National Football League
Green Bay 30, Chicago 27
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 18, 2016
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Temperature: 11°
Head Official: Ron Torbert
Attendance: 61137

CHICAGO -- If experience taught Jordy Nelson anything, it is that if Aaron Rodgers has time and downs at his disposal, the Green Bay Packers will always have a chance.

Sunday added another dramatic ending to that narrative.

Working with no timeouts late in the fourth quarter, Rodgers connected with Nelson on a 60-yard completion on third-and-11 that set up Mason Crosby's 32-yard field goal as time expired, allowing the Packers to edge the Chicago Bears 30-27 at Soldier Field.

Nelson reeled in the catch before Rodgers got the Packers composed and stopped the clock with three seconds remaining. That set up Crosby, who kicked three field goals for the Packers (8-6), including the game-winner.

Ty Montgomery also ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns to aid Green Bay, which allowed a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to disappear before Rodgers' throw led to the Packers' fourth straight win.

"As an offense, you just need another opportunity and you can make a play like that and walk away with a win," said Nelson, who finished with seven catches for 124 yards. "That's all you need."

Rodgers again made the most of it.

Rodgers' heroics came after the Bears (3-11) tied the game at 27 on Connor Barth's 22-yard field goal with 1:23 remaining. However, Chicago left Rodgers time to work with.

Following an incompletion and a short pass to Montgomery, Rodgers -- who finished with 252 yards on 19-of-31 passing -- connected with Nelson on the deep crossing route.

"When we had to have the play, we made it," Rodgers said. "It's good to get the win."

The finish was bitter for Chicago, which hasn't beaten Green Bay at home since 2010. Trailing by 17, the Bears erased the deficit on an 8-yard Matt Barkley touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery before Jordan Howard's 9-yard scoring run got the Bears to within three points.

However, the excitement generated by Barth's game-tying field goal was quickly extinguished by Rodgers after Nelson got behind his defender and was able to make the catch.

"We didn't execute as well (on that play)," Bears coach John Fox said. "Obviously, it was a pretty good ball by (Rodgers). He can do that. They executed on that play better than we did."

The Packers held on after taking what appeared to be a commanding 27-10 lead late in the third quarter on Christine Michael's 42-yard touchdown run that came after Barkley threw his second interception of the third quarter.

Green Bay turned three Chicago turnovers into 17 points to build their lead.

Montgomery gave the Packers a 20-10 advantage with 4:54 remaining with a 3-yard touchdown run that immediately followed a 26-yard scamper that put the Packers inside the Bears' 3-yard line.

The Packers' defense laid the groundwork for Green Bay's go-ahead drive early in the second half. Julius Peppers forced a Barkley fumble on a strip sack on the first play of the third quarter to give the Packers the ball on the Chicago 16-yard line. But the Bears' defense, aided by a dropped touchdown pass by Davante Adams, stopped Rodgers on a quarterback keeper at the 1-yard line.

That set up Crosby's 18-yard field goal that gave the Packers a 13-10 lead, which started the surge that gave Green Bay its cushion before the Bears made their fourth-quarter comeback.

In the end, though, Rodgers came to the rescue. Again.

"Obviously, we had some opportunities earlier in the game we could have done better with and kind of put the game out of hand," Nelson said. "You've just got to focus, and that's what it came down to. It wasn't the most graceful thing, but it got done."

Barkley completed 30 of 43 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions.

NOTES: Packers RB James Starks missed Sunday's game due to being placed on concussion protocol after he was involved in a car accident last week. Ty Montgomery. ... Montgomery gained for 123 yards in the first half and became the first Packers running back to run for 100 yards in a half since Eddie Lacy against Dallas in 2013. ...WR Trevor Davis, LB Nick Perry, LB Jordan Tripp, OT Kyle Murphy and C/G JC Tretter were also inactive for Green Bay. ... Bears WR Alshon Jeffery returned after missing four games due to a suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Jeffery finished with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. ... Bears RB Jordan Howard crossed over the 1,000-yard mark after rushing for 90 yards on 17 carries. ...NT Eddie Goldman (ankle), WR Eddie Royal (toe) and CB Bryce Callahan (knee) were inactive for the Bears along with OL Matt McCants, TE MyCole Pruitt, DB Johnthan Banks and DB Deandre Houston-Carson.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Green Bay   Chicago
Ty Montgomery Player Jordan Howard
16 Attempts 17
162 Yards 90
10.1 Avg Yards 5.3
2 Touchdowns 1
61 Long 13
Receiving
Green Bay   Chicago
Jordy Nelson Player Deonte Thompson
7 Receptions 8
124 Yards 110
17.7 Avg Yards 13.8
0 Touchdowns 0
60 Long 20
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Green Bay 451 226 225 3 3 3 1.0 1
Chicago 449 95 354 3 2 0 4.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Washington. The Bears have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .300 after a loss.
  • Green Bay will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Packers have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .571 after a loss.