pass out wide to receiver DJ Moore, who followed his blockers and found open space along the right sideline. Moore stayed in bounds and ran all the way to the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown.

It marked the 20th passing touchdown of the season for Williams.

The Bears initially went for a two-point conversion to try to make it a two-possession game. For the second time of the day, Keenan Allen took a pitch and looked to pass. Allen held onto the ball and was tackled for a loss, but the Packers were called for defensive holding.

The penalty resulted in the ball moving half the distance to the goal. Rather than go for two from the 1-yard line, the Bears elected to kick a shorter extra point.

The Bears lead, 21-13, midway through the fourth quarter.

Jaylon Johnson exits with injury

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson exited the game with a quad injury late in the third quarter. The team listed him as doubtful to return. Johnson left the Bears sideline and walked back to the team’s locker room under his own power.

Keenan Allen throws interception

The Bears tried to run another trick play early in the third quarter, but it backfired in a big way. Caleb Williams pitched the ball to DJ Moore, who pitched it again to Keenan Allen.

Allen looked to throw, thought better of it, then threw the football anyway. Packers safety Xavier McKinney came down with an easy interception along the right sideline.

It was the fifth pass attempt of Allen’s 12-year NFL career. He was previously 1-for-4 passing for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Packers pull within 1 point

With Malik Willis at quarterback, the Packers drove the length of the field and added three points on a 30-yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus. The Bears hold a slim lead, 14-13, with 1:57 to go in the second quarter.

Willis completed a 31-yard pass to receiver Jayden Reed along the way. Willis' deep ball to Reed was under thrown in the cold weather, but Reed made a nice play to adjust and catch the football.

Jordan Love suffers apparent injury; Packers score

Packers quarterback Jordan Love was hit in the pocket as he released a pass early in the second quarter. Love exited the game and the Packers training staff worked on his hand and elbow along the team’s sideline.

The Packers later listed Love as questionable to return with an elbow injury. The Packers have a playoff spot locked up and didn’t necessarily have to play Love in this Week 18 contest. The Packers also lost receiver Christian Watson to a knee injury.

Meanwhile, backup quarterback Malik Willis finished off a touchdown drive for Green Bay. Josh Jacobs scored on a 9-yard touchdown run.

The Bears lead, 14-10, in the second quarter.

Bears turn takeaway into touchdown

Late in the first quarter, the Bears offense had another quick possession that ended in a punt. The Packers began their next drive by handing the ball to Jayden Reed on a receiver sweep. As Reed tried to turn the corner, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson knocked the football from Reed’s hands and safety Jonathan Owens pounced on the fumble.

It was a much-needed takeaway for the Bears defense and it set up the offense with favorable field position.

The Bears offense turned it into a touchdown a few plays later when running back D’Andre Swift punched in a 4-yard score. The Bears lead, 14-3, with 14:17 to go in the first quarter.

Packers add a field goal

After Josh Blackwell’s punt return touchdown put the Bears in the lead, the Packers drove 52 yards on eight plays to set up a 37-yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus. It was the first points of the afternoon for Green Bay.

The Bears still hold an early lead, 7-3, with 2:24 to go in the first quarter.

Josh Blackwell scores on punt return fake

The Bears appeared to be sending DJ Moore back to return a punt midway through the first quarter. It would’ve been Moore’s first punt return since 2021 with the Carolina Panthers – except that it was a fake.

Moore acted as if he were going to catch the football, but he was actually a decoy. Bears special teams ace Josh Blackwell caught the ball on the far side of the field and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.

It was an epic fake from special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. It completely fooled the Packers. The Bears took an early lead, 7-0.

Latest injury updates

The Bears will be without offensive lineman Teven Jenkins on Sunday. Jenkins has been ruled out with a calf injury, which also caused him to miss last week’s game against Seattle. Additionally, the Bears ruled out running back Travis Homer (hamstring) and safety Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot).

The Bears announced Jenkins, Homer and Hicks will be inactive on Sunday. Defensive back Ameer Speed, linebacker Noah Sewell and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens will also be inactive for the game. Those three are healthy scratches.

For the Packers, cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) has been ruled out, along with tackle Andre Dillard (concussion) and safety Zayne Anderson (concussion).

The Packers are expected to play quarterback Jordan Love and the starters, even though they’ve already locked up a playoff spot.

What to expect from Green Bay

The Packers know they’re in the playoffs, but it’s still undecided if they will be the No. 6 or the No. 7 seed.

The Eagles have locked into the No. 2 seed, while the Rams appear likely to earn the No. 3 seed. Green Bay would likely rather play at Los Angeles as the No. 6 seed than at Philadelphia as the No. 7. Philly has a much stronger home-field advantage than the Rams.

So the expectation is that the Packers will take this game seriously and try to win.

Here are the top five storylines to watch in this Week 18 matchup.

When does the coaching search begin?

The 4-12 Bears don’t have a lot to play for. Still, Williams and the starters are expected to play on Sunday.

This rivalry is vitally important to the Bears and the McCaskey family who runs the team. The Packers have won 11 consecutive games against the Bears. Sunday also happens to be Virginia McCaskey’s 102nd birthday.

The Bears would love to end their longest losing streak in the history of the rivalry on her birthday.

Silvy believes this has been the most dysfunctional Bears season of his life. Read his full weekly column here.

After Sunday’s game, the Bears' coaching search will kick into high gear starting Monday. That’s when teams are allowed to begin requesting interviews with candidates who work for other NFL teams. Here’s more on what the coaching search will look like, logistically.

Here’s a long list of potential head coaching candidates.

What else did I miss this week?

Here’s what else was happening at Halas Hall this week.

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